49ers Finalizing Deal With CB Dre Kirkpatrick
Following cornerback Jason Verrett‘s season-ending injury, the 49ers have brought in some reinforcement at the position. The 49ers are finalizing a deal with free agent cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
[RELATED: 49ers Fear Torn ACL For Jason Verrett]
Kirkpatrick has flirted with teams throughout the offseason, previously auditioning for the Saints, Patriots, and Texans. He also worked out for the 49ers recently, and that ended up turning into a contract. The 31-year-old saw time in 14 games (11 starts) for the Cardinals in 2020, finishing with 56 tackles, seven passes defended, and three interceptions. The longtime Bengals starter has totaled 358 tackles, three sacks, 72 passes defensed, and 13 interceptions across nine NFL seasons.
Verrett had a standout season for the 49ers in 2020, and the team brought him back on a one-year deal. Unfortunately, the veteran suffered an ACL tear during yesterday’s victory, ending his season after only one game. The team has already had to shuffle around their cornerbacks corps; the team needed rookie Deommodore Lenoir to fill in for Emmanuel Moseley, and they previously added Josh Norman. Before signing Kirkpatrick, head coach Kyle Shanahan seemed to imply that the team could look for some extra depth at the position.
“With that being the case, I feel we got enough guys in our building,” Shanahan said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “But that’s something you always got to look to see if there’s anyway you can improve. You always do that.”
Buccaneers Sign Pierre Desir To Practice Squad
In the wake of a key injury in their secondary, the Buccaneers are signing a notable name. Tampa Bay has added veteran corner Pierre Desir, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
However, Desir will report to the practice squad initially instead of the active roster. The move comes after starting corner Sean Murphy-Bunting suffered an elbow injury in the Bucs’ opener that will have him sidelined for at least a few weeks. Not too long ago Desir was a highly regarded corner, although his stock has dropped sharply the past couple of years.
Last year he started eight games for the Jets, racking up eight passes defended and three interceptions, but was cut in November. He then spent the rest of the year with Baltimore but barely played. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Browns back in 2014, Desir rose to prominence with the Colts.
He started 23 games for Indianapolis between 2018-19, and was given a three-year contract worth $22.5MM in March of 2019. He got $12MM guaranteed, but made it just one year into that pact.
Desir, who turned 31 last week, will give Tampa some solid depth and a veteran presence in their young secondary.
WFT To Place Ryan Fitzpatrick On IR
It was the fear yesterday, but now it’s official. Washington quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a hip subluxation during the team’s loss to the Chargers on Sunday, head coach Ron Rivera confirmed. The veteran is expected to miss the next six to eight weeks, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Rivera announced that Fitzpatrick will be placed on injured reserve, sidelining him for at least the next three games. That means that it’ll be Taylor Heinicke under center when Washington takes the field in just a few days for a Thursday Night Football game against the Giants. It also means it’ll be Heinicke leading the team for the foreseeable future. If there’s any good news, it’s that Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets that there’s “no indication yet that it’s season ending.”
Rivera said Fitzmagic is getting second opinions to determine the severity. For now it’ll be Kyle Allen backing up Heinicke. Washington is coming off a division title and had high expectations for this season, leading many to speculate they could look to add a veteran signal-caller.
Recently release Cam Newton, of course, is very well acquainted with Rivera from their days in Carolina together, although it looks like for now the plan is to roll with Heinicke and see how he fares. Beat reporters at the press conference say Rivera was firm about staying in-house for now. If the former UDFA struggles, then it wouldn’t be surprising for Washington to look outside the building.
