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REPORT: Kadarius Toney absent from warmups ahead of Chiefs’ Monday practice

Kadarius Toney was reportedly absent from the #Chiefs’ warmups ahead of their practice session in St. Joseph on Monday.

After tweaking his knee during the Kansas City Chiefs’ initial training camp practice wide receiver Kadarius Toney was reportedly absent from warmups before the team’s workout on Monday.

I did not see WR Kadarius Toney (knee) or DT Chris Jones warming up Monday.

— Pete Sweeney (@pgsween) July 24, 2023

Toney, who has dealt with a series of injuries over the course of his NFL career, is expected to play a crucial role in Kansas City’s offense in 2023 as one of Patrick Mahomes’ top targets. His preclusion from the practice field on Monday may prove to be nothing more than a one-off occurrence but it certainly doesn’t bode well for his chances of returning quickly.

Acquired by the Chiefs in a trade with the New York Giants during the 2022 season, Toney is a polarizing but supremely talented figure in Kansas City’s air attack and was an important piece of the team’s comeback win in Super Bowl LVII.

Training camp setbacks are to be expected as players work to get their bodies back into shape ahead of the new season. Nonetheless, this development will be concerning for both the Chiefs and their fans, even as time remains for Toney to get back in the huddle before preseason games start in August.

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Chiefs designate LB Willie Gay Jr. to return from injured reserve

The #Chiefs have designated LB Willie Gay Jr. to return from injured reserve, officially opening up his window to practice and return to the team.

The Kansas City Chiefs have officially designated LB Willie Gay Jr. to return from injured reserve according to the NFL’s official transaction wire.

Gay has been on injured reserve since the beginning of the season dealing with a turf toe injury. Chiefs HC Andy Reid suggested on Monday that there was a chance that Gay would be designated to return from injured reserve this week. He was eligible to return from injured reserve beginning last week, but wasn’t quite ready to return to practice.

A return designation doesn’t necessarily mean that Gay will play in Week 5 against the Buffalo Bills. All this truly does is open up a 21-day window for Gay to participate in practice with the team. He was already spotted back working on the sideline with trainers during practice last week, indicating he was close to making his return to action.

At any point during the 21-day window, the Chiefs can opt to officially activate Gay from the injured reserve list. At that point they’d need to make room for him on the 53-man roster, but right now he still doesn’t count against the active roster.

This is a good sign that Gay is trending toward healthy, though. It’s paramount that the team get him back on the field, given their lack of range and athleticism at the linebacker position. His presence could really help a struggling defense find their identity.

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Report: Matthew Stafford ‘preparing to play’ vs Titans

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is “preparing to play” versus the Tennessee Titans in Week 15.

“It’s why no one ever wants to rule him out…”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport is reporting that Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (ribs/thumb) is “preparing to play” versus the Tennessee Titans in Week 15.

When Stafford went down in Week 14, it looked eerily similar to when he went down in 2019, when his season ended with a back injury. Initial reports suggested it was possible for him to play but “too early to tell”. When reports surfaced of a rib cartilage injury, most were preparing for the worst.

Despite missing a week’s worth of practices, interim coach Darrell Bevell insisted there were no conversations surrounding shutting him down.

Stafford has a history of being able to play through injuries, and reports have been consistently positive that the chances of him playing were real. Now we know there was some fire to those smoke signals, and Stafford will once again play through a painful injury.

“You guys have seen it,” Bevell said. “You guys have covered this team way longer than I have been here, and you know what he’s done and what he’s played through. So I’m not putting him past (playing).”

As far as being prepared to play without practicing, this is something Stafford proved he could do earlier this season when he was forced to miss all of Week 9 practices due to a close contact COVID-19 situation, but he still was able to suit up against the Vikings that Sunday.

The competitor is Stafford is alive and well.

Bo Scarbrough placed on IR, will miss minimum three games

Former Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough was placed on the injured reserve by the Detroit Lions as his job security and future in the NFL is wary.

Former Alabama running back, and Tuscaloosa native, Bo Scarbrough has had a hard time adjusting to the NFL, bouncing around four different teams in his three years in the league. Now, with the Detroit Lions, he’ll have to wait a little longer to see consistent action, as he’s been placed on injured reserve.

The news was reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

The injury in question has not been disclosed, but he has been dealing with it for a few weeks, hindering his ability to participate in Lions training camp in preparation for the 2020 regular season.

Being placed on the IR means that Scarbrough will miss a minimum of three games to open up the season.

His position in the Detroit backfield is interesting, as the Lions have Kerryon Johnson, drafted D’Andre Swift from UGA in the second round of the 2020 draft and recently signed veteran Adrian Peterson.

With his injuries keeping him form participating in practices and games, paired with his limited experience on the field in regular season games, one must question what Scarborough’s job security looks like.

Despite entering his fourth season in the league, the Crimson Tide product has only appeared in six games for 89 carries, 377 yards and a lone touchdown, all with Detroit.

There’s no telling what the future holds for Bo Scarbrough, but it seems as if all he needs is a healthy season and a system that fits him in order to succeed at the professional level.

Seahawks must plan for tight end George Kittle Week 17 against 49ers

The Seahawks will play the San Francisco 49ers Week 17 with tight end George Kittle healthy and must form a game plan with him in mind.

The Seattle Seahawks’ 27-24 overtime victory over the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 was memorable in both the good and bad sense. It featured several back-and-forth scores and mistakes and culminated with a game-winning field goal by Jason Myers. However, San Francisco did not have their star tight end George Kittle playing in that game, which could have been the deciding factor. Seattle will face their bitter rivals with Kittle healthy for the division-deciding Week 17 showdown on Sunday.

