2016 September - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Cut DL John Hughes

September 20th, 2016 at 2:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns announced that they have released defensive lineman John Hughes. Hughes inked a lucrative extension with the Browns in March of 2015 and had several years to go on his deal. Now, he’ll be a free agent for the first time in his career.

Hughes, a 2012 draftee, started just seven games in his first three seasons in Cleveland and landed on IR in 2014 after suffering an MCL injury. The former third-round pick appeared in all 16 regular season games in 2015 and made three starts, totaling 24 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. Even though his extension was set to pay him $14.4MM in new money, the new regime in Cleveland apparently wasn’t very fond of him.

By cutting Hughes and rookie linebacker Scooby Wright, the Browns have made room for center Austin Reiter and quarterback Charlie Whitehurst.

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Giants Bump Michael Hunter To Active Roster

September 20th, 2016 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants are set to promote defensive back Michael Hunter to the active roster, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. The move could be a sign that safety Mykkele Thompson will miss time after hurting his knee on Sunday against the Saints.

Hunter, an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State, just missed the Giants’ 53-man cut but was quickly signed on to the taxi squad earlier this month. Now, he’ll join starters Darian Thompson and Landon Collins plus reserve Nat Berhe on the team’s safety depth chart.

Hunter began his D-I career at Indiana before transferring to Oklahoma State for his senior season. In ten games, Hunter had 20 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, and two interceptions.

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Panthers Lose S Dean Marlowe For Season

September 20th, 2016 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Two days after aggravating his hamstring, Panthers backup safety Dean Marlowe has landed on IR, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets.

Marlowe, a product of James Madison, went undrafted in April but hooked on with the Panthers in May. Despite facing long odds at the beginning, Marlowe outworked the rest of his competition and found his way on to the 53-man roster. Marlowe was slated to provide support for Kurt Coleman and Tre Boston, but the Panthers will now have to find another safety to join Colin Jones in reserve.

In theory, the Panthers could turn to safety Travell Dixon or defensive back Marcus Ball on the taxi squad rather than signing someone on the open market.

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Browns Waive Rookie LB Scooby Wright

September 20th, 2016 at 2:18pm CST by Zachary Links

When you draft 14 rookies, they can’t all be winners. Today, the Browns are waiving linebacker Scooby Wright, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets. The Browns hope to add Wright to the practice squad if he clears waivers, but it’s not a given that he will go unclaimed.

Wright, a seventh-round pick, made a name for himself as a sophomore at Arizona in 2014. With 164 total tackles, 15 sacks, and 31 tackles for a loss, Wright was a national star and even finished No. 9 in Heisman voting. Unfortunately, the 22-year-old’s 2015 season did not go as well as he played only three games due to injury. Hoping to still capitalize on his ’14 success, he skipped his senior season to enter the draft. Wright and his reps were probably a bit disappointed when he went No. 250 overall. Still, with his pedigree, another team could very well claim him and put him on the 53-man roster tomorrow.

The move will create room for center Austin Reiter, who was plucked off of the Redskins’ practice squad earlier today.

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Packers Hosting C.J. Spiller On Visit

September 20th, 2016 at 2:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers are hosting C.J. Spiller on a visit, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Spiller has been on the open market since being cut loose by the Saints one week ago.

Spiller’s release came as a surprise because of the unusual timing. After initially making the 53-man cut in New Orleans, Spiller was cut on Sept. 13, two days after the team’s season opener against the Raiders. Spiller’s release also left the Saints on the hook for a $1.55MM roster bonus a guaranteed salary of $1.7MM salary. The Saints have $4.5MM in dead money left on the cap after releasing the veteran and didn’t save a whole lot, which means that his release was more of a football decision than anything.

Still, the Packers are wondering if Spiller still has something left in the tank. If Green Bay thinks he can help, Spiller could be brought in as a complement to primary tailback Eddie Lacy. In two games this year, Lacy has run for 111 yards off of 26 carries, good for a 4.3 yards per carry average.

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Bears’ Trevathan, Houston Suffer Injuries

September 20th, 2016 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears got some good news today when they learned that quarterback Jay Cutler only suffered a sprain and not a fracture in his thumb. However, the news isn’t so good when it comes to their front seven. Linebackers Danny Trevathan and Lamarr Houston both suffered serious injuries on Sunday, coach John Fox told reporters today.

Trevathan will have surgery for a thumb injury, though it is not a season-ender (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Meanwhile, Houston’s knee injury is serious, though the team is waiting for the MRI to make an official determination on him (Twitter link via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com). In the case of Houston, it sounds like his injury could result in him being placed on IR.

