2016 September - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Work Out Aaron Dobson

September 12th, 2016 at 5:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson recently worked out for the Eagles, according to a source who spoke with Doug Kyed of NESN (on Twitter). Dobson has been out of work since New England cut him prior to the 53-man deadline.

Dobson, 25, is a former second-round pick, but he didn’t do a whole lot during his time with the Pats. In three seasons with the club, the Marshall product totaled just 53 catches for under 700 yards. Making matters worse, the majority of that production came during his rookie season. In the last two seasons, Dobson has tallied only 16 receptions.

The Eagles signed pass-catchers Rueben Randle and Chris Givens during the offseason, but neither made the club’s initial roster despite the fact that they both secured guaranteed money. Jordan Matthews and 2015 first-round pick Nelson Agholor both have solid season debuts against the Browns yesterday, but Philadelphia’s wide receiving corps isn’t all that impressive as a whole. Behind their top two options, the Eagles boast Josh Huff, Dorial Green-Beckham, and Bryce Treggs at wideout.

The Jets worked out Dobson late last week but he left without a deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Sheldon Richardson Rejoins Jets

September 12th, 2016 at 4:12pm CST by Zachary Links

While the Jets were not victorious on Sunday against the Bengals, their defensive line was outstanding and gave Andy Dalton serious trouble. That D-Line is about to get even stronger as Sheldon Richardson is back from suspension. Today, Richardson rejoined the Jets in practice, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.

Richardson, 26 in November, was suspended one game for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. In July 2015, the defensive lineman was charged with resisting arrest and running a red light as he was going 143 mph in his car. The former-first round pick lost nearly $475K in base salary as a result of the one-game ban.

Last year, Richardson served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Still, he tallied five sacks and forced a pair of fumbles. Pro Football Focus, which classified him as an edge defender, ranked him 30th out of 110 qualified players in the group.

The Jets received a roster exemption for Richardson, which means that they won’t have to make a corresponding move until tomorrow (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Giants Place J.T. Thomas On IR

September 12th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants announced that they have placed J.T. Thomas on injured reserve. Thomas suffered torn ligaments in his left knee during their season-opening win against the Cowboys. In a related move, kicker Josh Brown has been reinstated to the 53-man roster after serving his one-game suspension.

Thomas was with the special teams unit on the field when the injury happened. During the kickoff to close out the first half, Thomas was chasing after Lucky Whitehead and working to shed a block when he was hit in the knee. Thomas spent much of the summer on the PUP list with a hamstring injury and accepted a pay cut just days ago to remain with the team.

Thomas signed a three-year, $10MM deal with the Giants prior to the 2015 season. The 28-year-old missed four games in his first Giants season but played in 12 games with a career-high 11 starts at weakside linebacker. All in all, he had 43 tackles and three special teams tackles.

Brown, of course, was handed a one-game suspension for his role in a May 2015 arrest on domestic violence charges. When additional information came out about the allegations, Brown found himself at the center of a national controversy as many believed his punishment was too lenient.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers Officially Place Keenan Allen On IR

September 12th, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Keenan Allen‘s season is already over. The Chargers announced that they have officially placed their best wide receiver on IR. In a related move, the Chargers have activated defensive end Joey Bosa to their 53-man roster.

Allen suffered what was feared to be a torn ACL on Sunday. Today, those fears were confirmed by an MRI. Without Allen, the Chargers are without their top receiving weapon and that is especially devastating since Stevie Johnson is already on IR. Tyrell Williams, Travis Benjamin, Dontrelle Inman, and Isaiah Burse will be asked to pick up the slack at receiver. Of course, tight end Antonio Gates can expect to see more targets as well.

We expect the Chargers to explore free agent options and the list of available veterans includes names such as Brian Hartline, Roddy White, and Aaron Dobson. Of course, none of those players can match the skill set of a healthy Allen, but beggars can’t be choosers.

If there is one silver lining here, it is that Allen’s other ligaments are intact, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That will make rehab a bit easier for the 24-year-old.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills Waive Glenn Gronkowski

September 12th, 2016 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

No more Baby Gronk in Buffalo. Today, the Bills announced that they have released Glenn Gronkowski so that they could welcome veteran Jerome Felton back into the fold. The Bills also signed safety Damian Parms to the practice squad.

Gronkowski surprised many observers when he edged Felton for the team’s starting fullback job, leaving Felton without an NFL home to start the season. The Bills reportedly liked Gronkowski more than Felton from a pure football standpoint but it may be that the team’s motivation was financial. Buffalo saved $1.55MM by cutting Felton and instead going with Gronkowski, who was earning the league minimum. The Bills are flip-flopping on that today, but Felton has presumably re-signed on a cheaper deal.

