Cardinals
According to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins has missed 18 of a possible 41 practices this year. Ten of those were vet days on Wednesday’s while the others were injury-related. The topic of Hopkins’ missed practice time has come up on local sports talk radio, which Hopkins’ grandfather listens to and relays to his grandson.
“Yeah, man, I’ve heard a lot of a lot of negativity about me not practicing when I first came to Arizona,” Hopkins said. “I don’t watch the Arizona local news and channels and the sports station, but my grandfather, he’s an avid listener to everything and every single one. I think, if one of you guys say something bad about me, my grandfather, he’s told me. So, I’ve seen all the blogs and all this stuff, I’m pretty sure some of you guys might have been in there egging it on, but I’m not gonna say any names.
“But, there’s a reason that I play football and they watch. And there’s a reason that people are in positions for a reason. So, I really didn’t listen to it. I don’t listen to it. I listen to my grandfather, and he was saying, ‘Man, Arizona, they really kind of on you right now because you’re not practicing and all the critics in the sports people,’ but, my grandfather knows who I am, also, and he knows how productive I am on that football field. And he knew what I was going through, and the people who are giving me stuff, they don’t know what I was going through or dealing with, and I don’t let my news, or really what’s going on with me, be publicized for the future.”
49ers
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the 49ers were considering promoting QB Josh Johnson for Week 16 and giving him a chance to play before he tested positive for COVID-19.
- This led to San Francisco signing QB Josh Rosen off the Buccaneers’ practice squad. (NFLTR)
- Rosen had some agency in his destination, as he declined multiple offers to leave Tampa Bay before accepting San Francisco’s bid, which HC Kyle Shanahan took note of: “And to also know that we got a guy in here who did get drafted in the first round, who’s got some ability with his arm, it was exciting. We were going to get someone, and we need that body. And to get someone with his ability was pretty cool.” (Dalton Johnson)
Rams
Rams second-round RB Cam Akers sprained his ankle in Sunday’s loss to the Jets, but stayed in the game and actually had his two longest runs after that, though both were called back by penalties. Afterward, an MRI revealed the extent of the damage that will keep Akers out at least a week and possibly more.
“I mean, I think it’s a credit to how tough this kid is,” Rams HC Sean McVay said via the Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue. “I think in a lot of instances, too, you get going, you get your adrenaline going, you’re in the midst of a game and it gets banged up — and then (you don’t feel) the soreness of it — and then when you get a picture of it with an MRI (and) you realize, ‘Oh my gosh, this guy was playing through some real stuff.’”
- McVay said OLB Terrell Lewis (knee) is “looking pretty good” to play in Week 16. (Rodrigue)
- Rams RT Rob Havenstein (neck) was listed as limited in Wednesday’s practice participant, which is a projection given Los Angeles only held a walkthrough. (Lindsey Thiry)
Seahawks
Seahawks HC Pete Carroll praised rookie DT Bryan Mone, who was recently activated from injured reserve, for his ability to move around despite weighing at least 350 pounds.
“He was really a factor chasing the ball around. He’s 350 pounds, but he runs like crazy with that big body. He looked really good in the walk-through today, that’s all I have seen of him. He’s got to practice this week and have a good go at, it but he’s got a chance. He’s totally tuned in to playing,” said Carroll, via Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic.
Carroll expects TE Greg Olsen (foot) to play in Week 16 after the veteran had a “really solid” week of practice.
“He had a really solid week last week, he looked very good,” Carroll said. “He had a chance to play last week, we thought it was such a shock that he was so good so soon that we didn’t want to press our luck on it. He’s back in action this week.”
Carroll said rookie DE Darrell Taylor will return to practice next week after recovering from leg surgery in January.
“We’ll find out if that can come to life and all. We’ll see,” Carroll said. “We’ve been waiting, hoping that we can get to this day. He had a lot of consulting he did to get to that point, saw a number of doctors to make sure he was confident in what he was doing. Now that we have that behind us, I think that he’ll get a chance to see if he can jump back sooner than later.”
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