Donald Parham Jr., Los Angeles Chargers (Chargers.com)
Tryouts
Just one tryout leading into week 11 involving an XFL player: C Michal Menet (Sea Dragons) was part of a 10-player workout in San Francisco for the 49ers on Wednesday. Menet was one of three interior offensive linemen to work out. This was Menet’s third in-season tryout, and his sixth overall. He was with the Atlanta Falcons in training camp.
Transactions
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers released DT CJ Brewer (Roughnecks) from their practice squad on Tuesday. Brewer had been with the team since being released by the Bucs at the cut-down to the initial 53-man roster. A unique roster quirk that received quite a bit of attention at the end of last week was the release of OT Bernard Williams (Maniax), who had been with the Memphis team in the 2001 version of the XFL. He was suspended from the NFL in 1995 after testing positive for marijuana. He went on to play in the CFL and XFL, never again playing a down in the NFL. But he remained on the suspended list of the Philadelphia Eagles until the oversight was noticed by the league. The Eagles then released him on Thursday. According to reports, Williams had no idea he was technically still on an NFL roster.
A day before the Cleveland Browns were set to play the Pittsburgh Steelers, they activated G Michael Dunn (Dragons) off injured reserve. Dunn had been placed on IR a month earlier, so he was out the minimum amount of time (four weeks) one can miss when being played on injured reserve.
Performances
*On Thursday night, QB Josh Johnson (Wildcats) was inactive as the third quarterback for the Baltimore Ravens.
*Cleveland surprisingly placed its starting QB, Deshaun Watson, on IR prior to week 11. In another surprising move, they opted to start rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson against Pittsburgh instead of QB PJ Walker (Roughnecks), who had earned the previous two starts when Watson was out with an injury. Thompson-Robinson was able to guide the Browns to a win over the Steelers, looking somewhat better than he did in his only other start this season. Walker will likely remain the backup, as he was on Sunday, active but not seeing game action.
*Activated from IR the day before, G Michael Dunn (Dragons) played just one snap on offense, though it was a critical one: He was an extra blocker on RB Jerome Ford’s one-yard TD plunge that was the initial score of the game. In Dunn’s absence, OL Nick Harris took on the role Dunn had played as the extra blocker in short-yardage situations. Harris continued that on Sunday. Dunn also played three special teams snaps on field goal/extra point protection.
*For the third game in a row, RB Godwin Igwebuike (Dragons) was a healthy scratch for the Steelers.
*Also for the Steelers, LS Christian Kuntz (Renegades) played but did not make any tackles on special teams.
*A gameday elevation for the second time this season, and the first time since the first week of the season, LB DeMarquis Gates (Roughnecks) played 62% of the special teams snaps, none on defense. He was one of two linebackers elevated from the practice squad, though the other, rookie Micah Baskerville, was inactive. Gates recovered a fumble on a kickoff return in the third quarter, and four plays later, Justin Fields found DJ Moore for a 39-yard touchdown, putting the Chicago Bears up on the Detroit Lions, 20-14. Chicago would go on to lose the game, however, 31-26.
*With starting TE Gerald Everett out due to injury, TE Donald Parham (Renegades) stepped in as the main attraction at the position for the Los Angeles Chargers. He saw six targets on the afternoon, tied for second-most on the team, and caught four passes for 57 yards. The targets and receiving yards marked his season high, while he tied his season high in receptions. Parham did have a fourth-down drop early in the first quarter, but made up for it with his production the rest of the game. He ended up playing 72% of the snaps, more than double the number of the second tight end, Stone Smartt.
*It was one of the stronger performances of the season for P Daniel Whelan (Defenders) of the Green Bay Packers. He punted four times, landing two inside the 20-yard line. He outpaced his season average in both gross and net yardage in this game. Most importantly, Whelan and the coverage team helped limit Los Angeles’s dangerous return man, Derius Davis, to just one punt return for six yards. Whelan’s only blemish was a touchback late in the game.
*Core special teamer S Elijah Campbell (Defenders) of the Miami Dolphins played 81% of the snaps in the third phase without seeing any snaps on defense. He did not register any stats.
*It was the second gameday elevation in a row for New York Giants TE Tyree Jackson (Defenders). He played 11% of the offensive snaps, down from 21% the week prior. He did not see any targets in the pass game and also did not play on special teams.
Byes: Atlanta Falcons QB Taylor Heinicke (Battlehawks) and OT Storm Norton (Wildcats)
