September 21st, 2016 at 6:40pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
Three-quarters of NFL teams have picked up at least one win this season, leaving eight stragglers that have begun 2016 with back-to-back losses. Historically, clubs that have lost their first two games haven’t rebounded to make postseason trips often. In fact, since the league expanded and reorganized its divisions in 2002, only 12 of 116 teams that have started a season 0-2 have gone on to earn playoff berths. Two of those occurrences came last season, with the Seahawks rallying to finish 10-4 and the Texans going 9-5 over their final 14 games.
Of the teams that are currently 0-2, Cleveland stands out as the one with no realistic chance to recover. As a club in a full-blown rebuild, the Browns were completely written off entering the season, and they’ve since lost their top two quarterbacks – Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown – and No. 1 receiver Corey Coleman to significant injuries.
Elsewhere, the Bears, Bills, Dolphins and Saints faced long odds to contend coming into the year, and their chances have worsened during the first two weeks.
The Bears are stuck in a tough NFC North with the Vikings and Packers, both of whom made the playoffs in 2015. Of greater concern, perhaps, is that injuries are hampering Chicago, which will go without quarterback Jay Cutler, linebacker Danny Trevathan and nose tackle Eddie Goldman for multiple weeks. Meanwhile, linebacker Lamarr Houston is out for the season with a torn ACL.
Buffalo, which has gone a league-worst 16 straight seasons without a playoff trip, is seemingly in shambles in Year 2 of the Rex Ryan era. Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman last Friday, the same day Bills ownership had a Ryan-less meeting with several of the team’s players. Previously, the Bills dropped winnable games against the Ravens and Jets, which doesn’t bode well for a team whose next two opponents – the Cardinals and Patriots – are elite.
The Dolphins, who are among the Bills’ AFC East rivals, began with an unkind schedule over the first two weeks. They had to go to Seattle and New England, where they lost close affairs. Miami’s next opponent is the aforementioned Browns, who are primed to start third-round rookie Cody Kessler under center. On paper, the Dolphins look likely to win their home opener, but few expect rookie head coach Adam Gase & Co. to make any real noise in the standings this year.
Like the Dolphins, the Saints have started 2016 with back-to-back one-score losses, including a 35-34 opener that the Raiders won with a late two-point conversion. New Orleans hasn’t necessarily played poorly, and it still has a high-powered offense, but a defense that already had issues coming into the year has since lost starting cornerbacks Delvin Breaux and P.J. Williams to major injuries.
In the AFC South, there were preseason cases made for both the Colts or Jaguars to contend for a divisional crown, but things haven’t gone according to plan for either.
Indianapolis moved the ball with ease through the air in Week 1 against the Lions, but its defense was woeful in a 39-35 loss. Then, in last week’s 34-20 defeat in Denver, quarterback Andrew Luck was ineffective. After missing most of last season with various injuries, he has been dealing with a shoulder issue throughout this season.
The Jaguars made several hyped offseason moves and entered the season with high expectations for a franchise that hasn’t won more than five games in a season since 2010. They played the Packers to the wire in Week 1, losing 27-23, but looked like the same old Jags on Sunday in a 38-14 defeat in San Diego.
Of this year’s winless crop, only the Redskins made the playoffs last season. Washington went 9-7 en route to an NFC East title, and the division once again looks like anyone’s to win, but the team won’t have a chance without quarterback Kirk Cousins regaining something resembling the form he showed in the second half of 2015. The Cousins-led Redskins will go on the road Sunday to face the division-rival Giants, who are 2-0. It’s foolish to use the phrase “must-win game” in Week 3, but Washington’s matchup with Big Blue comes close.
As mentioned, the Browns and Dolphins play each other this week. Barring a tie, then, one will break into the win column. The other six face teams that have gone 1-1 or better, and all could remain without a victory through Week 3. Notably, no club has started 0-3 and made the playoffs since the 1998 Bills. First things first, though, which of these eight stands the best chance to make a playoff run this season?