It’s a tough blow for Fitz, who was injured in the first half of the first game with his new team. He’ll turn 39 in November, so it’s fair to wonder how easy of a recovery this will be for him. Here’s to hoping he gets back as soon as possible.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/13/21
Today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed to active roster: WR Alex Erickson
- Placed on IR: S Myles Hartsfield
Dallas Cowboys
- Placed on IR: WR Michael Gallup (story)
- Activated from Reserve/COVID list: OT Brandon Knight, G Zack Martin
- Placed on Reserve/COVID list: DE Randy Gregory
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: RB Trey Ragas
New Orleans Saints
- Re-signed: DL Montravius Adams
- Waived: DB Jordan Miller
- Activated: DB CB Bradley Roby
Philadelphia Eagles
- Released: DT T.Y. McGill
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR: DB Sean Murphy-Bunting (story), LS Zach Triner
- Promoted: S Andrew Adams
Tennessee Titans
- Promoted: DB Bradley McDougald, TE MyCole Pruitt
- Waived: K Michael Badgley, TE Tommy Hudson
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/13/21
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Corn Elder, S Jalen Julius, CB Rashaan Melvin
- Released: WR Omar Bayless
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Robert Foster , K Lirim Hajrullahu
- Placed on IR: CB Deante Burton, S Darian Thompson
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: WR Maurice Ffrench
Miami Dolphins
- Released: FB Carl Tucker
New Orleans Saints
- Reverted to practice squad: K Aldrick Rosas, S Jeff Heath
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Chris Cooper
Washington Football Team
- Signed: QB Kyle Shurmur
Shurmur will give WFT another option as Ryan Fitzpatrick recovers from his hip injury. For now, this likely means that Taylor Heinicke will serve as their starter. Heinicke stepped in for Fitz against the Chargers on Sunday, completing 11-for-15 passes for 122 yards and a touchdown.
Lions’ Jeff Okudah Done For Year
Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah has been diagnosed with a ruptured Achilles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That’s a season-ender for the former No. 3 overall pick and the Lions will place him on injured reserve later today.
Okudah missed seven games as a rookie due to groin and shoulder issues. He was looking for a healthy bounce-back year, but that was all derailed during Sunday’s season opener against the 49ers. First, Okudah surrendered a 79-yard score to Deebo Samuel and got an earful for it on the sideline. Then, the youngster was forced out of action.
There weren’t many knocks on Okudah leading up to the 2020 draft with experts lauding his tools and potential. The upside is still there, of course, but he’ll have to stay healthy and play with more consistency when he comes back.
“I would put Okudah down as the safest [defensive player in this draft],” NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah said before the 2020 Draft. “I know exactly what position he plays, I’ve seen him play that position against elite competition and I’ve seen him play at a very high, consistent level. To me, Okudah is the safest.”
For now, the Lions will have to look elsewhere for coverage help. The Okudah-less Lions have one week to go before their Monday night matchup against the rival Packers.
Saints, Marshon Lattimore Agree To ~$100MM Deal
The Saints have locked up Marshon Lattimore. On Sunday, the Pro Bowl cornerback agreed to a five-year, $97.6MM extension including $44MM in full guarantees and $68.3MM in overall guarantees. Plus, through incentives, Lattimore can earn up to $100MM over the course of the contract. 
With the new deal in hand, Lattimore has secured the most guaranteed cash of any cornerback or safety in NFL history. He was initially set to play out his fifth-year option — worth $10.2MM — before approaching free agency in the spring of 2022.
The 2017 first-round pick has started all 57 of his games as a pro, missing only seven possible contests on the whole. Meanwhile, he’s notched three Pro Bowl selections in four NFL seasons. That includes his debut year, when he earned Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
Lattimore, 25, has 55 passes defensed and ten interceptions over the course of his career. He stands as one of the most feared young CBs in the league but, in the interest of equal time, it’s worth noting that the advanced metrics have soured on him somewhat. Pro Football Focus pegged him at a stellar 86.1 as a rookie, followed by scores of 77.5 (2018), 65.6 (2019) and 59.1 (2020).
Still, the Saints recognize his value and had no interest in letting him get away. Now, after helping the team to rank No. 5 in 2020 pass defense, he’s locked in for years to come.
