Pete Carroll explains why Ed Dickson went back on IR

The Seahawks placed TE Ed Dickson back on the injured reserve just days after he was activated to the roster.

The Seattle Seahawks placed tight end Ed Dickson back on injured reserve just days after he was activated to the 53-man roster. The move seemed strange considering coach Pete Carroll had said Dickson would likely be ready for a full workload at the start of the week.

Carroll explained the unexpected move during his Friday afternoon press conference.

“We stepped up his work in the first couple days knowing that we were earnestly working to get ready,” Carroll said. “He’s just not ready. It’s unfortunate and I feel bad for him and all, but [placing him on IR is] just the right thing to do. He’s not ready to play yet. He was ready to get back to practice. He did that. When we pushed it up, you could just tell. We had to move him back to IR. The only way we could get him, we had to activate him on Wednesday to make him available.”

Had Seattle not made the roster move by Wednesday’s deadline, Dickson would not have been able to return this season.

“We had a good day’s work, and you could tell,” Carroll said. “I sat with him and talked about it and talked through it. He understood. He could tell. He doesn’t quite feel as ready as he needs to be.”

Seattle activated Tyrone Swoopes from the practice squad to take Dickson’s spot on the 53-man roster.

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Broncos make 2 roster moves

The Broncos have promoted a linebacker to the 53-man roster and cut a tight end.

The Broncos won’t activate quarterback Drew Lock from injured reserve to the 53-man roster this week. Brandon Allen will start his third-straight game and Brett Rypien will serve as the backup once again.

Denver did make two roster moves unrelated to Lock.

The Broncos promoted undrafted rookie linebacker Ahmad Gooden from the 10-man practice squad to the active roster. To make room for Gooden, the team cut tight end/fullback Orson Charles.

Gooden (6-2, 245 pounds) signed with the team as a college free agent out of Samford University following April’s NFL draft. He totaled 273 tackles and 22 sacks during his 46 games with the Bulldogs. Gooden wears jersey No. 94.

Charles (6-3, 257 pounds) signed with Denver on Tuesday after the team placed fullback Andy Janovich on injured reserve. Andrew Beck is expected to fill in at fullback so Charles getting a cut presumably means tight end Jeff Heuerman will be healthy enough to play this week.

The Broncos’ only other tight ends are Noah Fant and Troy Fumagalli.

Denver’s front office told Charles to “stay in town,” according to KUSA-TV’s Mike Klis. That might be a sign that Charles will be brought back.

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Seahawks place TE Ed Dickson on IR, promote Tyrone Swoopes

The Seattle Seahawks placed TE Ed Dickson back on the injured reserve, promoting Tyrone Swoopes from the practice squad to take his place.

Ed Dickson’s second season with the Seattle Seahawks was over nearly as soon as it began. The veteran was placed back on the injured reserve just two days after he was activated, meaning he will not play a single snap in the 2019 season.

The Seahawks recalled tight end Tyrone Swoopes from the practice squad to take his place on the active roster. Swoopes will likely serve as the backup tight end behind Jacob Hollister, with Luke Willson (hamstring) not expected to suit up on Sunday against the Eagles.

Dickson missed the first six games of the 2018 season on the injured reserve before coming back and hauling in three touchdowns down the stretch. Seattle no doubt hoped for more of the same from the veteran in 2019, but a lingering knee injury never managed to resolve itself, ending his season and putting the 32-year-old’s career in jeopardy.

Swoopes originally joined the Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2017, converting from quarterback to tight end. He has appeared in two games over the past two seasons, hauling in one reception.

Sunday will likely be his first game on the active roster in 2019, and he could see regular action for Seattle at least until Willson is healthy.

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TE Jordan Thomas will add a ‘dimension’ to the Texans offense

On Thursday, the Houston Texans activated second-year tight end Jordan Thomas to their active roster. He will add a dimension to their offense.

Not long ago, tight end Jordan Thomas was primed for a feature role in the Houston Texans’ offense. Then he cracked a rib in the preseason and subsequently went on injured reserve.

While watching from the sidelines, Thomas, 23, witnessed tight ends Darren Fells and Jordan Akins establish themselves as key components in the Texans’ offense. On Thursday, Houston activated him from the injured reserve.

