Tag: Josh Andrews

Saints rule out 7 players on final injury report vs. Rams

New Orleans Saints rule out 7 players on final injury report vs. Los Angeles Rams, including multiple starters on both offense and defense

This isn’t good. The New Orleans Saints announced seven players will be unavailable for Week 11’s game with the Los Angeles Rams due to injuries, including starters at multiple positions along the offensive and defensive lines. The only positive development from past days is that backup center Josh Andrews (illness) has been upgraded to full participation and will start in place of Erik McCoy (who is on injured reserve), and that left guard Andrus Peat (triceps) was able to practice on a limited basis. But Peat is questionable to play after missing the first two practice sessions this week.

Here’s what we’ve learned from each team:

Saints’ offensive line health looking bleak with Aaron Donald up next

The Saints’ offensive line health is looking bleak with Aaron Donald up next. They could be without three of their five starters in Week 11:

Things are going from bad to worse for the New Orleans Saints offensive line. They went into their Week 10 game with the Pittsburgh Steelers missing two key starters — center Erik McCoy and left guard Andrus Peat. And then they lost left tackle James Hurst to a concussion in the second half, putting his status in jeopardy for Week 11’s matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.

It means the Saints could hit the field on Sunday without three of their starting five offensive linemen against the Los Angeles Rams defense, anchored by a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Donald. The big-time defensive tackle is a game-wrecker. New Orleans has blocked him well in the past, limiting him to 2 sacks and 8 quarterback hits with 6 tackles for loss in their 4 previous meetings, but that was with significantly better health across the board.

When asked whether he could see one of those three injured starters returning for Week 11’s game, Saints head coach Dennis Allen told Nola.com’s Rod Walker on Monday that, “I don’t know if that’s a possibility right now.”

So that means we should expect Landon Young to start at left tackle, with either Lewis Kidd or Calvin Throckmorton getting the nod at left guard and Josh Andrews filling in again at center. Kidd and Throckmorton rotated in and out of the lineup last week so that could be the move again. It’s possible that rookie left tackle Trevor Penning is activated from injured reserve in time for this game, but he only returned to practice on a limited basis last week and it’s unlikely he’ll be ready to play a full game so soon.

It makes for a dicey situation for whoever starts at quarterback this week, whether Andy Dalton remains the starter or if the Saints pivot to Jameis Winston instead. New Orleans built its offense on the strength of its offensive line through years of careful drafting, developing, and investing through hefty contracts, but the depth they cultivated is about to experience a serious trial by fire. Let’s see if they’re up to the challenge.

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Saints lose Erik McCoy (calf) to injured reserve, promote backup Josh Andrews

Saints lose starting center Erik McCoy (calf) to injured reserve, sign Josh Andrews from their practice squad:

This is tough. The New Orleans Saints are going to be without starting center Erik McCoy for at least four weeks after putting him on injured reserve Saturday; McCoy exited last week’s loss to the Baltimore Ravens with a calf injury, which kept him out of practice throughout the week. That’s a big blow to an offensive line that’s been a strength of the team at times this season.

In his place, the Saints brought up backup center Josh Andrews from their practice squad. A former left guard at Oregon State in college, Andrews has spent time at both guard and center through 42 games in the NFL, and he could start in McCoy’s place this week. That would keep Cesar Ruiz at right guard and put either Calvin Throckmorton or Lewis Kidd at left guard, filling in for Andrus Peat (who is out with a triceps injury).

Ruiz also played center in college and slid over to that spot last week (and he started in McCoy’s place for about a month last season), so he could be an option. We’ll get a better idea of the situation once the team hits the field for warmups before kickoff with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday.

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Report: Saints release veteran OL Josh Andrews

The Saints have released veteran OL Josh Andrews. Is the interior offensive line set? via @RossJacksonNOLA:

With NFL 53-man rosters due to be completed by 3 p.m. CT on Tuesday, the New Orleans Saints look to have started their morning’s cuts. Per his agent Brett Tessler, the Saints have released OL Josh Andrews. Andrews will not have to go through the waiver process as a veteran with sufficient experience. There should be a market for Andrews as interior offensive line play is an important focus for NFL teams.

The signing leaves the Saints with an offensive interior led by center Erik McCoy and guards Andrus Peat and Cesar Ruiz. Behind those starters, New Orleans currently carries the depth of center Nick Martin and versatile lineman Calvin Throckmorton.

The Saints interior offensive line looks all but set after this move, though watching Martin will be interesting. It’s possible he maintains a roster spot as the backup center, keeping the Saints from having to affect two starting spots in case of injury at the position. Or he could end up as one of the veterans on the practice squad, as projected in our final 53-man roster prediction.

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Falcons Tuesday updates: Josh Andrews placed on COVID reserve

Falcons RB Cordarrelle Patterson practiced on Tuesday, while OL Josh Andrews was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list.

