RB Trey Sermon Placed On IR
The 49ers will be without rookie running back Trey Sermon for at least the next three weeks. Sermon was knocked out of San Francisco’s win over the Vikings after suffering an ankle injury. After Sermon was carted off of the field, head coach Kyle Shanahan said he had suffered a bad ankle sprain.
Since being drafted in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft, Sermon has spent much of his rookie season as a special teams player. Early in the season, as San Francisco experienced injuries to it’s top three projected running backs – Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson, and Elijah Mitchell – Sermon was called upon to carry the load. As soon as Mitchell was available again, Sermon was relegated back to a mostly special teams role.
Sermon’s absence is just latest of a litany of injuries in their running back room as they’ve seen Mostert, Wilson, Mitchell, Sermon, and Jamycal Hasty all miss time this year. San Francisco will hope that the severity of Sermon’s condition is limited and that he will be able to return after three games. If so, Sermon will rejoin a roster slowly starting to get healthy as they make a push for playoff contention.
Lions Place OLB Trey Flowers On IR
Linebacker Trey Flowers‘ season has come to an end. The Lions’ pass rusher has been unable to stay on the field all year, missing four out of eleven games this season.
Flowers joined the Lions in 2019 after signing a substantial five-year deal worth $90MM. Flowers had racked up 21.0 sacks and 25 tackles for loss in three full seasons with the Patriots after missing all but one game of his rookie season. Flowers showed the production his contract promised in his first year with Detroit tallying 7.0 sacks and 8 tackles for loss. His injury troubles would begin the following year, though, as he only played in 7 games, a total he was only able to match and not surpass this season.
The Lions will now have to consider what the future holds for Flowers in Detroit. Flowers holds a cap hit in the 2022 season of $23.24MM, with about $12.85MM being potential dead money. It’s hard to say the Lions have been able to move on without Flowers this season. Despite Flowers’ limited production only resulting in 1.5 sacks this year, that total is still good for fourth on the team.
Still, the Lions may decide that the risk of losing Flowers to injury may not outweigh the significant cap space he’ll take up. For now, shutting him down allows Flowers a chance to get healthy as the Lions take time to determine his value.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/4/21
Here are Saturday’s practice squad moves:
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: WR Dillon Stoner (elevated to active roster)
- Released: WR Jeff Badet
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/4/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted: LS Beau Brinkley, RB Tavien Feaster, LB Joe Walker, LB Tahir Whitehead, CB Jace Whittaker
- Placed on IR: S James Wiggins
Atlanta Falcons
- Activated from IR: DE Steven Means
- Promoted: RB Qadree Ollison
Baltimore Ravens
- Promoted: DB Robert Jackson, RB Nate McCrary
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Frankie Luvu
Cincinnati Bengals
- Placed on IR: WR Auden Tate
- Promoted: G Keaton Sutherland, WR Pooka Williams, RB Trayveon Williams
Denver Broncos
- Promoted: RB Damarea Crockett
- Waived: WR Tyrie Cleveland
Detroit Lions
- Promoted: LB Tavante Beckett, LB Rashod Berry, DE Bruce Hector
Houston Texans
- Activated from IR: C Justin Britt, LB Christian Kirksey
- Promoted: S Jonathan Owens, RB Jaylen Samuels, DL Chris Smith
- Waived: CB Cre’von LeBlanc
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from IR: DT Jay Tufele
Las Vegas Raiders
- Promoted: TE Matt Bushman, FB Sutton Smith, WR Dillon Stoner
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted: WR Brandon Powell, RB Mekhi Sargent
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: RB Jake Bargas, DB Myles Dorn, DE Kenny Willekes
- Waived: DE Eddie Yarbrough
New York Giants
- Promoted: WR Pharoh Cooper, DB Steven Parker, DB Jarren Williams
New York Jets
- Signed: K Alex Kessman
- Waived: K Matt Ammendola
- Promoted: DE Ronald Blair, TE Dan Brown, RB Austin Walter
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted: S Jared Mayden
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from IR: DL Carlos Davis
- Promoted: OL Chaz Green
San Francisco 49ers
- Promoted: LB Tyrell Adams, WR River Cracraft, LB Justin March
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted: RB Adrian Peterson (story)
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Logan Woodside
Texans Add Phillip Dorsett, Place Danny Amendola On IR
Phillip Dorsett will have a chance to play for three teams this season. After working out for the Texans on Friday, the former first-round pick signed with the team.
This is a practice squad agreement, though those now frequently lead to active-roster promotions. Dorsett has seen action for the Jaguars and Seahawks this season. The 2015 Round 1 pick, however, has been unable to carve out much of a role in an offense since his 2019 Patriots season.
Dorsett, 28, has played in just three games over the past two seasons and has one reception in that span. The Jags and Seahawks cut him earlier this year.
The Texans also placed Danny Amendola on IR. Amendola underwent arthroscopic knee surgery earlier this week. While that procedure is not an automatic season-ender, the Texans will opt to save a roster spot by shelving a player who would not have been healthy until near season’s end. Houston placed Amendola on IR earlier this year, so his second such transaction will end his season.
With this ending Amendola’s age-36 campaign, it is safe to wonder if the 13th-year veteran will play again. Amendola, who signed a one-year deal worth $2.5MM just before Week 1, is the oldest active NFL wideout by over a year. Amendola’s Texans stint has not produced much in the way of consequence, but the former Patriots standout did move past 6,000 receiving yards for his career.
