Las Vegas Raiders place TE Darren Waller and WR Hunter Renfrow on IR
- Waller has been dealing with a hamstring injury and has already missed the last three games while Renfrow is dealing with an oblique injury suffered on Sunday. Both players will miss at least the next four games.
- Both Waller (three years, $51 million) and Renfrow (2-years, $32 million) signed extensions this offseason and were expected to play major roles alongside new addition Davante Adams in the Josh McDaniels offense.
- Nonetheless, Waller has just 16 catches for 175 yards and one touchdown while Renfrow has just 21 receptions for 192 yards and no touchdowns. Their PFF grades are under 65.0
- The team sits at 2-6 on the season and has the Indianapolis Colts (+5) coming into town on Sunday with new head coach Jeff Saturday.
San Francisco 49ers CB Jason Verrett tears Achilles tendon
- It’s another unfortunate injury for Verrett, who was just recently activated from the PUP list after fully recovering from a torn ACL suffered last season.
- This is now the second time Verrett has ruptured his Achilles tendon to go along with two ACL tears, a labrum tear, a significant high-ankle injury and more. He’s played in just 40 NFL games.
- Verrett showed promise upon entering the league, finishing the 2014 season with an 86.0 overall grade. He followed that up by grading as one of the top-rated cornerbacks in the league in 2015, finishing with an 89.4 overall grade.
- That’s when the injuries started to pile on, but Verrett returned in 2020 with the 49ers and played a career-high 803 snaps, finishing with a 77.6 PFF grade. He has struggled to stay on the field ever since.
Las Vegas Raiders LB Blake Martinez Announces Retirement
- It’s an abrupt retirement for Martinez, who just played 61 snaps (91%) on Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars but earned a mediocre 32.1 PFF grade.
- Martinez was released by the New York Giants before the start of the regular season and signed with Las Vegas in late September.
- He retires after seven seasons, spending four years with the Green Bay Packers, two with the Giants and a short stint with Vegas.
More news and notes around the NFL
- Tennessee Titans QB Ryan Tannehill was a full participant in practice today, a positive sign for his status Sunday against Denver. Tannehill has missed the last two weeks with an ankle injury.
- Indianapolis Colts RB Jonathan Taylor was upgraded to a full participant at practice today while backup RB Deon Jackson missed a second straight day with a knee injury. Taylor is on track to return Sunday against Las Vegas after missing last week. Indianapolis also released RB Phillip Lindsay.
- The New York Giants signed former Los Angeles Rams DB Terrell Burgess to their practice squad. New York recently lost Xavier McKinney to a hand injury, so the Burgess addition will add some insurance.
- The Pittsburgh Steelers placed kicker Chris Boswell on IR with a groin injury. Matthew Wright will take over.