Jalyn Holmes – Syndication Server

Jets place Quinton Jefferson on injured reserve, sign DL Jalyn Holmes

The Jets placed defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson on injured reserve Tuesday, ending his season. In a corresponding move, the Jets signed defensive lineman Jalyn Holmes from the practice squad to the 53-man roster.

Jefferson was a bright spot this season in a free-agency group that didn’t completely pan out for the Jets. Jefferson is third on the team with six sacks, behind only Bryce Huff (8) and Jermaine Johnson (6.5). He became a strong running mate to All-Pro Quinnen Williams in the middle of the defensive line.

Jefferson suffered a hip injury early in Sunday’s game against the Miami Dolphins. He played 11 snaps before leaving the game.

Holmes was elevated from the practice squad each of the last two games, recording one tackle. He has spent most of the season on the Jets’ practice squad.

New York also added two players to the practice squad: defensive lineman Stephen Jones and running back Jacques Patrick. Jones has spent time with the Cardinals, Steelers and Patriots, appearing in four games last season for Arizona. He was an undrafted free agent in 2022 out of Colorado State.

Patrick has spent time with the Bengals, 49ers, Panthers, Raven, Broncos and Titans. He appeared in two games in 2021 with San Francisco. He signed with the Bengals in 2020 as an undrafted free agent from Florida State.

Jets Week 15 snap counts: Playing time breakdown from loss vs. Dolphins

Week 15 was a nightmare for the New York Jets. The team looked flat and out-coached, ultimately getting shut out 30-0 and seeing their playoff hopes officially end. Injuries once again took a toll on the Jets, particularly at the quarterback position. The Jets also emptied their bench late in the game with the game out of reach.

We’ll take a look at the snap counts from Sunday’s game to see how the snaps were distributed in what became the last meaningful game of the season for the Jets.

Bears 2023 training camp preview: Interior defensive line

Next up in our Bears training camp preview is the interior defensive line, featuring news faces like Andrew Billings and Gervon Dexter.

Chicago Bears training camp is less than a month away, so it’s time to start looking ahead at the roster the team is bringing to Lake Forest.

We’re unveiling our Bears 2023 training camp position previews, breaking down every player by position and examining the group’s biggest question.

Up next is the interior defensive line, a focus area of the Bears this offseason, signing free agent Andrew Billings and drafting rookies Gervon Dexter, Zacch Pickens and Travis Bell.

Like most teams, the Bears have more defensive linemen on the roster heading into training camp than they will have in Week 1 of the regular season. Most teams will aim to be two-deep at each position, meaning only four of the seven linemen on the depth chart will suit up against Green Bay on Sept. 10.

Here’s a closer look at the Bears’ interior defensive line heading into training camp:

Trio of Giants injured in final preseason game

The New York Giants continue to lose players to injury before the regular season begins. They lost three more against the New York Jets today.

Injuries are a major issue for the New York Giants, and the regular season hasn’t even started. Heading into the final preseason game of 2022 against the New York Jets, The Giants already had 11 players injured.

During the game, an additional three players were injured, leaving the Giants’ depth in shambles ahead of their season opener on September 11th.

The good news is that there are still two weeks until the regular season starts, which gives players time to heal and management to figure out which players can fill in for those who are missing.

Still, some of these injuries sting.

Giants’ Daniel Bellinger, Jalyn Holmes ruled out vs. Jets

New York Giants TE Daniel Bellinger and DT Jalyn Holmes were ruled out with concussions.

New York Giants tight end Daniel Bellinger and defensive tackle Jalyn Holmes both sustained concussions and were ruled out halfway through the preseason finale against the New York Jets.

Bellinger’s injury is a significant blow to a tight end room that has questions about depth. The fourth-round pick had impressed throughout training camp and the preseason, especially when it came to his work as a pass-catcher.

Holmes, a 2018 fourth-round pick, signed with the Giants during the offseason and has been battling for a rotational role on the interior defensive line.

Rookie TE Daniel Bellinger and DL Jayln Holmes OUT with concussions.