Trevathan spent his entire four-year career with the Broncos before reuniting with Fox and joining up with the Bears this offseason. He started 15 games in 2015, compiling 109 tackles and a pair of interceptions. The 26-year-old also had a standout performance in the Super Bowl, grabbing a pair of fumble recoveries in Denver’s victory over Carolina. Trevathan recovered well from a knee injury that limited him to only three games in 2014 and, thankfully, this latest setback won’t shut him down for the year.

Houston was considered to be on the 53-man roster bubble this offseason but ultimately made the cut. Last year, Houston appeared in all 16 games for the Bears, recording 42 tackles and a career-high eight sacks.

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Bears QB Jay Cutler To Miss Several Games?

September 20th, 2016 at 12:20pm CST by Zachary Links

12:20pm: Coach John Fox says it doesn’t appear that Cutler will have thumb surgery in the short term, Patrick Finley of the Sun Times tweets. He called Cutler “day to day” but coaches don’t always tell the truth when it comes to star players with injuries.

10:38am: The Bears are “preparing for a lengthy absence” for quarterback Jay Cutler after he injured his thumb, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Now, it remains to be seen whether Cutler will have surgery. If Cutler goes under the knife, he will presumably be out for even longer.

Cutler suffered his injury in the season opener against the Texans, a source tells Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. The quarterback played through last night’s loss to the Eagles with that ligament damage in his right thumb and exacerbated the problem. Typically, this kind of injury results in a three-to-four week absence, Jahns hears.

Cutler, 33, left Monday night’s game after throwing an interception in the third quarter. Before his early exit, Cutler completed 12 of 17 passes for 157 yards. He was also sacked three times.

Without Cutler, the Bears will lean on free agent pickup Brian Hoyer. Hoyer is coming off of the best season of his career as he completed 60% of his passes for 2,600+ yards while throwing 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions. After leading the Texans to a 5-4 record in his nine starts, however, Hoyer had a dreadful showing against Chiefs in the playoffs.

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Chargers Sign Dexter McCluster

September 20th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Zachary Links

In need of help at running back, the Chargers will sign free agent Dexter McCluster, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. San Diego has been evaluating its options after losing Danny Woodhead for the season.

McCluster was let go by the Titans on Sept. 2 as they trimmed down to a 53-man roster. He was one of several surprising cuts in Tennessee as the new regime cleaned house by cutting a number of high-profile names. McCluster averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season in Tennessee and averaged 8.4 yards per reception, but the Titans saw a better use for his roster spot.

The Chargers, meanwhile, need a pass-catching threat to partner up with sophomore Melvin Gordon and they see McCluster as a viable fill-in. . The 28-year-old logged 31 receptions last season and has finished with no fewer than 21 catches in any of his six NFL campaigns. As a special teamer, McCluster took back 24 punts in 2015 and finished 13th in the league in yards per return (9.0), so he can also offer help in the third facet of the game, if needed.

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49ers’ Ray-Ray Armstrong Done For Season

September 20th, 2016 at 12:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers announced that inside linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong will be placed on IR with a pectoral injury, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Armstrong suffered the injury during the Niners’ Week 2 loss to the Panthers.

San Francisco claimed Armstrong off waivers from the Raiders in 2015. The linebacker and special-teamer made headlines last year for illegally taunting a police dog before a game against the Steelers. Police alleged that Armstrong lifted his shirt, pounded his chest, and barked at a police dog before telling its handler to let it off the leash. He theoretically could have faced third-degree felony charges for his actions but, ultimately, the Alleghany County sheriff and prosecutor did not pursue the case.

On the field, the Niners were happy with what they saw out of Armstrong in five games last season and he was retained this spring prior to the free agent perior. In the season opener against the Rams, Armstrong notched his first career interception as San Francisco rolled to a 28-0 victory. Now, the Niners will have to replace him on the depth chart.

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Appeal Date Set For Eagles’ Lane Johnson

September 20th, 2016 at 11:01am CST by Zachary Links

Finally, Lane Johnson has a date for his appeal. The Eagles tackle will have his case heard on October 4th, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the interim, Johnson will play on Sunday against the Steelers. Then, the Eagles have Week 4 bye.

If Johnson’s suspension is upheld, he will be suspended for ten games, starting with the Oct. 9 contest against the Lions. Then, Johnson would be left with the final three games of the season: Dec. 18 against the Ravens, Dec. 22 against the Giants, and Jan. 1 versus the Cowboys.

Johnson tested positive for PEDs in August but he claims that he took a tainted amino acid. Johnson’s reps were hoping that the B sample on this most recent test would show something different than the A sample, but he learned before Monday night’s game that they matched up. The 26-year-old was already suspended four games for PEDs in 2014, so he is facing a much stiffer punishment this time around.

It’s not immediately clear how the Eagles would change up their offensive line if they’re without Johnson for an extended period of time.

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