2016 September - Pro Football Rumors

Lions Audition DL Quinton Coples

September 27th, 2016 at 2:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions worked out pass-rusher Quinton Coples today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, Detroit will not be signing him at this time.

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah is expected to be out for Sunday’s game and perhaps longer as he deals with a high ankle sprain. The Lions wanted to take a closer look at Coples in the event that Ansah is out for a while, but it doesn’t sound like they were blown away by what they saw from the No. 16 overall pick in the 2012 draft. The Lions’ decision to pass on Coples could also be a sign that Ansah’s return is not far off.

Coples was cut by the Dolphins in February before his fifth-year option for the 2016 season became fully guaranteed. He hooked on with the Rams, but L.A. dropped him in late August. Coples had his best year as a pro in 2014, but even that amounted to just 35 tackles and 6.5 sacks, modest totals for a first-round pass rusher.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Redskins Sign Sullivan, Lichtensteiger To IR

September 27th, 2016 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Big changes are coming for the Redskins at the center position. After working him out today, the Redskins have agreed to sign John Sullivan, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter) adds that it is a one-year deal. Meanwhile, Kory Lichtensteiger is being placed on IR after suffering a calf injury.

Sullivan, 31, has long been one of the league’s more underrated centers. Though he has never been named an All Pro or Pro Bowler, he’s been considered among the top at his position in the NFL. Until last year, he had started at least 14 games in every season since 2009. Sullivan missed all of 2015 due to injury, and veteran Joe Berger performed like a top-five center in his stead. The Vikings went with the much Berger this offseason, leaving Sullivan without a job.

Earlier this year, the Redskins traded for Bryan Stork as a possible understudy or replacement for Lichtensteiger, but he failed the physical. After he was sent back to New England, the Redskins were left looking thin on the interior line. Now that Lichtensteiger is likely done for the year, the Redskins are shaking things up and bringing in Sullivan, a lineman with a solid resume.

Lichtensteiger becomes the third Redskins starter to be placed on IR, joining DeAngelo Hall and Kedric Golston, as John Keim of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bears To Sign Joique Bell

September 27th, 2016 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have signed running back Joique Bell, as NFL reporter Rand Getlin tweets. Bell met with Chicago late this morning and it didn’t take long for the two sides to shake hands on a deal.

Bell has been on the market since he was released by the Lions in February. Prior to his release, the tailback turned down a pay cut proposal. In hindsight, Bell might have been too confident in the strength of his market. Regardless, Bell is now back in the game and back in the NFC North. The veteran will have an opportunity to exact revenge on his old team this Sunday when the Bears face off against Detroit.

Bell, 30, averaged just 3.5 yards per carry last season, the lowest of his career. However, he has a history of productivity and has shown that he can be an effective runner and pass catcher when given the opportunity. Before Theo Riddick was doing damage as a pass-catching back in the Lions’ offense, it was Bell who was making things happen with his hands. In his first two seasons with Detroit, Bell averaged 52 catches for 516 yards.

Bell will likely serve as a reserve tailback behind Jordan Howard while starter Jeremy Langford heals up from a ankle injury. Ka’Deem Carey is also dealing with a hamstring injury and his status going forward is uncertain.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bears Working Out RB Joique Bell

September 27th, 2016 at 12:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears are working out running back Joique Bell today, as freelance reporter Rand Getlin tweets. Chicago is exploring depth options after losing Jeremy Langford to injury.

Langford is expected to be out for 4-6 weeks with a sprained ankle and backup Ka’Deem Carey is dealing with a hamstring issue. If Carey cannot go in Week 4, the Bears will likely use rookie Jordan Howard as their primary back. Raheem Mostert is also on the depth chart, but the Bears will need another RB with experience behind the Indiana product if Carey cannot suit up.

In 13 games for Detroit last season, Bell racked up 311 yards off of 90 carries with four touchdowns. He also caught 22 passes for 286 yards. Despite giving the Lions multiple seasons of production, Bell was cut earlier this year to save $1MM against the cap.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tyler Eifert Won’t Play On Thursday?

September 27th, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Zachary Links

Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert has hinted that he might play this week, but it’s not expected to happen, according to Bob Holtzman of ESPN.com (Twitter link). We’ll have to wait longer for Eifert to make his 2016 debut, though a Week 5 return is possible. Eifert has not participated in a full practice yet and has not done any 11-on-11 work.

Eifert missed the bulk of the 2014 season with an elbow injury and missed three games in 2015. Last year, the tight end caught 52 passes for 615 yards and 13 touchdowns. This year, he was expected to take on an even larger role in the Bengals’ passing game, particularly with Mohamed Sanu and Marvin Jones out of the picture. Eifert could still be an impact player for Cincinnati, but it sounds like we’ll have to wait until October to see him in action.

After facing the Dolphins on Thursday night, the Bengals travel to Dallas on Oct. 9. While Eifert is out, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah will remain as the Bengals’ top tight ends.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Place LB Trent Cole On IR

September 27th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced that they have placed defensive end/linebacker Trent Cole on injured reserve. It’s not immediately clear why Cole is being shut down, but he has been dealing with a back injury early on this season.

Cole, 33, signed a two-year, $14MM contract with the Colts in March of 2015. In his first year in blue and white, Cole didn’t have the kind of impact the team was hoping for. While his Pro Football Focus grade was respectable – he placed 34th out of 110 edge defenders – Cole recorded just three sacks, matching a career low. This offseason, he accepted a significant pay cut that trimmed his cap hit for 2016 from $7.125MM to $4.875MM.