This will be the most crucial game this season and the biggest regular-season game for the Seahawks in recent memory. Coach Pete Carroll acknowledged that San Francisco will present a tougher challenge with Kittle in the offense.

“He’s an amazing player, he really is,” Carroll told reporters Tuesday. “He’s a heart and soul guy for them, and a clutch guy, too. They go to him when times are crucial and all that. He’s a fantastic player. Not just a catcher, he’s a blocker as well. He’s a good ballplayer.”

Kittle has been one of the best tight ends in football this season, racking up 78 receptions for 967 receiving yards and five touchdowns in 13 games played. The Seahawks’ injured defense will be hard-pressed to defend him consistently on Sunday. They must formulate an effective gameplan with him in mind.

“We won’t be able to play them the way we did last time,” Carroll said. “We’re going to have to do things much differently because he’s in the game.”

The Seahawks are set to face off against the 49ers on Sunday, Dec. 29 at CenturyLink Field at 5:20 p.m. PT.

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WATCH: Julian Edelman admits he ‘was trying to sell’ fake injury vs. Bills

On the way to the Patriots clinching their 11th consecutive AFC East Championship Saturday, wide receiver Julian Edelman improvised an injury in trying to avoid a touchdown-negating penalty.

On the way to the Patriots (12-3) clinching their 11th consecutive AFC East Championship Saturday, wide receiver Julian Edelman improvised an injury in trying to avoid a touchdown-negating penalty.

“I was trying to sell it. Hopefully, they didn’t see it,” Edelman said after the game, according to Boston.com.

With the game tied 10-10 in the third quarter, the 33-year-old slammed into Bills (10-5) safety Jordan Poyer on a pick play.

On the same snap, tight end Ben Watson took the ball into the endzone. The 33-yard play was called back because of Edelman’s offensive pass interference and the wide receiver then was tested under concussion protocol … Edelman ended up missing about a quarter of the game for the flop.

The Pats ended the drive with a field goal and once Edelman was back in action, he caught a 30-yard pass on the go-ahead, game-winning drive.

So, as is the standard for the Patriots regardless of the rules … All’s well that ends well for New England.

Julian Edelman admits he “was trying to sell,” fake injury versus Bills

On the way to the Patriots (12-3) clinching their 11th consecutive AFC East Championship Saturday, wide receiver Julian Edelman improvised an injury in trying to avoid a touchdown-negating penalty.

Julian Edelman admits he “was trying to sell,” fake injury versus Bills (Patriotswire)

On the way to the Patriots (12-3) clinching their 11th consecutive AFC East Championship Saturday, wide receiver Julian Edelman improvised an injury in trying to avoid a touchdown-negating penalty.

Seahawks are resilient but have had numerous lucky breaks in 2019

The Seattle Seahawks have been incredibly resilient throughout the 2019 season, but have also caught numerous lucky breaks to help them.

The Seattle Seahawks (10-3) have had several lucky breaks over the course of the 2019 NFL season that have contributed to their success. Of course, Seattle has had to be incredibly resilient to compile a 10-3 record through 13 games, but the Seahawks have been fortunate, to say the least.

In addition to squeaking by most of their opponents, they have often had the opportunity of playing teams missing a key player or two. Examples of this are the Bengals without A.J. Green, the Falcons without Matt Ryan, the 49ers without George Kittle, and the Vikings without Adam Thielen. This is not to say that the Seahawks have been sufficiently healthy every game because they certainly haven’t been. However, the talents of certain injured opponents could have played a big role in games against Seattle if they were healthy.

At the end of the day, you have to play whoever is in front of you and try to win no matter the circumstances. However, the Seahawks have also been lucky due to crucial missed field goals by the other team.

Both the 49ers and the Rams missed game-winning field goals against Seattle that essentially gave them victory. Greg Zuerlein missed a 44-yarder as time expired to make the final score 30-29 in favor of Seattle in Week 5, and Chase McLaughlin hooked a 47-yard field goal wide left in overtime in Week 10 that gave Seattle kicker Jason Myers the opportunity to kick the game-winning field goal at the end of overtime, which he did.

The Seahawks are a good team, but they will have to be better in the next few weeks because it is likely they will catch fewer breaks heading into the postseason. Above all else, they must stay resilient and keep finding ways to win.

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Lions promote WR Chris Lacy, place WR Marvin Hall on IR

The Detroit Lions announced they have promoted wide receiver Chris Lacy from the practice squad and placed wide receiver Marvin Hall on injured reserve in a corresponding move.

Lacy initially made the Lions 53-man roster after a strong training camp and preseason, but after only seeing the field for five snaps over two games, he was released and re-added to the practice squad in Week 3 of the regular season.

Lacy will step into the Lions fourth wide receiver role but, like earlier in the season, he will need to be looking over his shoulder as the team may want to get an extended look at some of their younger wide receivers currently on the practice squad, namely rookies Travis Fulgham and Tom Kennedy.

When Lacy was released from the Lions active roster, it was Hall who replaced him. Hall wasted no time making an impact on the Lions roster and what he lacked in volume, he made up for in big-play production.

Through his first five catches with Matthew Stafford at the helm, Hall was averaging a stunning 40.2-yards per reception. When Jeff Driskel took over, Hall caught three more passes but saw his per catch average dip to a still impressive 37.3-yards per catch average.

Hall is signed through the 2020 season and figures to enter the offseason as one of the Lions top four options at wide receiver.