2016 September - Pro Football Rumors

Lions Audition Vlad Ducasse, Others

September 23rd, 2016 at 4:15pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Guards Vlad Ducasse and Josh LeRibeus joined cornerbacks Chimdi Chekwa and D’Joun Smith in trying out for the Lions on Friday, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).

The most experienced of the four is the 28-year-old Ducasse, who combined for 78 appearances and 22 starts with three teams from 2010-15. Ducasse, whom the Jets chose in the second round of the 2010 draft, started a career-high 11 games as a member of the Bears last season.

Chekwa spent the first four years of his career with the Raiders, who grabbed him in the fourth round of the 2011 draft. The 28-year-old logged 32 appearances and four starts along the way, though he was out of action in 2015 after the Dolphins cut him from their injured reserve last September. Miami brought back Chekwa to compete for a roster spot over the summer, but he didn’t make it through their final cuts.

Both LeRibeus and Smith are recent third-rounders. LeRibeus went to Washington in 2012, and after accruing little playing time in his first few seasons, he piled up personal bests in appearances (16) and starts (11) last year. The Colts selected Smith a year ago, but he spent time on IR-DTR and only played in four games. Indianapolis then waived the 23-year-old this summer, and he worked out for the Saints on Thursday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Waive S. Williams, Promote I. Johnson

September 23rd, 2016 at 3:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Rams have made a couple of changes to their defensive backfield, waiving Steve Williams and promoting Isaiah Johnson from their practice squad to their 53-man roster, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com.

After the Chargers waived Williams on Sept. 4, he joined the Rams on Sept. 8, but he was inactive for their first two games of 2016. Williams, a 2013 fifth-round pick from Cal, previously appeared in 27 games with the Bolts over his first two seasons. The 25-year-old picked up the first two starts of his career in 2015, when he amassed 19 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.

Johnson, 24, signed with the Lions last year as an undrafted free agent. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket suited up for six of Detroit’s games as a rookie, but he didn’t record any statistics. The Lions waived Johnson on Sept. 3, and he signed with the Rams’ practice squad Sept. 6.

Jacoby Brissett Suffers Thumb Injury

September 23rd, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

2:41pm: Brissett won’t need surgery, tweets Dianna Russini of ESPN. “No tear, it’s fine,” a Patriots source told Russini via text (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

2:13pm: Brissett’s injury is a sprain – and not a particularly serious one – a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Still, he’s likely to miss a few weeks, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).

1:29pm: Misfortune continues piling up at quarterback for the Patriots, who have now lost rookie Jacoby Brissett to an injury. Brissett suffered a torn right thumb ligament in the Patriots’ 27-0 win over the Texans on Thursday and will likely need surgery, Mike Petraglia of WEEI reports (via Twitter).

Brissett was only under center for the Patriots because Jimmy Garoppolo succumbed to a shoulder injury in Week 2. And Garoppolo was only starting because of Tom Brady‘s four-game Deflategate suspension. Nevertheless, the Patriots have survived the absence of their future Hall of Fame signal-caller with three straight wins to begin the season.

In their latest victory, Brissett didn’t do much through the air in his first career start, completing 11 of 19 passes for 103 yards, but the third-round pick from North Carolina State amassed 48 rushing yards on eight carries and torched the Texans on a 27-yard touchdown scamper. Between Thursday’s start and his Week 2 work in relief of Garoppolo, Brissett has begun his NFL career 17 of 28 for 195 yards as a passer.

The fact that New England has extra time to prepare for its Week 4 matchup against Buffalo could bode well for a potential Garoppolo return, but the team still might add a free agent signal-caller as insurance. The Patriots elected against that prior to Thursday, instead relying on wide receiver Julian Edelman – a former QB at Kent State – to back up Brissett. They did work out free agents T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree on Tuesday, though.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Likely To Sign Cody Parkey

September 23rd, 2016 at 2:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Browns are likely to sign free agent kicker Cody Parkey, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). If a deal materializes, Parkey will fill in for Patrick Murray, who hurt his left knee in practice Friday. The severity of the injury isn’t yet known, but Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes (via Twitter) that Murray tore his ACL in the same knee two years ago.

The 24-year-old Parkey spent the first two seasons of his career with Philadelphia, which cut him Sept. 3. As a rookie in 2014, the former Auburn Tiger connected on 32 of 36 field goals and nailed all four attempts of 50-plus yards en route to a Pro Bowl bid. Parkey then began last year by making three of his first four field goal tries and going a perfect 7 of 7 on extra points, but he landed on injured reserve Sept. 29 with a groin injury.

