Lions’ Frank Ragnow Done For Year
The Lions can’t catch a break. Pro Bowl center Frank Ragnow will be shut down for the year after undergoing season-ending toe surgery (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Previously, there was hope that Ragnow could return after a short stint on the IR list. 
“He’s got, basically, a version of turf toe right now is what he’s got,” said Lions head coach Dan Campbell less than one week ago (via ESPN.com). “We’ll know a lot more this afternoon with him. I would say he’s probably going to be out [for a little while] though.”
The winless Lions have already lost several key players to injury, including left tackle Taylor Decker, edge rusher Romeo Okwara, and wide receiver Quintez Cephus. Up until this latest issue, Ragnow was mostly healthy throughout his career, save for three missed games.
Ragnow been first-string for Detroit ever since he was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in 2018. At first, the Lions used the Arkansas product at left guard. In 2019, they shifted him to the middle. And, in May, they made him the highest-paid center in the NFL with a $70MM re-up. That deal cemented his status as a pillar of the Lions’ offensive line and vaulted him ahead of Chargers C Corey Linsley, who led the position with a five-year, $62.5MM pact.
The wounded Lions will face the 3-2 Bengals on Sunday.
Ravens Activate WR Miles Boykin
Miles Boykin is back. The Ravens announced today that they’ve officially activated the wideout from injured reserve. The 24-year-old was designated to return in late September.
[RELATED: Ravens Designate Rashod Bateman, Miles Boykin For Return]
The 2019 third-round pick had appeared in all 32 regular season games (with 24 starts) for the Ravens between 2019 and 2020. The wideout hauled in 32 receptions for 464 yards and seven touchdowns through those two seasons, and he added another six receptions in three playoff games. Boykin was sidelined by a hamstring injury during training camp, leading to his IR stint.
Boykin will provide Lamar Jackson with another target, and he’ll join a depth chart that currently includes Marquise Brown, Sammy Watkins, James Proche II, Devin Duvernay, and Tylan Wallace.
The Ravens will presumably get additional reinforcement when first-round pick Rashod Bateman returns. The wideout was designated for return at the same time as Boykin, but his return will apparently be delayed.
49ers Release CB Buster Skrine
The 49ers may not be playing in Week 6, but that didn’t stop the team from reshuffling their cornerbacks depth chart. The team announced this evening that they’ve activated cornerback Davontae Harris from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the 49ers released cornerback Buster Skrine.
Harris, 26, was claimed off waivers from the Ravens in late August, and San Francisco promptly placed him on IR. The former fifth-round pick has seen time in 30 career games, including a 2020 campaign where he appeared in 11 games (two starts) between the Broncos and Ravens.
Skrine joined the 49ers in late September, and he saw time on three special teams snaps during the 49ers’ Week 4 loss to the Seahawks. The 32-year-old previously started 92 of his 152 games across 10 professional seasons. He got into 12 games (three starts) for the Bears in 2020, collecting 66 tackles and one forced fumble.
Skrine was listed as the backup nickelback behind K’Waun Williams, so there’s a chance Harris slides into that role. Otherwise, he’ll be competing with the likes of Josh Norman, Dontae Johnson, Ambry Thomas, and Dre Kirkpatrick to get reps behind Emmanuel Moseley and Deommodore Lenoir.
Lions’ Quintez Cephus To Miss Time
Lions wide receiver Quintez Cephus suffered a broken collarbone on Sunday (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That’ll likely end his season here in October, though there’s a small chance that he could return later on this year. Either way, the Lions will have to place him on the injured reserve list. 
Cephus was a bright spot for the Lions in an otherwise challenging year. Through five games, the young WR had 15 catches for 204 yards and two touchdowns, nearly matching his entire rookie slate.
The Lions snagged Cephus in the fifth-round of the 2020 draft, due to assault allegations that tanked his stock. On the field, he showed serious potential by catching 59 passes for 901 yards and seven touchdowns in his final year at Wisconsin.
The Lions, who are short-handed on both sides of the ball, are 0-5 following Sunday’s loss to the Vikings. They’ll try to get into the win column on Sunday when they face the Bengals in Detroit.
Cardinals’ Maxx Williams Done For Year?
