2016 September - Pro Football Rumors

Browns’ Josh McCown Out 2-4 More Weeks

September 25th, 2016 at 3:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Browns quarterback Josh McCown will be miss two-to-four more weeks after strain and hairline crack in his left shoulder, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

In the meantime, the Browns will rely on rookie third-rounder Cody Kessler to manage the offense. Against the Dolphins today, Cleveland has also mixed in QB-turned-receiver Terrelle Pryor, who completed three-of-five attempts for 35 yards. The Browns also agreed to terms with veteran Charlie Whitehurst last week, who would be next in line should Kessler go down.

McCown, 37, went 1-7 as a starter for the Browns last season. In his one game under center for Cleveland this year, the veteran completed 20 of his 33 passes and threw two touchdowns with two interceptions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Josh McDaniels Likely To Pursue HC Jobs

September 25th, 2016 at 2:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels appears ready to jump back into head coaching, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who says that McDaniels will look to secure a top job this offseason.

As La Canfora notes, McDaniels’ stock could be at an all-time high at the moment, meaning he’s in a position to “cash in” while landing a new position. In his second stint as New England’s play-caller, McDaniels has helped lead the club to several playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title in 2015. This season, McDaniels has dealt with turnover at quarterback, but still managed to guide the Patriots offense en route to a 3-0 start.

McDaniels, of course, has already had one go-round as a head coach, as he led the Broncos from 2009-10. After beginning his Denver tenure with an 6-0 record, McDaniels proceeded to post a 5-17 record from there on out, losing the team amid reports of micromanagement. He was fired midway through the 2010 campaign, then spent a year with the Rams before returning to the Patriots.

Now 40, McDaniels was linked to the Titans and Dolphins vacancies last offseason, but never officially interviewed for either position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

5 Key Stories: 9/18/16 – 9/25/16

September 25th, 2016 at 1:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Injuries take a major toll in Minnesota. The Vikings had already dealt with enough injury scenarios for one season, as they’d lost quarterback Teddy Bridgewater for the season following a torn ACL. But after finding a new QB in Sam Bradford, the health concerns haven’t stopped, as Adrian Peterson is now done for at least eight weeks after tearing his meniscus Peterson, for his part, believes he’ll be able to return from IR after the minimum eight-week absence. Some in the Vikings organization have questioned Peterson’s decision to undergo surgery, but the club’s ownership/front office still support their All Pro back. Meanwhile, left tackle Matt Kalil has also landed on IR (and is unlikely to return this season), while defensive tackle Shariff Floyd will miss six weeks after knee surgery.

No Brady? No problem. Jimmy Garoppolo was excellent for the Patriots in last Sunday’s win against the Dolphins, throwing three touchdowns before leaving the game with a shoulder injury. Third-string rookie Jacoby Brissett picked up where Jimmy G. left off, leading New England to a 27-0 victory over the Texans on Thursday. The only problem? Brissett is now injured as well, having suffered a thumb sprain during the Houston contest. The Patriots have met with free agent QBs T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree, but both Garoppolo and Brissett could be ready for Week 4. Week 5, this guy returns.

No more ASJ in TB. The Buccaneers cut ties with former second-round pick Austin Seferian-Jenkins, waiving the tight end after he was arrested for DUI on Friday morning. This was ASJ’s second DUI, as he was also arrested on the charge in 2013 while at the University of Washington. The 6-foot-6, 250-pounder appeared in just 16 total games in his first two seasons and made 12 starts, combining for 42 receptions on 77 targets to go with 559 yards and six touchdowns. Seferian-Jenkins is on waivers through Monday, but given that the Bucs are reportedly worried about his well-being, it’s possible he won’t be claimed.