September 21st, 2016 at 5:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne
The bad news keeps coming for the Browns: Rookie wide receiver Corey Coleman suffered a broken hand in practice Wednesday, according to Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. It’s unclear how much time Coleman will miss, but he’ll join quarterbacks Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown as key members of the Browns’ offense who have landed on the shelf in the early going this season.
Coleman, a first-round pick in this year’s draft, was an obvious bright spot for the Browns during their 0-2 start. The ex-Baylor Bear racked up seven catches for 173 yards and a pair of scores, both of which came in the Browns’ 25-20 loss to the Ravens on Sunday. Coleman also had his first 100-yard showing in Week 2, totaling 104 on five grabs.
Prior to selecting Coleman in the draft, the Browns traded down multiple times, going from second to eighth and then to 15th, where they chose the 5-foot-11, 190-pounder. The decision to exit the No. 2 spot cost the Browns a chance to draft ex-North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz, who has been a standout with the Eagles thus far.
With both Griffin and McCown injured, the Browns are set to start another member of their 2016 draft class, third-rounder Cody Kessler, at quarterback in Miami this week. The fact that that the Browns will have to force Kessler into action ahead of schedule without their best receiver should only make his debut a more difficult undertaking.
Besides Coleman, Terrelle Pryor and Andrew Hawkins are the only other Browns wideouts who have caught passes this year. Pryor has impressed, having hauled in six throws for 100 yards, while Hawkins has posted more modest totals (three catches, 28 yards).
September 21st, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Zachary Links
Wednesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
The Seahawks have released fullback Will Tukuafu, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). The 32-year-old has bounced in and out of the Seattle organization since signing there as an undrafted free agent from Oregon in 2010. He played the 2011-13 seasons with San Francisco.
The 49ers have promoted linebacker Shayne Skov to the active roster from their practice squad, tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Skov suited up for 15 of the 49ers’ 16 regular-season games last year.
The Buccaneers have promoted wide receiver Freddie Martino from the practice squad and waived linebacker Josh Keyes, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Martino has only appeared in one NFL game, which came as a member of the Falcons in 2014. Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter was Atlanta’s offensive coordinator then.
September 21st, 2016 at 4:26pm CST by Zachary Links
4:26pm: Gordon’s attorneys have issued an update on their client (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com): “Josh Gordon was made aware that he was previously requested to be present in Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court. He was unaware of this face until 12 p.m. today. Mr. Gordon immediately made himself available to the Court when he was informed that his presence had been previously required. He attended court today and a hearing was held. The matter was continued until November should a further hearing be needed.”
11:55am: Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon could have yet another off-the-field problem. A warrant has been issued for his arrest after he failed to respond to several months worth of subpoenas in a paternity case, as Adam Ferrise of Cleveland.com writes.
An Ohio woman claims that Gordon is the father of her one-year-old daughter. The woman is seeking child support and Gordon has not complied with requests to supply the court with a DNA sample.
Gordon, of course, could potentially return to the Browns after sitting out for the first four games of the season. However, his reinstatement is predicated on his behavior and this latest issue could theoretically delay his return.
In 2013, despite missing the first two games of the season due to a suspension, Gordon led the NFL in receiving yards, finishing with 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns. Thanks to his off-the-field indiscretions, the 25-year-old played in five games in 2014 and missed the entire 2015 season.
September 21st, 2016 at 4:10pm CST by Zachary Links
One day after being waived, Scooby Wright is back with the Browns. This time, Wright is signed to the practice squad, though Cleveland has agreed to give Wright the same salary he was making on the active roster, Mike Florio of PFT tweets.
Wright, a seventh-round pick, generated an unusual amount of excitement amongst Browns fans this offseason. The Arizona linebacker played out of his mind in 2014, racking up 164 total tackles, 15 sacks, and 31 tackles for a loss. Last year, Wright’s season ended after just three games due to injury. The Browns believe that he has big upside, but a numbers crunch meant that they had to expose him to waivers this week.
Per the terms of his agreement with the Browns, Wright will earn a weekly salary of $26K. That’s likely the highest practice squad salary in the NFL.