The Cardinals fear that Maxx Williams is dealing with a major knee injury (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The tight end will undergo additional testing today, but doctors say this will likely mark the end of his season. 
Williams was set to play a key role in the Cardinals’ offense this year, particularly after notching seven grabs for 94 yards against the Vikings in Week 2. Unfortunately, he’ll have to shift his focus to 2022 after five games, 16 catches, 193 yards, and one touchdown.
It’s particularly bad timing for Williams since he’s in his walk year. The 27-year-old (28 in April) is on course for free agency in the spring after his two-year, $7MM contract expires.
Williams was easily on pace for a career year. To date, his best showing came as a rookie when he recorded 32 catches for 268 yards and one TD. All in all, he’s got 102 career receptions for 994 yards and six scores between his time with the Ravens and Cardinals.
Without Williams, the Cardinals will move forward with Darrell Daniels, Demetrius Harris, and Travis Ross as their TEs. However, they’ll need to wait for clearance on Daniels before activating him from the COVID-19 list.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/11/21
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: OT Andre Smith, DB Jordan Richards
Seattle Seahawks
- Designated for return: C Ethan Pocic
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/11/21
We’ll keep track of today’s taxi squad moves here:
Houston Texans
- Signed: G Cole Toner
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: LB Christian Elliss, TE Noah Togiai
- Released: TE Nick Eubanks, WR Travis Fulgham
Bengals’ Jordan Evans Done For Year
Bengals linebacker Jordan Evans has been diagnosed with a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That’ll be a season-ender for the fifth-year pro, so the Bengals will place him on the injured reserve list later today. 
Evans went down late in the second quarter on Sunday. The Bengals went on to lose to the Packers in OT, dropping them to 3-2 on the year. His season will end with five tackles in five games.
Evans, a 2017 sixth-round pick, has appeared in 64 games with nine career starts. They’ve mostly used him on special teams since 2019; some believed that he would see more defensive snaps this year. That didn’t happen through five games, and the ACL tear means he won’t get an opportunity to crack the rotation.
All in all, Evans has 110 tackles, 3.5 sacks, seven pass defenses, and two interceptions as a pro. He could still hold interest as a special teamer in the spring — last year, Pro Football Focus assigned him a special teams grade of 77.6, good for No. 3 on the Bengals.
Jaguars Add Anthony Miller To Practice Squad
The Jaguars are set to sign Anthony Miller to their practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The wide receiver may get a quick promotion to the 53-man roster as well, RapSheet hears.
Miller was cut by the Texans late last week, just months after acquiring him from the Bears via trade. The Texans sent Chicago a 2022 fifth-round pick in the swap, but only used him in two games. He recorded four grabs for 20 yards in his Week 3 debut against the Panthers, but he was a non-factor in Week 4 against the Bills. In his defense, no one on the Texans shined in that 40-0 blowout. All together, he’s got five catches for 23 yards and one touchdown so far this year.
Miller, a 2018 second-round pick, flashed potential at times but fell flat towards the end of his Chicago tenure. In 2020, he took 49 catches for just 485 yards. Some say that shoulder issues held him back — to his credit, he played through the pain for a full 16-game slate.
To date, his rookie year — 33 catches, 423 yards, and seven touchdowns, still stands as his best.
Colts Cut DT Antwaun Woods
The Colts have released defensive tackle Antwaun Woods, per a club announcement. It’s possible that Woods could return to the roster this week after some shuffling, however. The move was effectively made to clear space for recently-promoted quarterback Brett Hundley.
Woods, 28, joined the Colts in May, just after he was released by the Cowboys. The Colts stashed him on the taxi squad to start the year, but promoted him in Week 3. To date, that’s been his only appearance for Indy.
A 32-game Cowboys starter from 2018-20, Woods was brought on for depth behind DeForest Buckner and Grover Stewart. Instead, they’ll move forward with two former UDFAs — Taylor Stallworth and Chris Williams — stationed behind their starters.
Known more for his run-stopping abilities than interior pass-rushing work, Woods played 57% of the Cowboys’ snaps in 2018 and worked as a full-time starter. The former UDFA started 10 games in 2019 but saw his role reduced during a woeful Dallas defensive season in 2020.