Seahawks get busted. The Seahawks were docked their 2017 fifth-round pick for violating the league’s rules regarding contact practices in the offseason, while the club will also lose a week of OTAs and face a fine of $400K. Head coach Pete Carroll personally will have to pay $200K in fines for his role. The NFL and NFLPA’s agreement on excessive contact in offseason workouts was breached on June 6th when Carroll’s team doled out hard hits during OTAs. This is not the first time that the Seahawks have run afoul of these regulations and, therefore, they were docked a draft choice in addition to the fines.

NFC East suspensions. Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson finally has a date for the appeal of his 10-game suspension. The meeting will take place on October 4, meaning Johnson will play on Sunday against the Steelers before Philadelphia enters its Week 4 bye. If Johnson’s ban is upheld, he won’t be able to return until mid-December — he’d get to face the Ravens, Giants, and Cowboys to close the season. Dallas edge rusher Randy Gregory, meanwhile, dropped his appeal of his own 10-game suspension. Gregory is already in the midst of a separate four-game ban, so he won’t return to the field until Week 15.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC North Notes: Cutler, Kalil, Lions

September 25th, 2016 at 12:29pm CST by Rory Parks

After Monday night’s ugly loss to Philadelphia, Rich Campbell of The Chicago Tribune writes that the end of Jay Cutler‘s tenure with the Bears felt as real as it ever has. Each year since former head coach Lovie Smith was fired at the end of the 2012 season, the Bears have asked themselves whether they prefer Cutler to an alternative, and each year, the answer has been yes.

However, after looking at the success that rookie Carson Wentz had against them last week, and as they prepare for rookie signal-caller Dak Prescott this week, the Bears’ quarterback calculus could change sooner rather than later. After all, it could be tough for GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox to continue with a 33-year-old quarterback who has a 50-49 record and only one playoff victory in seven-plus seasons in Chicago, particularly a quarterback they inherited who has no more guaranteed money left on his deal as of 2017.

The problem is that a quarterback has not been the best player on the board when the Bears have been on the clock in the past two seasons, and it would not have made sense for the team to reach for a signal-caller when they had a solid quarterback on the roster with guaranteed money still to be paid. But with no succession plan in place, the Bears may have no choice but to grab a QB in the 2017 draft and hope they can find someone to lift them out of their cycle of mediocrity.

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from the NFC North:

With Matt Kalil on IR, many have wondered if the Vikings–who demonstrated they were “all in” on the 2016 season with the Sam Bradford trade–could deal for a replacement left tackle, like Cleveland’s Joe Thomas. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Minnesota will not make such a trade.
Earlier today, we learned there is a good chance that Adrian Peterson could return to the Vikings next year, despite much speculation to the contrary.
Lions DE Ziggy Ansah is expected to be out through at least next week as he continues to battle a high ankle sprain, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Ansah will get a second opinion on that injury later this week.
Lions LG Laken Tomlinson has had a very disappointing start to the season, but Kyle Meinke of MLive.com believes Detroit has no other choice but to continue relying on last year’s No. 28 overall selection, as 2016 fifth-rounder Joe Dahl does not appear ready to step into the starting lineup.

Good Chance Adrian Peterson Returns To Vikings In 2017

September 25th, 2016 at 11:09am CST by Rory Parks

Adrian Peterson indicated just yesterday that he believes he will return from IR this season, although his prognosis is certainly premature and perhaps overly optimistic, as doctors will have to wait at least one month before determining if the veteran back has any shot at playing again this year.

And, since his potential return to the field in 2016 is very much in doubt, there has already been a great deal of speculation regarding Peterson’s future in Minnesota. As the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote several days ago, Peterson never looked like a great bet to return to Minnesota in 2017 barring some sort of contract adjustment, as he’s set to count for an untenable $18MM on next year’s cap (which is comprised of a $6MM roster bonus on the third day of the 2017 league year, along with $12MM more in base salary and workout bonuses). All of that total can be cleared out by releasing him, and given that Peterson isn’t a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Norv Turner‘s scheme–not to mention the fact that the Vikings are transitioning into more of a throwing team under Turner–it is logical to think that he’ll be playing for a new club next season.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports added his support to that viewpoint his morning, writing that even if Peterson had enjoyed a typical Peterson year in 2016, it was highly unlikely that he would have returned to the Vikings under his current deal. As such, his future with the Vikings will hinge on their ability to renegotiate his contract prior to his $6MM roster bonus coming due in March.