September 21st, 2016 at 4:04pm CST by Zachary Links
The Titans announced that guard Chance Warmack is going on IR. Warmack will have surgery to repair his injured hand, though the team says that he could have played through the injury if he wanted to.
Warmack could theoretically return in eight weeks, but coach Mike Mularkey indicated that this will be a season-ending procedure. Warmack is in a contract year and appears to be protecting his long-term value by having the surgery done now.
In May, the Titans declined to exercise Warmack’s 2017 option. Warmack, 25, has been the Titans’ full-time right guard since being selected 10th overall in the 2013 draft, starting 46 of a possible 48 games from 2013 through 2015. The Alabama alum was solid but not spectacular in that role, ranking 40th out of 81 qualified guards in 2015, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades.
Without Warmack, the Titans will turn to Josh Kline and Brian Schwenke at the right guard position.
September 21st, 2016 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links
The Saints are placing cornerback P.J. Williams on IR, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets. To fill his roster spot, the Saints are signing offensive tackle Tony Hills (Twitter link).
The loss of Williams is another significant blow to New Orleans’ secondary, which is already without No. 1 cornerback Delvin Breaux for several weeks because of the broken fibula he suffered in Week 1.
Like Breaux, Williams is a starter for the Saints. The second-year man missed his rookie year with a torn hamstring, but his latest issue looked far more serious at first. In the opening quarter of the Saints’ 16-13 loss to the Giants on Sunday, Williams’ head hit the right knee of Giants tight end Larry Donnell. There were initial fears that Williams had a spinal cord injury, and he had to be carted off the field on a stretcher. In the end, Williams emerged with a concussion severe enough to keep him out for the foreseeable future.
With both Breaux and Williams down, the 0-2 Saints are now especially thin at corner as they prepare to face the NFC South rival Falcons this week. Undrafted rookie Ken Crawley took over for Williams on Sunday. The Saints’ other options include another undrafted rookie, De’vante Harris, as well as Sterling Moore and B.W. Webb.
September 21st, 2016 at 2:12pm CST by Zachary Links
The Bears have promoted running back Raheem Mostert from the practice squad, as agent Brett Tessler tweets. Mostert was added to the taxi squad just last week, but it didn’t take long for him to get called up to varsity.
Jeremy Langford is the primary back in Chicago, but top understudy Ka’Deem Carey is dealing with a hamstring injury. Now, rookie Jordan Howard moves up a spot on the depth chart with Mostert occupying the No. 3 RB role until Carey gets back.
Mostert, a Purdue product, has been yo-yo’d on and off different NFL rosters since joining the league as a UDFA last year. After contracts with the Eagles, Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, and Jets, Mostert is hoping to find a more permanent home in Chicago. In addition to playing tailback, Mostert could also be a factor in the return game for the Bears.
September 21st, 2016 at 11:40am CST by Zachary Links
The Vikings announced that they have signed running back Ronnie Hillman in the wake of Adrian Peterson‘s potentially season-ending injury. Meanwhile, starting tackle Matt Kalil will have season-ending hip surgery and will be placed on IR.
While Hillman will join Minnesota’s running back group, he will not be the primary back. Coach Mike Zimmer confirmed that Jerick McKinnon will be the team’s starting running back while Peterson is out. Matt Asiata also figures to be in the mix and Hillman, for now, figures to be the No. 3 RB on that depth chart.
Hillman, a 2012 third-round pick, was cut loose by Denver in early September. The move somewhat surprising after he led Denver in offensive snaps (524) during the 2015 regular season. He also led the team’s rushers in starts (11), attempts (207), yards (863) and touchdowns (seven). However, Hillman wasn’t exactly integral during the Broncos’ Super Bowl-winning playoff run and he was bumped this year in favor of Devontae Booker and Kapri Bibbs.
Peterson’s injury will garner all of the headlines today, but Kalil’s injury is also a difficult one for the Vikings. Minnesota’s offensive line was already underperforming and it will only get worse without the former No. 4 overall selection. The injury is also bad news for Kalil on a personal level as he is in his contract year. After a strong rookie season, Kalil has not impressed and he was hoping to improve his stock before hitting the open market.
