Bucs Place Antonio Brown On COVID-19 List
The Buccaneers have placed Antonio Brown on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Given the timing, it’s unlikely that Brown will be available for this week’s game against the Rams.
Brown tested positive for COVID-19, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The standout receiver is vaccinated and could return by submitting two negative tests 24 hours apart. Still, it is unlikely Brown will be able to return to the team for its Los Angeles trip. 
Brown becomes the third Bucs player to hit the reserve/COVID-19 list, following inside linebacker Kevin Minter and practice squad receiver Travis Jonsen. Punt returner Jaydon Mickens (hip) could also be sidelined, leaving the Bucs with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Scotty Miller, and Tyler Johnson at WR. Fourth-round pick Jaelen Darden could be activated to make it five and serve as the team’s return man on Sunday.
Brown started the year off with a boom, notching five catches for 121 yards and a touchdown against the Cowboys. He was less of a factor last week (one catch for 17 yards), but the Bucs still cruised to a 48-25 win over the Falcons. From this point, Brown’s timetable will hinge on his test results and vaccination status. If he’s ruled out for Sunday as expected, he could still return in time for Week 4 against the Patriots.
The 33-year-old is looking to expand on his monster debut season in Tampa. In just eight regular-season games last year, the multiple-time All-Pro registered 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns.
Jaguars To Sign Nevin Lawson
The Jaguars are signing Nevin Lawson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). It’s a one-year deal for the veteran cornerback, just days after his release from the Raiders. 
The Raiders figured they could re-sign Lawson to the practice squad, but the Jaguars quickly spoiled their plans. Now, Lawson is set to dress for this week’s game against the Cardinals. The Jags are banged up in the secondary, with Tre Herndon (knee) and C.J. Henderson (hip flexor and groin) nursing injuries.
This’ll mark Lawson’s first live action of 2021 after serving a two-game suspension to open the year. The Raiders could have activated him for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins, but they chose to drop him instead. There’s reason to believe that Lawson can be a solid contributor to someone’s secondary — he started in nine of his 14 games last year and tallied 61 tackles, four passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and a sack.
If signed, the 30-year-old could dress for this week’s game against the Cardials. As of this writing, the Jaguars’ have Tre Herndon, Shaquill Griffin, and Chris Claybrooks, second-rounder Tyson Campbell, and former first-rounder C.J. Henderson on the roster.
Lions Place Ifeatu Melifonwu On IR
The Lions have placed cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu on the injured reserve list (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). To take his place, they’ve promoted fellow corner Daryl Worley from the practice squad to the active roster. 
Melifonwu will need at least a few weeks to recover from the thigh injury he suffered on Monday night. Lions head coach Dan Campbell isn’t exactly sure when he’ll return, but he did tell reporters that the rookie will be out for a “significant amount of time.” It’s a bad blow for Detroit — the third-rounder out of Syracuse was enjoying a strong start to his pro career. He notched a fumble recovery in his Week 1 debut and earned a start in Week 2 against the Packers.
Of course, the Lions were already without Jeff Okudah, who has been ruled out for the season. Amani Oruwariye will remain the starter at one of the cornerback spots, likely with help from former undrafted safety Bobby Price.
Worley should factor into the banged-up secondary as well, especially since he has 54 career starts to his credit. Still only 26, Worley’s resume includes five interceptions and 37 passes defensed.
Broncos Sign Micah Kiser
The Broncos have signed linebacker Micah Kiser off of the Rams’ practice squad (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Kiser will help fill in for starter Josey Jewell, who is done for the year with a torn pectoral muscle. 
[RELATED: Broncos’ Josey Jewell Done For Year]
Kiser has agreed to a one-year, fully-guaranteed $600K deal with Denver, according to Rapoport. He’ll get a chance to see his first significant work of the season — to date, he’s got just 17 special teams snaps from Week 2 when the Rams faced the Colts. Last year, Kiser notched 77 total tackles, three passes defensed, and a forced fumble in nine starts for the Rams.
Kiser & Co. will look to go 3-0 on Sunday when they take on the Jets. Unfortunately, they’ll also be without fourth-year linebacker Bradley Chubb, who is recovering from ankle surgery. There’s no exact word on Chubb’s timetable just yet, but he’s expected to be out for six-to-eight weeks.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Released: K Matt McCrane
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: T Jaryd Jones-Smith, T David Sharpe, CB Linden Stephens
- Released: LB Blake Gallagher, T Foster Sarell, P Johnny Townsend
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: C Lamont Gaillard
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: WR Davion Davis
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: WR Damion Ratley
- Released: K Lirim Hajrullahu
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: S Shawn Davis, DL R.J. McIntosh
- Released: DL Abdullah Anderson, OL Jacob Capra
Houston Texans
- Signed: LB Hardy Nickerson
Los Angeles Rams
- Released: LB Micah Kiser
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: RB Ameer Abdullah
New England Patriots
- Signed: C Drake Jackson
New York Giants
- Signed: DB Steven Parker
- Released: TE Ryan Izzo
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: TE Richard Rodgers
- Released: C Harry Crider
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DE Taco Charlton (story)
San Francisco 49ers
- Released: CB Dee Virgin
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR John Hurst, CB Rashard Robinson
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/21
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Antoine Wesley
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo (story)
Houston Texans
- Placed on IR: WR Nico Collins (story)
- Signed: TE Antony Auclair
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: T Jackson Barton (off Giants’ practice squad)
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted: QB Sean Mannion
- Released: RB Ameer Abdullah; Abdullah is now on Minnesota’s practice squad
New England Patriots
- Promoted: K Nick Folk
New York Giants
- Placed on IR: OL Nick Gates (story)
New York Jets
- Promoted: LB Del’Shawn Phillips
- Released: S Sheldrick Redwine
Philadelphia Eagles
- Placed on IR: DE Brandon Graham (story)
- Signed: G Jack Anderson (from Bills’ practice squad)
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Jacques Patrick (from Bengals’ practice squad)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: WR Travis Jonsen, LB Kevin Minter
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: DL Anthony Rush
Falcons To Sign P Dustin Colquitt
The Falcons have a new punter, and he brings considerable experience. Longtime Chiefs punter Dustin Colquitt agreed to a deal with the Falcons on Tuesday, according to his agency (on Twitter).