Despite all of that, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Minnesota wants Peterson to retire as a member of the Vikings, and two sources with direct knowledge of the situation indicated that it would not be a surprise to see Peterson back with the club in 2017. After all, the massive $96MM deal that he signed in 2011 was always set to expire at the end of 2017, so it’s not as if player and team haven’t prepared for this moment. Furthermore, the restructure of that deal that Peterson and the Vikings agreed to in July of last year suggests that the two sides can come together to make a tough situation work, just as they did when Peterson was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy in 2014.

Rapoport goes on to say that the Vikings have consistently demonstrated loyalty to Peterson since he was drafted in 2007, and they expect that to continue (they may also expect Peterson to pay them back in kind by agreeing to modify his contract). As Albert Breer of TheMMQB tweets, this situation is similar to the one that the Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald found themselves in several years ago, which ultimately resulted in a satisfactory compromise that kept one of the best players in franchise history with the only club he has ever known. And according to Rapoport, there is a good chance that Peterson and the Vikings will enjoy the same outcome.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Ameer Abdullah Placed On IR, Done For Season?

September 25th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:05am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeted earlier this morning that the Lions were hopeful that Abdullah would return from IR shortly after the team’s Week 10 bye. However, a report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter shortly thereafter indicated that the Lions believe Abdullah has a torn ligament in his left foot and will miss the remainder of the season.

WEDNESDAY, 08:38am: The Lions have placed running back Ameer Abdullah on injured reserve, as Justin Rogers of The Detroit News tweets. The Lions have confirmed the news via press release.

Abdullah injured his foot on Sunday and it was initially believed to be a sprain. Yesterday, the tailback visited Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte and apparently received some bad news. It’s not necessarily known if Abdullah suffered a fracture, but – at minimum – his sprain was more severe than initially thought. Thanks to the league’s new IR rules, Abdullah is not necessarily done for the season, of course. In theory, Abdullah could come back in two months and suit up as soon as Week 11.

With Abdullah out, the Lions will give more carries to Theo Riddick. Of course, Riddick is more of a pass-catching specialist than a workhorse back, so we can expect to see additional work for rookie Dwayne Washington as well. Washington is a bit of an unknown, but coach Jim Caldwell has been talking him up all summer.

The Lions also announced that they have signed running back George Winn and linebacker Zaviar Gooden to the practice squad. To make room, guard Chase Farris and wide receiver Isaac Fruechte have been cut.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Drake, DRC, Revis

September 25th, 2016 at 9:54am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins will treat rookie running back Kenyan Drake as the starter this week in place of the injured Arian Foster, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport, though, passes along more interesting news regarding Miami’s running back corps and head coach Adam Gase‘s attempts to instill discipline in his new club.

After Gase’s highly-publicized decision to leave Jay Ajayi off the team’s travel list prior to the Dolphins’ regular season opener in Seattle, there was another incident involving the team’s running backs the following week. Both Isaiah Pead and Damien Williams missed a meeting in advance of Miami’s Week 2 matchup against New England, which is why both were inactive for that contest. Drake, it appears, is the only back on the 53-man roster who is both healthy and has not had a lapse in maturity over the past several weeks.

As Rapoport notes, time will tell if more “messages” are necessary or if the Dolphins will begin to fall in line with Gase’s vision.

