Steelers Activate T.J. Watt
The Steelers have activated T.J. Watt from the Reserve/COVID-19 list, per a club announcement. This means the star linebacker will be eligible to play in tomorrow’s game against the Ravens. 
[RELATED: Steelers Place Ebron On IR]
Watt, 27, has 12.5 sacks, four passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries through nine games this year. Even with the time he’s missed due to hip and knee injuries, his 12.5 sacks are good for second in the NFL behind Browns defensive end Myles Garrett. The Steelers, stationed at 5-5-1, are getting him back at a critical juncture. A win would keep their slim playoffs alive; a loss would virtually rule them out of a Wild Card berth.
Watt has spent the week away from the team in quarantine, but coaches have been keeping him in the loop. The Steelers have been sending him practice footage (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala), getting him up to speed on their plan to contain Lamar Jackson.
While the Steelers will have Watt, cornerback Joe Haden, defensive lineman Isaiah Buggs, and inside linebacker Robert Spillane will not be on the field against Baltimore. The Steelers may or may not have Cam Heyward available — the defensive lineman was held out of practice yesterday with an undisclosed illness.
Raiders Extend FB Sutton Smith
The Raiders have signed fullback Sutton Smith to a new two-year deal about two weeks after adding him to the practice squad. The news was announced by Smith’s sports agency on Twitter.
After being drafted in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Steelers as a pass rusher, Smith failed to make the 53-man roster to start the season. Smith joined the Jaguars practice squad in October of that season, but was released a week later. He had two more short stints on Pittsburgh’s practice squad in November before spending the rest of his rookie season on the Seahawks’ practice squad. Seattle signed Smith to a reserve/future contract at the end of the 2019 season, but waived him in the offseason.
After failing to catch on with any teams in the 2020 season, Smith abandoned the position that earned him second-team All-American honors at Northern Illinois, signing with the Saints in the 2021 offseason as a fullback. Once again, Smith fell victim to roster cuts as the Saints trimmed their active roster down to 53.
The Raiders signed Smith to their practice squad after starting fullback Alec Ingold suffered a torn ACL in a Week 10 loss to the Chiefs. Vegas activated Smith to the active roster to appear in his first NFL game against the Bengals the next week. Through two games, Smith has spent most of his time on the field as a special teamer, but does have 6 snaps on the offensive side of the ball. Vegas’s contract offer shows faith in his abilities to fill in as Ingold embarks on the long-term recovery from his knee injury with the added bonus of a sure-tackling special teamer with defensive experience.
Ravens Waive T Cedric Ogbuehi
After a little over a month in Baltimore, offensive lineman Cedric Ogbuehi‘s time as a Raven has come to an end. After being ruled out of the Ravens’ upcoming game in Pittsburgh with a thigh injury, the Ravens decided to waive the former first rounder, as reported by Jamison Hensley of ESPN.
The seven-year veteran was signed on October 27, one day after being released by the Seahawks, as a bit of insurance following the Ravens placement of their star blindside blocker, Ronnie Stanley, on the IR. After losing Stanley, Baltimore was relying on long-time Steeler Alejandro Villanueva at left tackle and utility-offensive lineman Patrick Mekari, who has started games at every position on the offensive line in his three years of professional football, at right tackle. The Ravens never needed to resort to Ogbuehi at tackle as the only game time he saw in Baltimore was on special teams.
For any teams looking for depth on the offensive line, Ogbuehi presents an intriguing option, provided he can get healthy, with a good amount of starting experience (30 starts out of 60 games played), with his most recent start coming in Week 4 of this season for Seattle.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/3/21
Today’s minor moves:
Los Angeles Rams
- Placed on IR: RB Buddy Howell
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: LB Trent Harris, TE Kaden Smith
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: WR Breshad Perriman (story)
Bucs Activate CB Carlton Davis From IR
The Buccaneers will have another of their longtime cornerback starters in uniform Sunday. They activated Carlton Davis from IR on Friday. The fourth-year cover man is set to suit up for the first time since Week 4.