Between his departure from the Eagles and his forthcoming deal with the Browns, Parkey garnered interest from the Giants.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings Place Adrian Peterson On IR

September 23rd, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings have placed running back Adrian Peterson on injured reserve, per a team announcement. Peterson underwent surgery Thursday to repair the torn meniscus he suffered in the Vikings’ 17-14 win over the Packers last Sunday.

Minnesota put left tackle Matt Kalil on IR with a hip injury earlier Friday, meaning only one of him or Peterson will be able to return this year. The likelier of the two to come back is Peterson, who the Vikings hope will take the field again by December, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link).

Peterson has long been the Vikings’ best player, having gone to seven Pro Bowls and racked up an MVP since they chose him seventh overall in the 2007 draft. The former Oklahoma Sooner wasn’t nearly as effective prior to succumbing to injury this year, though, as Peterson accumulated a meager 50 yards on 31 carries – good for an unsightly average of 1.6. However, the 31-year-old was a premier option as recently as last season, when he scored 11 touchdowns while leading the NFL in both carries (327, 39 ahead of second place) and yards (1,485).

Despite long-term injuries to Peterson, Kalil, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd, the 2-0 Vikings will try to win their second straight NFC North title this year. The recently acquired Sam Bradford filled in well for Bridgewater in his debut Sunday, while the team’s hope is that its current in-house options will pick up Peterson’s slack.

Running backs Matt Asiata and Jerick McKinnon combined for a mere 13 carries over the season’s first two weeks, but their workloads are sure to increase in Peterson’s absence. Minnesota also signed fellow rusher Ronnie Hillman on Wednesday. Hillman logged 207 carries, 863 yards and seven touchdowns as a member of the Super Bowl-winning Broncos last season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buccaneers Cut Austin Seferian-Jenkins

September 23rd, 2016 at 1:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In the wake of his second DUI arrest since 2013, the Buccaneers have cut tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins, per a team announcement. To take Seferian-Jenkins’ roster spot, the Bucs have promoted fellow tight end Alan Cross from their practice squad.

Seferian-Jenkins brought an end to his short and disappointing Tampa Bay tenure Friday with a 4 a.m. ET arrest. The 23-year-old is now facing two misdemeanor charges – one for DUI and another for violating the Ignition Interlock Device restriction from his prior arrest, which came while he was attending the University of Washington.

Despite his previous run-in with the law, the Buccaneers chose Seferian-Jenkins in the second round of the 2014 draft, picking him 38th overall. Seferian-Jenkins was unable to live up to that selection in Tampa Bay, where he battled injuries and posted underwhelming production. 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 registered three catches, 44 yards and a score in the Buccaneers’ first two games this year, but he didn’t start in either contest.

Given his youth and draft pedigree, someone could claim Seferian-Jenkins on waivers, though his legal troubles cloud the picture. Regardless of what lies ahead for him, Tampa Bay will move on at tight end with Cameron Brate, Luke Stocker, Brandon Myers and Cross.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times first reported that the Buccaneers would cut Seferian-Jenkins. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams’ Jared Goff Closing In On Starting Job

September 23rd, 2016 at 1:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Rams quarterback Jared Goff was inactive for Week 1, but the first pick in this year’s draft took a step in the right direction when he served as Case Keenum‘s backup last Sunday. Now Goff is “close” to being ready to take the starting job from Keenum, head coach Jeff Fisher told John Clayton and Pat Kirwan of SiriusXM on Friday.

“There’s still a gap between he and Case right now,” said Fisher. “Everything that Case does, the familiarity with the offense, but he’s closing the gap and he’ll get in there, get his reps and make his plays, make the great throws that he’s capable of.”

The Rams are confident in Keenum, according to Fisher, but the 28-year-old has arguably been the worst quarterback in the NFL through the season’s first two weeks. Keenum has completed just 35 of 65 attempts for 369 yards and two interceptions, and the Rams have scored a paltry nine points – all of which came in their 9-3 upset over Seattle last Sunday.

“We have a healthy quarterback right now in our starter and so we’re just going to bring Jared along,” added Fisher.

While Goff is “improving,” per Fisher, it’s fair to say the ex-Cal star hasn’t developed as quickly as the Rams hoped he would when they traded up to draft him. General manager Les Snead sent several eminently valuable picks – including first-rounders this year and next – to the Titans to secure Goff, who became the first quarterback to go No. 1 overall and not start the opener of his rookie season since the Raiders’ JaMarcus Russell in 2007. He also began the year behind 2015 third-rounder Sean Mannion on Los Angeles’ depth chart.