Now for more from the league’s east divisions:

Despite his team-friendly deal and his still considerable abilities, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is clearly not in the Giants‘ long-term plans, James Kratch of NJ.com writes. Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple are entrenched as the team’s top two corners, and it would make no sense for New York to pay $6.5MM for a 30-year-old slot corner after this season (especially when the team could recoup the full $6.5MM by cutting DRC). But there are plenty of cornerback-needy teams for whom Rodgers-Cromartie would represent a significant upgrade, so Kratch opines that the Giants should look to trade DRC prior to this year’s deadline, and if that fails, then the team should release him before free agency begins next year.
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes the Jets and cornerback Darrelle Revis are set for a “contract staredown” after the season. Revis is scheduled to earn $15MM in 2017, including a non-guaranteed roster bonus of $2MM, which is due to be paid on the second day of the 2017 league year in March. Of course, if Revis begins to recapture his prior level of play, his contract may not be as much of an issue, but if he continues to struggle, the team will probably ask him to renegotiate, which Revis has never shown any inclination to do. As Cimini notes, the roster bonus puts a deadline on what could become one of the bigger storylines of the offseason.
Eagles head coach Doug Pederson expects Dorial Green-Beckham‘s role to increase as DGB continues to learn the offense and get healthy, as Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com writes. Through the first two games, Green-Beckham has had just six passes thrown his way, though Pederson says DGB was the primary target on several plays in the team’s Week 2 win over Chicago, but the defense dictated that the play go elsewhere.
If Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson is in fact suspended for PED use–his hearing is set for October 4–Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the team will move left guard Allen Barbre to right tackle and promote Stefen Wisniewski to the starting lineup to take Barbre’s place.

Sam Shields To Miss “A Few More Weeks”

September 25th, 2016 at 8:42am CST by Rory Parks

Packers cornerback Sam Shields will not be cleared to play for at least a few more weeks, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Shields suffered a concussion during Green Bay’s Week 1 victory against Jacksonville, which came less than nine months after his previous concussion on December 13, 2015. That concussion forced Shields to miss the final three regular season games of 2015 plus the Packers’ NFC wild-card playoff win over Washington before he returned for the divisional playoff loss at Arizona.

Shields has now suffered four concussions in the past six seasons, and as they continue to pile up, one has to wonder about the longevity of his career. Just 28, Shields has established himself as one of the better cornerbacks in the league when healthy, and he signed a four-year, $39MM deal with Green Bay prior to the 2014 campaign. But as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com wrote several days ago, Shields described last year’s concussion as particularly scary because he does not remember anything that happened.

Shields said of that concussion, “All I remember is going after the tackle and my head hitting the ground. And that was it. I blanked out. I try to keep my head from getting in there, but it’s kind of hard. It’s a physical sport.”

Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has not offered any details about Shields’ recovery or prognosis except to say that he going through the league’s concussion protocol and its attendant evaluations.

Shields has posted five interceptions in his career and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2014.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Adrian Peterson Thinks He’ll Return From IR

September 24th, 2016 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson believes he will be ready to play when he’s eligible to return off injured reserve in eight weeks, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Peterson was placed on IR yesterday, but thanks to the NFL’s new injured reserve rules, he’s able to come back in two months if healthy.

However, according to those in the Vikings organization, Peterson’s optimism is somewhat unwarranted, and there is still doubt as to whether Peterson can return to the field in 2016, per Pelissero. Doctors will have to wait at least one month before determining if the veteran back has any shot at playing again this year.

A pair of surgeons told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press earlier this week that had Peterson opted to have the injured portion of his meniscus removed rather than repaired, he could have returned to the field in weeks, not months. But doing so could have presented problems for Peterson later in his career and during his post-football life, as such a procedure can lead to arthritis in the knee.

That decision by Peterson has reportedly led some Vikings to express “private” frustrations, as some teammates believe that Peterson could have played thorough the injury. But the “top” of the franchise — presumably the front office and/or ownership — are accepting of Peterson’s decision, and are hoping the veteran back returns in 2017.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/16

September 24th, 2016 at 8:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:

New York Jets

Signed: FB Julian Howsare (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post)