“Jordan, we decided to activate him. He had practiced well and I think yesterday he got in there a little bit,” said coach Bill O’Brien on Friday.

Thomas played seven snaps in the Texans’ Week 12 win over the Indianapolis Colts. The Mississippi State product did not receive a target.

Despite a lack of attention on Thursday night, Houston figures that Thomas will be an integral part of their offense moving forward.

“I think over time he’s going to add a dimension in the running game and in the passing game,” said O’Brien.

Thomas measures in at a big 6-5, 277 pounds. As a rookie in 2018, he recorded 20 receptions for 215 yards and four touchdowns. He did his most work in the red zone.

According to Player Profiler, Thomas possessed a 13.4% red zone target rate in 2018. His seven receptions in the compacted area were ninth in the NFL for tight ends. All four of his touchdowns came in the red zone.

“He’s big, he’s athletic, he’s got great hands, he’s become a better blocker over time, so we’ll keep incorporating him into the offense,” O’Brien concluded. “It’s good to have him back.”

Houston is not afraid to incorporate their tight ends. Fells leads the NFL in touchdowns at the position (six), Akins acts as a motion weapon and improved blocker. Thomas will give the team size, previous rapport with Deshaun Watson and a red zone threat. That doesn’t hurt during the stretch run of the season.

Report: Seahawks tight end Ed Dickson headed back to injured reserve

In an unexpected turn of events, Seahawks TE Ed Dickson – who was just activated this week – could be headed back to the injured reserve.

Just days after the Seattle Seahawks activated tight end Ed Dickson back to the 53-man roster, he might be headed back to the injured reserve.

A report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler indicates that’s exactly what is likely to happen.

“Seahawks expected to place TE Ed Dickson back on IR, according to sources,” Fowler tweeted early Thursday evening. “Dickson was activated this week but there’s concern over his recovery from injury.”

This report contradicts what coach Pete Carroll had said earlier in the week – that Dickson would actually be able to carry a full workload Sunday against the Eagles.

“He’s going to play a regular load if the week works out fine,” Carroll said Wednesday. “He’s been conditioning for a long time. He’s been practicing with us for quite a while. He should be ready to go. Weight’s in a good spot. He looks like he’s in good shape. He won’t play the whole game because we’ll be moving guys in and out. We expect him to play a regular role.”

If the Seahawks do place Dickson back on the injured reserve, they will undoubtedly have to active Tyrone Swoopes up from the practice squad.

This story is continuing to develop.

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Texans activate TE Jordan Thomas off reserve injured list

The Houston Texans have activated tight end Jordan Thomas off the reserve/injured list ahead of Thursday night’s game with the Indianapolis Colts.

The Houston Texans activated tight end Jordan Thomas off the reserve/injured list on Thursday ahead of their Week 12 encounter with the Indianapolis Colts at NRG Stadium.

To make room for the second-year tight end from Mississippi State, the club waived defensive end Joel Heath and receiver Steven Mitchell.

Thomas caught 20 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns, all in the red zone, as a sixth-round rookie last year. In 2019, the Texans have relied on tight ends Jordan Akins, taken in the third round of 2018, along with Darren Fells to provide big-bodied targets for quarterback Deshaun Watson in the red zone.

The 6-5, 277-pound tight end sustained a rib injury in preseason that landed him on injured reserve shortly before the club’s cut down to a mandatory 53-man roster on Aug. 31. With Thomas’ return, the Texans will have another large target to feature in the red zone or on critical third down attempts.

Tight end Ed Dickson expected to see regular workload in Philadelphia

Activated back to the roster from the injured reserve, Seahawks tight end Ed Dickson is expected to see a full workload against the Eagles.

The Seattle Seahawks will be getting some extra help at the tight end position now that Ed Dickson has been officially activated back to the 53-man roster from the injured reserve.

The timing is critical for Seattle with fellow tight end Luke Willson battling a hamstring issue.

“It was a great time for him to be available to us,” coach Pete Carroll said Wednesday. “He wanted to get back a couple weeks ago. We couldn’t fit it in. Luke is kind of opening the door for him. I know you guys are probably wondering to ask about – because he has a hamstring, we can ask about that. Luke has been such an extraordinary healer over the years that I know there’s no category for it, but we’re going to call him probable. Even though it doesn’t exist, you never know.