Atlanta cut Cameron Nizialek after a shaky Sunday showing. Nizialek punted in just two games for the Falcons and will give way to Colquitt, who has kicked in 244.
While Colquitt agreed to a practice squad deal, the Falcons should be expected to elevate the veteran ahead of their Week 3 game Sunday. To make room on their 16-man taxi squad, the Falcons released former Colquitt Chiefs teammate Bryan Witzmann. A five-year veteran offensive lineman, Witzmann has bounced around since being a full-time Chiefs starter in 2017.
Although Colquitt landed back with the Chiefs during the playoffs last season, his most recent game action came with the Steelers. Colquitt, 39, punted in five games with Pittsburgh in 2020. The Steelers, however, released him to bring back Jordan Berry. The Falcons will be Colquitt’s third NFL team.
The 16-year veteran, of course, is best known for his Chiefs tenure. Kansas City used a third-round pick on Colquitt in 2005, and he subsequently played 15 seasons for the team. The second-generation NFL punter and older brother of Britton Colquitt, Dustin made the Pro Bowl in 2012 and 2016 and finished his first Chiefs stint in Super Bowl LIV.
Texans’ Tyrod Taylor Could Miss One Month
TUESDAY: Houston’s starting quarterback will be shut down for a bit. The Texans placed Taylor on IR Tuesday. This marks the third time in the past four seasons Taylor will have lost his starting job in September. Injuries have resulted in the veteran passer being sidelined in each of the past two years, with this hamstring ailment following last season’s scary chest injury involving a pregame injection mishap.
With Watson not in the picture, David Culley also confirmed Tuesday that Mills will start against the Panthers.
MONDAY: Tyrod Taylor‘s hamstring injury could keep him sidelined for the next four games. Mark Berman of Fox26 in Houston reports (via Twitter) that the Texans quarterback “could be out for as long as a month” as he recovers from his hamstring injury.
[RELATED: Texans Won’t Play Deshaun Watson]
According to Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), Taylor was diagnosed with a grade two hamstring injury, leading to the one-month timeline. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero seems to insinuate (on Twitter) that Taylor is waiting for swelling to go down before committing to a definitive timeline, with the reporter adding that “an IR stint could be in play.” If Taylor is indeed sidelined for a month, the Texans would surely place the QB on short-term IR to open an extra roster spot. If the Texans don’t place him on IR, that would mean the team thinks Taylor can get on the field in a couple of weeks. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the QB is currently considered “week-to-week.”
After spending the past two seasons with the Chargers, Taylor inked a one-year contract with the Texans this past offseason. Following a Week 1 victory where the QB tossed two touchdowns, Taylor completed 10 of his 11 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown before leaving the game on Sunday.
Davis Mills took over during that eventual loss to the Browns, and the rookie will be under center going forward. According to Wilson, Jeff Driskel is expected to be elevated from practice squad to serve as the primary backup. We learned earlier today that Deshaun Watson wouldn’t be seeing the field despite Taylor’s injury.
Titans Release S Bradley McDougald
For the second time this month, the Titans are moving Bradley McDougald off their active roster. Tennessee released the veteran safety Tuesday, and it is not certain the team will bring him back this time.
McDougald started for the injured Amani Hooker in Week 2, playing 40 defensive snaps in the Titans’ overtime win over the Seahawks. Following that revenge game of sorts, the ex-Seattle starter is a free agent.
The Titans cut McDougald weeks ago but re-signed him to their practice squad before elevating him back to the active roster before Week 1. McDougald, 30, played 54% of Tennessee’s defensive snaps in Week 1, working as a backup. Despite Hooker residing on IR, McDougald is not presently in the picture with the 1-1 squad.
Included in last year’s Jamal Adams trade, McDougald has been a regular starter since 2015. He served as a primary Seahawks first-stringer from 2017-19 and spent last season as a Jets starter after being dealt to New York. An injury ended McDougald’s 2020 season midway through, however, and he spent months in free agency before the Titans added him.
Panthers Place G Pat Elflein On IR
Carolina will be without one of its offensive line starters for a bit. The Panthers are placing left guard Pat Elflein on IR, Jonathan Alexander of the Charlotte Observer notes. The team has since announced the move.
A hamstring injury forced Elflein out of Sunday’s win over the Saints during the first half. Matt Rhule had already ruled Elflein out of Thursday’s game against the Texans, but the veteran interior lineman will now have more time to recover. He will miss at least Carolina’s next three games — against Houston, Dallas and Philadelphia.
Dennis Daley replaced Elflein in Carolina’s lineup Sunday and will be in line to start Thursday. Daley started at right guard to open the season but returned to the bench initially in Week 2, with John Miller back at his post. A 2019 sixth-round pick, Daley made nine starts as a rookie and three last season.
Elflein, 27, is no stranger to injury trouble. A knee issue in Week 1 of the 2020 season led to the Vikings placing him on IR. They eventually waived their former starting center and guard, and the Jets claimed him. The Panthers signed Elflein to a three-year, $13.5MM deal in March.