If Gronkowski clears waivers, he may be a practice squad candidate for the Bills. For a full view of the Bills’ practice squad and 53-man roster, check out their page on Roster Resource.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

No Extension For Steelers’ Lawrence Timmons

September 12th, 2016 at 2:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Linebacker Lawrence Timmons and the Steelers are not expected to get an extension done before kickoff tonight, a source tells ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitter link). Per team policy, the Steelers shut down all negotiations with their players once the season starts, so Timmons will play out his walk year.

Timmons inked a $48MM contract with Pittsburgh in 2011 and he has restructured that deal three times since then. By moving those numbers around, the Steelers wound up with a $15.1MM cap hit for the linebacker this season. Timmons certainly had leverage for extension talks heading into this season, but the Steelers did not blink. Now, the 2007 first rounder could wind up wearing something other than a Steelers jersey for the first time in his NFL career.

Over the last nine seasons, Timmons has tallied 33 sacks including five last season. He also led the team with 119 tackles. Despite his age, Timmons could score a decent payday next spring if he has a strong showing in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Falcons’ Hageman Facing Charges

September 12th, 2016 at 2:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Falcons defensive lineman Ra’Shede Hageman is under league investigation after being charged with three misdemeanors, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. The charges stem from a domestic violence incident in March.

Hageman, a second round pick in the 2014 draft, was charged with interfering with a call for emergency help, battery family violence, and cruelty to children in the third degree. If the league office finds that those charges have merit, then Hageman is likely in for a lengthy suspension.

This offseason, the Falcons experimented with using Hageman at defensive end as well as defensive tackle. It remains to be seen exactly how the 6’6″, 310 pound lineman could be used since he was a healthy scratch on Sunday. The Falcons opted to place defensive tackle Courtney Upshaw on the active roster instead of Hageman so that they could use more of the nickel formation against the Bucs. Atlanta lost their season opener 31-24.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns To Stand Pat At Quarterback

September 12th, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns got some awful news today when they learned that RG3‘s shoulder injury will sideline him for an extended period of time, perhaps even ruling him out for the remainder of the 2016 season. Still, Cleveland does not expect to go QB shopping. Head coach Hue Jackson says the Browns are “comfortable where we are” with the quarterbacks currently on the roster (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Clevleand.com).

If the Browns do stand pat, that means they’ll forge ahead with one-time starter Josh McCown under center. Behind him will be third-round rookie Cody Kessler and the team also has rookie Kevin Hogan on practice squad. It seems possible that Hogan could be promoted to the 53-man roster, though there is no official word on that yet.

McCown, 37, joined the Browns as a free agent prior to the 2015 season. In eight games, McCown completed 63.7% of his passes, threw for 2,109 yards, and had 12 passing touchdowns against four interceptions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns To Place RG3 On IR

September 12th, 2016 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns are placing RG3 on injured reserve, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. Under the league’s new rules regarding IR, Griffin could return later on this season. The fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder will be re-evaluated in October and the Browns will go from there.

“It’s very unfortunate, Robert came in and has worked extremely hard to learn our offense and earn the respect of his teammates,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said via press release. “This is a tough loss because everyone has seen how invested he has been in this team and his dedication to the work needed to improve his craft. We all know these are the realities of the NFL, injuries occur and you have to find ways to overcome them so they don’t impede your progress. Robert will do everything in his power to rehab and get healthy but Josh McCown is on this roster for a reason and we have great confidence in him. He is more than capable. His veteran presence has been an asset to our team throughout our process of preparing for the season. We look forward to him assuming the role of the starter and leading our offensive unit.”

Per the new rules, a player placed on IR may return to practice after six weeks but must be out for at least eight weeks before being brought back to the 53-man roster. Previously, teams had to designate their players for return at the time of being placed on IR.

Griffin signed with the Browns as a free agent in March. In the season opener against the Eagles, he completed 12 of 26 passes for 190 yards and added 37 rushing yards. While he’s out, the Browns will turn to backup Josh McCown.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jaguars RB Chris Ivory Remains In Hospital

September 12th, 2016 at 12:43pm CST by Zachary Links

On Sunday, Chris Ivory was deactivated prior to the Jaguars’ game against the Packers. Saddled with an undisclosed issue, Ivory remains in the hospital, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets. Given his mystery ailment, Ivory’s status for Week 2 against the Chargers is very much in doubt.

Ivory, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter), is “in pain.” The 28-year-old signed a lucrative five-year, $32.5MM deal this offseason ($10MM guaranteed) with the expectation that he would be Jacksonville’s premier back. Without Ivory yesterday, T.J. Yeldon served as the Jags’ lead back, carrying the ball 21 times for 39 yards and a touchdown. He also hauled in four receptions for 30 yards.

Ivory was PFR’s No. 4 free agent running back heading into March and it was no surprise when the former Jet attracted interest from all around the league during the legal tampering period. The Texans, Buccaneers, and Raiders were among the teams to express interest in the tailback. With the Jets last year, Ivory averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored seven touchdowns. He also made an impact in the passing game, hauling in 30 receptions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.