— Paul Schwartz (@NYPost_Schwartz) August 28, 2022

2022 Giants training camp preview: Defensive line

The New York Giants will see a mix of old and new across their defensive line in 2022.

The New York Giants’ defense will be under a different direction this season with the arrival of coordinator Wink Martindale, one of the best in the business the past decade.

The unit will be coached by the well-travelled line coach Andre Patterson and former Pro Bowl linebacker-turned-coach Bryan Cox.

The Giants are relying on a mixture of holdovers and newcomers to form a group that hopefully will become the foundation of Martindale’s scheme.

Here is a quick rundown of the defensive line heading into training camp.

Saints place starting center Erik McCoy on COVID-19 reserve list

Saints place starting center Erik McCoy on COVID-19 reserve list; 8 players still in protocols

Another day, another New Orleans Saints starter entering the league’s COVID-19 protocols: starting center Erik McCoy was sidelined on Thursday, joining free safety Marcus Williams and several of their teammates on the reserve list ahead of Week 17’s matchup with the Carolina Panthers. He’s likely going to miss that Panthers kickoff on Sunday, though we can’t rule anything out given the NFL’s relaxed stance. If McCoy can’t play, look for either right guard Cesar Ruiz or backup center Will Clapp to fill in for him.

It’s not all bad, though. The Saints brought back two players from the COVID list in defensive ends Carl Granderson and Jalyn Holmes. That adds some much-needed depth to a position group that’s been whittled down by injuries and the coronavirus. The less Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport have to do on their own, the better off they’ll be.

Here’s the updated list of Saints players still on the COVID-19 list (not including left tackle Landon Young and kicker Wil Lutz, who are out for the season on injured reserve):

OL Ryan Ramczyk (Dec. 24)
RB Dwayne Washington (Dec. 24)
WR Deonte Harris (Dec. 26)
DT Malcolm Roach (Dec. 26)
OL Jerald Hawkins (Dec. 26)
CB KeiVarae Russell (Dec. 26)
S Marcus Williams (Dec. 29)
C Erik McCoy (Dec. 30)

Saints add DE Carl Granderson to lengthy COVID-19 reserve list

Let’s try and spin this as a positive: only one New Orleans Saints player was added to the COVID-19 reserve list on Saturday, with backup defensive end Carl Granderson joining more than a dozen teammates who entered COVID protocols in previous days. Let’s hope he and everyone else, a group totaling 16 of the 69 players under contract (including the practice squad), see a swift return to good health.

Like many of those other losses, Granderson’s absence on its own may not be a huge deal. But if he can’t suit up against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night it would leave the Saints with just two true defensive ends in Cameron Jordan and Marcus Davenport (who is questionable to play while managing shoulder and knee injuries). The usual backups, Granderson and Jalyn Holmes, are both on the COVID list. While eligible, neither Payton Turner nor Tanoh Kpassagnon have been designated to return just yet.

Here is the full list of Saints players on the reserve list as of Saturday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire, ordered by the date they entered COVID protocols:

TE Juwan Johnson (Dec. 21)
TE Adam Trautman (Dec. 22)
QB Taysom Hill (Dec. 23)
QB Trevor Siemian (Dec. 23)
S Malcolm Jenkins (Dec. 23)
S Jeff Heath (Dec. 23)
OL Jordan Mills (Dec. 23)
OL James Carpenter (Dec. 23)
DT Christian Ringo (Dec. 23)
DE Jalyn Holmes (Dec. 23)
LB Kaden Elliss (Dec. 23)
S J.T. Gray (Dec. 24)
OL Ryan Ramczyk (Dec. 24)
RB Dwayne Washington (Dec. 24)
LB Demario Davis (Dec. 24)
DE Carl Granderson (Dec. 25)

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Saints keep loading up on former Vikings this offseason

The Saints have signed former Vikings DT Jaleel Johnson, DE Jalyn Holmes and CB Dylan Mabin to the practice squad.