“Ed coming back is great. He’s really excited to contribute and help out.”

Dickson has yet to see a game this season, but he looks to figure immediately into the plan this week in Philadelphia.

“He’s going to play a regular load if the week works out fine,” Carroll confirmed. “He’s been conditioning for a long time. He’s been practicing with us for quite a while. He should be ready to go. Weight’s in a good spot. He looks like he’s in good shape. He won’t play the whole game because we’ll be moving guys in and out. We expect him to play a regular role.”

The Seahawks and Eagles are set to square off Sunday morning at 10:00 a.m. PT.

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Broncos make 2 roster moves

To fill Andy Janovich’s spot on the 53-man roster, the Broncos are bringing back tight end/fullback Orson Charles.

The Denver Broncos plan to place fullback Andy Janovich (elbow) on injured reserve, ending his season. To fill Janovich’s spot on the 53-man roster, Denver plans to bring back a familiar face.

The Broncos will sign tight end/fullback Orson Charles, according to The Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran. Charles (6-3, 257 pounds) had a brief stint in Denver this summer but failed to make the team’s 53-man roster.

The 28-year-old Charles entered the league as a fourth-round pick out of Georgia with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2012. He went on to spend time with the New Orleans Saints, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs and Cleveland Browns from 2012-2018.

Charles has caught 14 passes for 185 yards in his career. He is a similar player to Andrew Beck, who filled in for an injured Janovich at the beginning of the season. It remains to be seen which one of Charles or Beck will serve as the team’s fullback in the next six games. One of them will likely be used primarily as a tight end.

Charles was selected by the DC Defenders in the sixth round of the XFL draft for the 2020 season. If Charles is not re-signed by the Broncos at the end of the year, the Defenders will likely still own his XFL rights.

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Tight end Ed Dickson should be activated with Luke Willson injured

With tight end Luke Willson now out with a hamstring injury, Seattle Seahawks will likely activate Ed Dickson back to the 53-man roster.

The Seattle Seahawks just continue to suffer injuries at the tight end position. In Week 10 against the San Francisco 49ers, Luke Willson left the game with a hamstring injury and was unable to return leaving Jacob Hollister as the team’s only true tight end on the roster.

Willson had been battling a rib injury heading into the contest.

“Luke’s got a legit hamstring – legit meaning that it’s not just a little cramp or something,” coach Pete Carroll said Tuesday after Willson had been further evaluated. “It showed up in the MRI testing of it. But it might be a couple weeks for him, we’ll just have to wait and see.”

With Willson potentially out for the near future, the Seahawks will look to tight end Ed Dickson for additional support at the spot. Dickson, who is now eligible to be activated back from the injured reserve, should be healthy to play.

“Yes, he’s ready to go,” Carroll confirmed. “Fortunately, if Luke is unable to play then we would like to think we can go right to Ed and get him going.”

Dickson has been able to practice with the team but must be added back to the 53-man roster before he can make his 2019 season debut.

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Notre Dame Football: Cole Kmet Says He’s Staying

the Irish appear to have landed the highly-coveted “Six Star Recruit” for the 2020 season.

Not many players around the nation have seen their NFL Draft stock rise quite like Notre Dame tight end Cole Kmet this season.

Kmet went from pretty much being a “great idea” to a star performer this season, making an immediate splash upon returning from a collar bone injury sustained at the start of fall camp. Despite missing the first three games of 2019 due to injury Kmet has been able to pull in 29 receptions for 327 yards and five touchdowns.

Earlier this fall I sat down with Yahoo Sports draft expert Eric Edholm and discussed what Kmet’s draft stock looked like. Eric declared him a very-possible lte first round pick.

Today Kmet was asked about if he’s made a decision for the 2020 NFL Draft.

We’ve heard this before and minds have been changed (Will Fuller) so it’s not necessarily a guarantee still, but it’s great news nonetheless that he was that adamant on returning.

As Brian Kelly once called Michael Floyd returning for the 2011 season, the Irish appear to have landed the highly-coveted “Six Star Recruit” for the 2020 season.