Bears Activate T Teven Jenkins From IR
Despite Teven Jenkins undergoing back surgery in August, it appears the Bears will see their second-round pick on the field this season. The rookie tackle is back on Chicago’s 53-man roster.
The Bears activated Jenkins from IR on Saturday, a move Matt Nagy indicated was on tap ahead of Week 13. While it is not certain if Jenkins will move into the starting lineup soon, his seeing any time this year can be viewed as progress. The Oklahoma State product faced the prospect of missing his rookie season.
Chicago parted ways with longtime tackle starters Charles Leno and Bobby Massie this offseason and moved to sign Jason Peters after Jenkins’ injury. Peters’ extensive injury history notwithstanding, the 39-year-old veteran has started every game for the Bears this season. Jenkins received reps at both the left and right tackle spots during training camp, so it will be interesting to see how the Bears deploy him to start his career.
Jenkins was the fifth tackle off the board in this year’s draft. He started 35 games at Oklahoma State, helping Chuba Hubbard earn Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year acclaim in 2019 and earning first-team all-conference recognition last year. With the Bears having an 18th-year veteran at left tackle and having not invested much on the right side, Jenkins will be given every opportunity to be a long-term starter up front.
Dolphins Activate WR DeVante Parker From IR
Down two of his top three wide receivers for the past several games, Tua Tagovailoa will see one of those weapons return to the field Sunday. DeVante Parker will make his return to the Dolphins’ active roster, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Miami had placed the seventh-year wideout on IR in early November, with a hamstring injury sidelining him. Parker missed time earlier this season as well and has been limited to just five games this year.
The Dolphins signed Will Fuller and drafted Jaylen Waddle to team with Parker this year. That trio has not seen much time together. Fuller remains on Miami’s IR list, having played just two games as a Dolphin. He was last seen in uniform in Week 4, leaving Waddle as Tagovailoa and Jacoby Brissett‘s top receiver.
Parker’s belated breakout in 2019 — a 1,202-yard season — earned him a contract extension. That deal runs through 2023. Although the Dolphins resisted trade overtures and held onto Parker ahead of the deadline, his 2022 status with the team may be in question. A strong finish from the veteran pass catcher would certainly help solidify his beyond-2021 status in Miami.
The Dolphins also activated offensive lineman Michael Deiter from their injured list. Miami’s starting center to open the season, Deiter has not played since Week 3. Foot and quad injuries sent the third-year blocker to IR.
Colts Place C Ryan Kelly On COVID-19 List
One of the Colts’ cornerstone players will be sidelined for their Week 13 game against the Texans. Ryan Kelly is now on Indianapolis’ reserve/COVID-19 list.
The Colts had previously seen every other offensive line starter miss time this season, with injuries intervening at various points for the acclaimed group. Kelly, however, had been Indy’s rock here. The former first-round pick had started each of the Colts’ 12 contests this season.
The rest of the Colts’ offensive front is currently healthy, and the Colts’ Week 14 bye points to Kelly missing just one game because of this development. While Kelly missed time in 2017 and ’18, he has only missed one game over the past three seasons. During that time, the Colts’ O-line has become one of the NFL’s best. Kelly made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and last season. This year, Jonathan Taylor has amassed a significant lead in rushing yards behind that group. Taylor’s 1,205 yards lead the league; Derrick Henry still sits second at 937.
Additionally, the Colts activated Khari Willis off IR and waived safety Josh Jones. A second-year safety starter, Willis has missed the past four games. The Colts had played without both safety starters in November, with Julian Blackmon having torn his Achilles early this season.
Texans To Extend Tremon Smith
The Texans have agreed to a one-year extension with cornerback/return man Tremon Smith, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790. The deal, which keeps Smith under club control through 2022, includes a $1.1MM base salary. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that Smith also gets a $150K signing bonus, a $50K workout bonus, and a $100K roster bonus, thereby raising the value to $1.4MM. If he hits certain incentives, Smith could max out at $1.6MM (Twitter link).
Smith has averaged 26.0 on kickoff returns this year while appearing on ~80% of the Texans’ special teams plays. He’s also seen a little bit of time on defense, appearing on 14% of the team’s snaps. He might not be a star, but he’s a key cog in the third facet of the game. The Texans clearly value his work – Smith is the first Texans player to score an extension since the start of the 2021 season.
After stops with the Chiefs, Colts, Packers, and Eagles, Smith seems to have found a home in Houston. It also helps that he’s playing under the tutelage of Frank Ross, who was also his special teams coordinator in Indianapolis.
Ross and Smith will see their former team tomorrow as the Texans look to improve on their 2-9 record.
Seahawks To Promote Adrian Peterson
The Seahawks are promoting Adrian Peterson from the practice squad (Twitter link via Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com). With that, Peterson is set to play against the 49ers on Sunday afternoon. 
Peterson signed with the Seahawks’ taxi squad on Wednesday, providing insurance for Seattle’s badly battered backfield. Already without starting running back Chris Carson, the Seahawks will also be without backup Rashaad Penny for a while. Travis Homer, who has performed well in a very limited sample size, remains questionable with a calf injury. That’s left Alex Collins in the lead role — he’s registered 395 yards and two touchdowns this year off of 101 totes.
Peterson, 36, has just 27 carries for 82 yards and one touchdown so far this year, from his time with the Titans. His last full-time action came in 2020 with the Lions, when he recorded 604 yards and seven rushing touchdowns with a so-so 3.9 yards per carry average.
He might not be the player he once was, but Peterson could help the Seahawks’ struggling offense move the chains in small doses. He’ll also have a chance at history — another 367 rushing yards will put him in the 15,000-yard club for RBs.