Jets activate Denzel Mims, Cameron Clark off injured reserve, Jamison Crowder downgraded to doubtful

The Jets have activated Denzel Mims and Cameron Clark off of the injured reserve list.

It’s official — Denzel Mims will finally make his NFL debut against the Bills in Week 7.

The Jets announced on Saturday that they have activated Mims and Cameron Clark off of the injured reserve list. New York also promoted Sergio Castillo and Bryce Hager from the practice squad to the active roster.

Mims has New York’s first six games with multiple hamstring injuries. The first one came at the beginning of training camp that caused him to miss the majority of camp. He then injured his other hamstring, forcing him out of action yet again. Clark has also dealt with an assortment of injuries. He injured his shoulder in camp and then hurt his knee. Clark’s been on injured reserve since the beginning of September.

As for Castillo, he’ll kick for the injured Sam Ficken (groin). Castillo has never kicked in an NFL game before, but has kicked in the CFL and AAF. Hager has been on the Jets’ practice squad since September 22nd.

While Mims return is a positive for the Jets, Jamison Crowder has been downgraded to doubtful with a groin injury. Meanwhile, Harvey Langi was fined $4,412 for unnecessary roughness in last week’s game against the Dolphins, according to the NY Post’s Brian Costello.

Rams 2020 free agency preview: Bryce Hager has fallen out of favor

It’s time for the Rams to move on from Bryce Hager.

Bryce Hager has been with the Rams for the last five seasons, but he’s mostly played on special teams and contributed minimally on defense. Prior to making four starts in 2019, he had just one start under his belt and just 37 career tackles. He added 11 stops this past season, but an injury cut his year short.

Now an unrestricted free agent, the Rams must decide if Hager is worth re-signing. He probably won’t compete for a starting job at linebacker after struggling last year, but he does bring value on special teams.

2019 stats: 11 tackles (4 games played)
PFF grade: 64.7 overall

Analysis

Hager was thrust into a starting role last season after Micah Kiser tore his pec and landed on injured reserve. Hager started the first four games of the season, but his playing time was still limited; he played just 71 total snaps in those four games.

Hager himself landed on IR in November due to a shoulder injury, which ended his season prematurely. He finished the year with 11 tackles, having minimal impact even when he was healthy and on the field.

Over the course of his career, Hager has primarily contributed on special teams. However, his inability to consistently contribute on defense make him expendable. The Rams tried to give him an opportunity at linebacker last season, but he was unreliable in coverage and missed one tackle on only 12 attempts.

Positional need: High

There’s no doubt the Rams need help at linebacker. Cory Littleton was the only one who played more than 27% of the defensive snaps last season, and he’s set to be a free agent. They didn’t have a reliable starter next to him all year and if he doesn’t return, Los Angeles will be looking at two new starters at inside linebacker.

Micah Kiser, Kenny Young and Troy Reeder will all compete for jobs, as will Travin Howard. But none of them are proven starters and hardly instill confidence as defenders. The Rams must address the linebacker spot this offseason.

Prediction: Signs one-year, $750,000 deal elsewhere

Hager has fallen out of favor in Los Angeles and doesn’t have much of a role. The Rams can find a cheaper contributor on special teams, someone who can also have an impact on defense, too. It’s time for them to move on from Hager and either draft a linebacker or lean on one of the younger players they already have on the roster.

He’ll take a small contract with another team and try to carve out a role on special teams, while also potentially competing as a backup linebacker. It just won’t be with the Rams.

Rams place Allen and Hager on IR. Who could replace them on 53-man roster?

Sean McVay shared some insight on who could replace Brian Allen and Bryce Hager on the 53-man roster.

The Rams made two expected moves official on Tuesday, placing Brian Allen and Bryce Hager on injured reserve. Sean McVay said Monday that Allen is out for the year, and last week, he said the Rams were planning to place Hager on IR with a shoulder injury.

That opens up two roster spots for the Rams, which they’re expected to fill soon. McVay said on ESPN’s “The Coach McVay Show” Monday night that the Rams would like to add players who have taken the field recently – so that there’s tape available and they’re likely in better shape – suggesting that the Rams might claim someone off waivers and possibly promote a player from the practice squad.

“There’s a couple guys that we feel like in-house are possible candidates to pull up from the practice squad,” McVay said.

As for players they might add in free agency or off waivers, he had this to say:

“There’s always guys out there and Les (Snead) and his group do a great job of kind of keeping an open eye on what those things look like,” he said. “Ideally, you want to be able to find somebody that’s played recently so you have some tape to evaluate and they’re probably in better shape. But I think we’ll probably be more inclined to use, ‘All right, if somebody hits the waiver wire that’s maybe been on a roster recently comes available’ or just using our practice squad to upgrade somebody.”

Chandler Brewer and Jeremiah Kolone are the only offensive linemen on the practice squad, so they would seem to be the obvious candidates to be called up with the Rams lacking depth on the front five. Neither player should inspire much confidence, but at least they provide some insurance if another injury occurs.

As for a potential waiver claim, the Panthers did just release guard Bryan Witzmann, who the Rams might have interest in. He could come in and back up David Edwards and Austin Corbett at guard, who are expected to start in Week 11.

In free agency, John Sullivan would make some sense for the Rams. He was their starter at center last season and although Los Angeles moved on from him this year, that was with the belief that Allen would be a viable replacement.

With Allen gone, it’s possible Sullivan could return to L.A. and take back his starting job in the middle of the line.

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