The Atlanta Falcons are at a potentially critical point in the season as they prepare for Thursday night’s matchup against the New England Patriots just days after suffering a 40-point loss to the Dallas Cowboys. Not only did the Falcons blow a chance to move up in the NFC South, the Patriots have won four straight games and are coming off a 45-7 blowout over the Cleveland Browns.

Here’s a look at the team’s Tuesday practice updates and injury report.

Falcons Week 2 injury report: Full attendance on Wednesday

It’s going to take a Herculean effort for Atlanta to avoid an 0-2 start, but at least the team appears to have health on its side.

The Atlanta Falcons had a clean bill of health entering Week 1 and still lost by 26 points at home. In Week 2, the team will head to Tampa Bay to play 44-year-old Tom Brady and the 1-0 Buccaneers in their first home game since winning last year’s Super Bowl.

It’s going to take a Herculean effort for the Falcons to avoid an 0-2 start, but at the least team appears to have health on its side for another week. Atlanta released its first injury report on Wednesday and there were zero players listed.

The Falcons also signed three players to the practice squad prior this afternoon as the team looks to increase competition along the offensive line.

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Falcons LG Josh Andrews breaks hand, placed on injured reserve list

The Atlanta Falcons have placed starting left guard Josh Andrews on the injured reserve list after breaking his hand at practice on Tuesday.

The Atlanta Falcons have placed starting left guard Josh Andrews on the injured reserve list after breaking his hand at practice on Tuesday, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero is reporting.

Andrews was in line to start next to Jake Matthews up front, but look for rookie Jalen Mayfield to get some reps with the first-team offense this week in place of the veteran lineman.

The Falcons have also claimed guard Colby Gossett from Cleveland.

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Falcons rookie Jalen Mayfield fills in for Josh Andrews at LG

It appears the Falcons may have suffered a minor injury setback as starting left guard Josh Andrews walked off the field during practice.

The Atlanta Falcons appeared to have suffered a minor setback as starting left guard Josh Andrews exited the team’s joint practice with the Miami Dolphins early on Wednesday with an apparent injury. Andrews would not return and in his absence, rookie Jalen Mayfield stepped in at guard.

Mayfield began practicing at left guard earlier in the week after taking 27 offensive snaps at right tackle in the Falcons’ Week 1 loss to the Titans. A switch to left guard permanently could be in store for the rookie lineman with right tackle Kaleb McGary back in the fold.

UPDATE: Falcons head coach Arthur Smith said Andrews was cramping up and that’s why he left the field.

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Falcons agree to terms with veteran OL Josh Andrews

Free-agent offensive lineman Josh Andrews has agreed to terms with the Falcons on a one-year contract, per his agent, Brent Tessler.

On Sunday, it was reported that Falcons middle linebacker Deion Jones had agreed to restructure his contract, creating $4 million in cap room for the 2021 season. While the team has yet to officially confirm Jones’ restructure, it appears Atlanta is already making moves with the newly-created cap space.

Free-agent offensive lineman Josh Andrews has agreed to terms with the Falcons on a one-year contract, per his agent, Brent Tessler.

Andrews, who went undrafted back in 2014 out of Oregon State, can provide good depth at all three interior line spots. Despite having just four career starts, he has appeared in 40 games for three different teams — the New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and Philadelphia Eagles. All four of Andrews’ career starts came for the Jets in 2020.

His price tag can’t be overly high, and it would be a surprise if Andrews received more than a one-year deal worth roughly $1 million. The Falcons already re-signed versatile lineman Matt Gono, but with Alex Mack leaving in free agency and the team releasing James Carpenter, Atlanta’s interior offensive line still needs to add both talent and depth.

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Jets place RB Frank Gore, OL Josh Andrews on IR

The Jets placed RB Frank Gore and OL Josh Andrews on IR ahead of their Week 17 finale.

The Jets placed RB Frank Gore and OL Josh Andrews on injured reserve ahead of their Week 17 finale in New England.

Gore suffered a lung contusion in New York’s Week 16 win over the Browns. Gore made history prior to exiting, becoming just the third member of the 16,000-yard rushing club. He joined Hall of Famers Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton.

Now, however, there’s a chance that Gore’s career could end with this stint on injured reserve. He’s 37, has shown signs of aging and recently acknowledged the uncertainty surrounding his future.

“I’ve got to be real with myself, how teams think about my age,” Gore said in late November. “They might not want a 38-year-old running back on the team.

“It’s tough because I don’t know about next year.”

Gore became the Jets’ lead back when Le’Veon Bell was injured and then cut. Gore tallied 653 rushing yards on 187 carries, resulting in a career-low 3.5 yards per attempt. He scored just two touchdowns during what will likely be his only season with the Jets.

Andrews, meanwhile, is dealing with a thigh injury from the Browns game. He played in 15 games for the Jets this year, including four starts.

While Andrews will fall one game shy of a complete season, the Jets did recoup some offensive line depth on Wednesday. New York designated guards Alex Lewis and Greg Van Roten to return to practice this week.