Unlike the 21-year-old Goff, three signal-callers from this year’s draft – Carson Wentz (Eagles), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Jacoby Brissett (Patriots) – have already started at least one game, while Browns third-rounder Cody Kessler will join the group this week. Fisher downplayed their relevance to Goff’s situation, however.

“Had this chain of events not happened — had (Dallas’ Tony) Romo not gotten hurt and (Minnesota’s) Teddy (Bridgewater) not gotten hurt and Sam (Bradford) stayed at Philly and then (Cleveland’s) RGIII not gotten hurt — we wouldn’t have any rookie quarterbacks playing,” he said.

Injuries have indeed opened doors for each rookie starter this year, but as the draft’s top two picks, Goff and Wentz will always draw comparisons. Thus far, Wentz is winning the battle. The former North Dakota State standout has connected on 43 of 71 attempts for 468 yards and three scores while helping the Eagles to a 2-0 start.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Buccaneers Make Two Roster Moves

September 23rd, 2016 at 12:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Buccaneers have placed linebacker Devante Bond on injured reserve and re-signed fellow linebacker Josh Keyes, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

A hamstring injury has hampered Bond over the past month, though Auman notes that the rookie sixth-round pick from Oklahoma participated fully in Wednesday’s practice. Bond missed practice Thursday, however, leading to his placement on IR.

Keyes appeared in the Buccaneers’ first two games this year, mainly serving as a special teamer. The team waived Keyes on Tuesday, but Bond’s ailment paved the way for his return to the organization. Keyes, who went undrafted out of Boston College last year, spent time on the Bucs’ practice squad as a rookie before the club promoted him to its active roster for the second half of the season, in which he saw special teams action in seven games.

Josh McCown Played With Broken Collarbone

September 23rd, 2016 at 11:15am CST by Connor J. Byrne

Quarterback Josh McCown played most of Cleveland’s 25-20 loss to Baltimore in Week 2 with a broken left collarbone, Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton said Friday (via USA Today). It was known that McCown was dealing with serious pain Sunday, but the exact nature of his injury was unclear prior to Horton’s revelation. McCown previously broke his right collarbone last year.

McCown completed 20 of 33 passes for 260 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions against the Ravens, who overcame a 20-0 deficit to send the Browns to 0-2. Along the way, the 37-year-old took three sacks and became the second Browns signal-caller to suffer a significant injury in the season’s first two weeks, joining previous starter Robert Griffin III, who hurt his shoulder in the club’s opener.

On playing through pain, McCown said Sunday (via the team’s website), “For me, it is those things and just knowing the window for me right now and understanding that I don’t want to miss snaps. I don’t want to be out there without my guys. Unless it is going to fall off, let’s try to make it work and make it go. That is my mentality.”

Neither Griffin nor McCown will be available this week (the former could be out for the year), leaving the Browns with third-round rookie Cody Kessler as their top option under center. Kessler will start Sunday in Miami, which is also 0-2, and newly signed veteran Charlie Whitehurst will back him up.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Season Over For Matt Kalil?

September 23rd, 2016 at 9:50am CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings announced that left tackle Matt Kalil underwent successful surgery Friday to repair a labrum tear in his right hip. Head coach Mike Zimmer said Kalil, whom the Vikings placed on injured reserve Wednesday, could return after missing the requisite eight weeks, though Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press notes that running back Adrian Peterson‘s situation complicates matters (Twitter links).

Peterson underwent surgery on a meniscus tear Thursday, and if the Vikings put him on IR, only one of him or Kalil would be eligible to come back this year. Minnesota could avoid having to choose between them, however, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports that Kalil’s season is over. He’s facing a six-month recovery, sources told Pelissero (Twitter link).

If Kalil’s season is done, it’s possible the soon-to-be free agent has played his last snap as a Viking. Since going fourth overall in the 2012 draft, Kalil has started in all 66 regular-season appearances, making this the first year he won’t achieve a perfect attendance record. Despite his durability, Kalil hasn’t been an overly effective blocker since earning a Pro Bowl trip as a rookie. The ex-USC standout allowed the second-most pressures among tackles in 2014 and finished 18th from the bottom last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Regardless of whether Kalil returns this year, Minnesota will at least have to play a large portion of it without him. The club is now primed to turn to T.J. Clemmings at left tackle. As a rookie last season, Clemmings started 16 games at right tackle.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.