A quad injury in New England rerouted Davis’ season. He has missed the past seven Bucs games, joining Sean Murphy-Bunting in being sidelined for a sizable chunk of the season. But both are now back on Tampa Bay’s active roster.
While the Bucs are still without Richard Sherman and received notice Thursday that Mike Edwards will be suspended three games, the Bucs have not had Davis and Murphy-Bunting on the field together since Week 1. The duo has played together as starters for most of the past three seasons, including in Super Bowl LV.
In addition to Davis’ extended absence this year, he missed four games between the 2019 and ’20 seasons. He still leads the NFL in passes defensed (42) in that span. Davis added four interceptions last season and grabbed another pick this year. This season’s home stretch stands to be pivotal for the Auburn product, who is due for free agency in 2022.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/3/21
WFT Adds FB Alex Armah To Practice Squad
Alex Armah has found a new gig. The fullback is signing with Washington Football Team, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). The veteran will first join the practice squad before inevitably earning a promotion to the active roster.
The move reunites Armah with head coach Ron Rivera, who was responsible for the Panthers drafting the fullback in the sixth round of the 2017 draft. Armah spent the first four seasons of his career in Carolina, seeing time in 57 games (four starts).
He joined the Saints this past offseason and ended up getting into nine games (two starts), collecting 22 yards and one touchdown on six touches. New Orleans ultimately decided to move on from the 27-year-old earlier this week.
WFT doesn’t technically have a fullback on their roster or practice squad. The team is likely adding Armah due to his blocking ability and familiarity with offensive coordinator Scott Turner’s offense. Antonio Gibson should still get the bulk of the snaps at RB, but J.D. McKissic has been sidelined all week while he’s recovering from a concussion. Jaret Patterson and Wendell Smallwood could see backup snaps, but Armah could find himself on the field in passing situations.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/2/21
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: CB Chris Williamson
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: S Kavon Frazier
- Released: OL D.J. Fluker
Raiders CB Trayvon Mullen Returns To Practice
Trayvon Mullen‘s return is coming sooner than later. The Raiders designated the defensive back to return from injured reserve today, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
A foot injury forced Mullen out of the lineup in early October. Up to that point, the former second-round pick had been one of the Raiders’ better defenders, collecting 16 tackles, four passes defended, and one interception in four starts. Pro Football Focus had graded Mullen as a top-25 corner through those four games. After appearing in at least 75 percent of his team’s defensive snaps through the first three weeks, Mullen was limited to only six snaps before suffering a foot injury in Week 4.
“I think he wants to be in a position where he feels like he’s ready to go and he’s not at 70 percent or 80 percent,” interim head coach Rich Bisaccia said yesterday (via Jairo Alvarado of SI.com). “And I think we’d like that from him as well to come back where he knows he can get out there and compete.”
The Raiders also waived wideout Dillon Stoner today, per Aaron Wilson (on Twitter). The rookie signed with the Raiders as an undrafted free agent back in May, and he’s spent most of the season on the team’s practice squad. He saw time in four games for the Raiders, collecting one special teams tackle while appearing in only seven offensive snaps.
Saints Place DE Tanoh Kpassagnon On IR
Tanoh Kpassagnon will be sidelined for at least the next three weeks. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the Saints have placed the defensive end on injured reserve.
Kpassagnon had already been ruled out for Week 13 thanks to a nagging ankle injury. The ailment had forced the defensive lineman to miss the previous two games, as well, and now he won’t see the field until Week 16 at the earliest.
The former second-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with Kansas City, and he started 23 games for the Chiefs between the 2019 and 2020 seasons (along with six playoff starts and three playoff sacks). He joined the Saints this past offseason on a two-year deal, and he started five of his first eight games with the organization, collecting 18 tackles, four sacks, eight QB hits, and one forced fumble.
New Orleans made a handful of additional moves in anticipation of tonight’s matchup against the Cowboys (per Yates). The team signed offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch, defensive tackle Albert Huggins, and running back Adam Prentice from the practice squad to the active roster, and they also promoted linebacker Chase Hansen and guard Forrest Lamp to the 53-man roster.