NFL Suspends Cowboys RT La’el Collins
Sep. 12: Collins is still fighting his suspension and is hopeful that the ban will be lifted or reduced, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Per La Canfora, Collins has been drug tested about 10 times per months for the last 18 months, and he did not test positive between October 21, 2020 and August 11, 2021.
However, as previous reports indicated, Collins’ suspension stems from missed tests, not positive test results. La Canfora says Collins has failed to appear for testing seven times, but Collins and his agent argue that there are good explanations for those missed tests. For instance, some of the testing dates were on days that the Cowboys sent players home due to a COVID-related issue.
At this point, Dallas can only hope that Collins and his reps will be able to convince the league to change its mind.
Sep. 10: A day after he returned for his first game since the 2019 season, La’el Collins received word he will be sidelined for a while. The NFL handed the longtime Cowboys right tackle a five-game suspension Friday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Collins came back from a preseason neck injury to start against the Buccaneers, marking his return after a hip injury sidelined him throughout the 2020 season. But the seventh-year veteran will now be sidelined until Week 8, with Dallas’ bye coming in Week 7. Collins violated the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.
A missed drug test, or multiple missed tests, resulted in the ban, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This Friday announcement has irked Collins’ reps, who believed the appeal process had not yet concluded, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. However, the NFL and the Cowboys announcing the ban will result in Collins missing nearly a third of the season. Collins’ team continues its appeal effort, ESPN.com’s Ed Werder notes (on Twitter), though it does not appear it will succeed.
This will be familiar territory for the Cowboys, who needed to use backup tackles for most of last season. UDFAs manned Dallas’ O-line edges for much of the 2020 slate, with Tyron Smith also missing 14 games due to injury. Both Smith and Collins were back at their posts Thursday night, and the Cowboys’ passing attack reignited with the outside blockers and Dak Prescott on the field again. The team will need to adjust, however.
Dallas added veteran swing tackle Ty Nsekhe this offseason and still rosters primary 2020 right tackle starter Terence Steele. Fellow 2020 emergency starter Brandon Knight is on Dallas’ reserve/COVID-19 list, joining All-Pro guard Zack Martin.
Chiefs Activate Tyrann Mathieu; S Still Game-Time Call
The Chiefs will have the option of Tyrann Mathieu suiting up in Week 1. They activated the All-Pro safety from the reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday, but it is not yet a lock he will play Sunday.
Mathieu tested positive for the coronavirus Sept. 1, and NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo tweets the team wants to monitor its standout defender after this hiatus in order to ensure he’s good to go against the Browns. Mathieu officially will carry a questionable designation for Week 1, but Saturday’s activation certainly marks a good sign for his Sunday availability.
Andy Reid said this week Mathieu could play despite not practicing over the past week and change. Chiefs DC Steve Spagnuolo has essentially drawn up two game plans, per NFL.com’s James Palmer (Twitter link), based on Mathieu’s status. The Chiefs have capitalized on Mathieu’s versatility, with the Honey Badger’s 2019 signing playing a central role in elevating Kansas City’s defense from the bottom-tier unit it was in 2018.
Mathieu, 29, intercepted six passes last season and has 10 thefts in two years with the Chiefs. He is going into a contract year and poised to cash in again. With one bye available to teams under the league’s new playoff format, Sunday’s Browns-Chiefs matchup takes on greater importance. Mathieu being on the field will aid the Chiefs against the team that nearly upset them in last year’s divisional round. Mathieu intercepted a pass in that narrow victory.
Additionally, the Chiefs promoted defensive back Zayne Anderson from their practice squad and signed linebacker Elijah Sullivan to their 16-man taxi squad. Kansas City also released DB Shakur Brown from the P-squad.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/21
Here are Saturday’s practice squad moves:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Javon McKinley
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: TE DeShon Williams
Washington Football Team
- Released via injury settlement: K Eddy Pineiro