While not technically rivals, the Vikings and the Saints fanbases both have valid reasons to be mad at the opposition.

That certainly adds fuel to the fire with what New Orleans has been doing with its roster lately. The Saints added Jaleel Johnson, a defensive tackle who started 16 games for Minnesota in 2020, to the practice squad.

To make matters stranger, the Saints then signed former Vikings DE Jalyn Holmes and CB Dylan Mabin to practice squad.

It’s hard to see what New Orleans saw in these players, but I guess Holmes and Johnson both have experience as mainstay starters, so that’s decent depth for the practice squad.

In case you weren’t aware, here’s a brief history:

Vikings fans may be mad about that blowout loss, if they agree with Mike Zimmer. Zimmer told NBC’s Peter King this offseason that the coach thought the Saints ran up the score in that game. That’s one wrinkle in a long saga between these two teams, despite not being in the same division.

Minnesota fans also have 2009, when Brett Favre and the Vikings fell short in the NFC Championship that season. Later, the league found evidence that then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams deployed a bounty program that paid players for doing things such as injuring the opposition, and that program allegedly started in 2009.

Saints fans might be mad over the Minneapolis Miracle, when Vikings QB Case Keenum found WR Stefon Diggs along the sideline. A timely missed tackle led to Diggs taking the reception to the house, giving the Vikings the victory as time in regulation ran out.

The Vikings also beat the Saints in the 2019 season when Kirk Cousins found Kyle Rudolph for a game-winning touchdown reception in overtime of the playoffs. Some people thought Rudolph committed pass interference, but it wasn’t called.

So take your pick, the Vikings and Saints have plenty of reasons to beef with each other. Sure, it’s just New Orleans signing former Minnesota players to the practice squad this time, but you never know with these two.

Minnesota Vikings Week 17 injury designations: 4 defensive starters ruled OUT

The Detroit Lions (5-10) Week 17 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings (6-9), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game.

The Detroit Lions (5-10) Week 17 opponent, the Minnesota Vikings (6-9), have released their injury designations ahead of Sunday’s game and they will be without several starters.

Here’s a look at the Vikings’ full injury designations list.

Injury designations

Player	Position	Injury	Designation
Dalvin Cook	RB (starter)	Not-injury related	OUT
Alexander Mattison	RB	Concussion	Cleared to play
C.J. Ham	FB	Quad	Cleared to play
Riley Reiff	LT (starter)	COVID-19	Reserve/COVID-19
Ifeadi Odenigbo	DE (starter)	Chest	OUT
Jalyn Holmes	DE (starter)	Groin	OUT
Armon Watts	DT	Ankle	Cleared to play
Eric Kendricks	LB (starter)	Calf	OUT
Troy Dye	LB	Concussion/Hamstring	Cleared to play
Todd Davis	LB	Ribs	Cleared to play
Cameron Dantzler	CB (starter)	Hamstring	OUT
Chris Jones	CB	Groin	OUT
Dan Bailey	K (starter)	Back	Questionable

Cook’s father passed away on Tuesday and he has returned home to be with his family. He will not play in this weekend’s game. Cook’s absence means Mattison — who was just cleared from the league’s concussion protocol — will get the start at running back.

Rieff was placed on the Reserve/COVID-19 list on Wednesday, but the timeline for when he was identified is unclear. If he is not able to clear league protocols, the Vikings will turn to Rashod Hill at left tackle.

Odenigbo and Holmes were not the Vikings EDGE starters at the beginning of the year, but after Danielle Hunter went on I.R. and Yannick Ngakoue was traded, they were elevated into starting roles. With both ruled out, the Vikings will be on their third set of EDGE rushers for this matchup.

Kendricks is one of the best linebackers in the NFL and his absence will leave another massive hole in the Vikings front-7.

Last week, the Vikings starting three cornerbacks were: rookies Jeff Gladney and Cameron Dantzler, along with Chris Jones — yes, former Lion Chris Jones. With Dantzler and Jones ruled out, the Vikings will start Gladney and likely Harrison Hand — yet another rookie corner.