During his ten years in Philadelphia, Cole played 155 games (145 starts), racking up 85.5 sacks, 569 tackles, and 19 forced fumbles. But, after posting six consecutive seasons with eight or more sacks from 2006 to 2011, Cole’s production fell off starting in 2012. Cole hopes to get back to his old form, but he’ll have to get healthy first and that likely won’t happen until 2017. Soon to be 34, Cole will be a free agent in the spring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Injury Notes: Cook, Dolphins, Browns, Eagles

September 26th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jared Cook appears to have avoided a season-ending injury, but the rare Packers free agent looks to be out for at least a game and possibly more following Green Bay’s Week 4 bye, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. It’s being determined whether Cook will be out through Week 5, or if the former Titans and Rams target will be forced to miss multiple full games.

Cook left Lambeau Field Sunday on crutches and remains in a walking boot. The Packers are off in Week 4 and host the Giants in Week 5, but they will likely do so without their starting tight end’s services. Richard Rodgers will be the next man up for Green Bay.

Here are some more injury-related notes from around the league.

Continuing the string of trouble at the tight end position this season, Jordan Cameron suffered a concussion against the Browns and won’t play on Thursday against the Bengals, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald reports. This makes four concussions in the past four years for Cameron, who is in his second season with the Dolphins.
Gase also labeled Arian Foster as unlikely to return this week, per Beasley. He remains out with a groin injury. Foster sustained a groin tear during his final Texans training camp last summer and underwent surgery for it at the time. Foster missed three games last season due to that malady before going down with the Achilles tear that ended his time in Houston.
Browns linebacker Nate Orchard has a high-ankle sprain, which he sustained on the final play of Cleveland’s overtime loss in Miami, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports (on Twitter). Orchard is expected to be out “a while.” Additionally, Tramon Williams suffered an AC joint sprain during the loss, Hue Jackson said Monday. It’s unclear how long the veteran corner will be out.
As long as Ryan Mathews is healthy, he will remain the Eagles‘ top running back, per Doug Pederson (via Zach Berman of Philly.com). The problem, as it’s been for much of the running back’s career, stems from the fact the second-year Eagle again might not be healthy. Mathews left Sunday’s game against the Steelers after playing just eight snaps due to a left ankle injury. Mathews struggled with left ankle trouble in training camp as well.
The Eagles expect Zach Ertz and Leodis McKelvin to return after the team’s Week 4 bye, Berman reports. Philadelphia’s starting tight end has missed the past two games with a displaced rib, and McKelvin has missed the same amount of time due to a hamstring ailment.
Safety Darian Thompson‘s foot injury is not serious and not “the end of the world,” a source tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Thompson will probably be out another week or two before suiting up for the Giants.

Gates’ Injury May Cost Him More Games

September 26th, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Antonio Gates received a doubtful designation last week and did not play in the Chargers’ Week 3 loss to the Colts. He could be set to miss more time.

Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports (via Twitter) the future Hall of Fame tight end was not close to playing in Indianapolis.

Gehlken points out Hunter Henry played 59 snaps last week and should expect a big workload again in Week 4, hinting at the 36-year-old Gates needing a multi-game absence to recover from the hamstring malady that’s currently restricting him.

Gates’ history with nagging injuries has not kept him out of many games in recent years. The 13th-year Charger missed four contests because of a PED suspension last season and one due to injury. He played in at least 15 from 2012-14.

Gates signed a two-year, $11MM deal with $6MM guaranteed this offseason, one that saw Ladarius Green depart for Pittsburgh. Green has yet to play for the Steelers through three games. Seven touchdown receptions away from breaking Tony Gonzalez‘s record for tight end receiving scores, Gates has six catches for 35 yards this season. He has 105 career touchdown grabs, which ranks seventh all-time.

A second-round rookie, Henry caught five passes for 76 yards against the Colts. Sean McGrath and Asante Cleveland, whom the Bolts recently promoted from their practice squad due to Gates’ malady, are the team’s only other tight ends.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Tyler Eifert To Be Game-Time Decision?

September 26th, 2016 at 8:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bengals are close to having their No. 2 pass-catcher back on the field, but their Thursday-night assignment complicates matters somewhat. However, Tyler Eifert is shaping up to be a game-time decision this week, when the Bengals host the Dolphins, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tweets.

Cincinnati is coming off two straight losses and hasn’t found a reliable secondary pass-catcher after the departures of Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu have the group devoid of proven holdovers. C.J. Uzomah has seven receptions for 99 yards in Eifert’s stead, but the Bengals’ offense received 13 touchdown receptions from its breakout tight end last season and is now without its Nos. 2, 3 and 5 targets from 2015.

Eifert practiced Monday on a limited basis. Week 4 has served as the team’s target for its tight end for a while as he attempts to complete his recovery from the ankle surgery that sidelined him throughout the preseason. He underwent the ankle operation on May 25.

The former first-round pick missed 15 games in 2014 with an elbow injury and played in 13 games last season. So, Eifert — who is playing on the fifth-year option worth $4.782MM — will have to wait until 2017 to potentially play his first 16-game season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers OL Anthony Davis Retires – Again

September 26th, 2016 at 7:32pm CST by Zachary Links

7:32pm: Davis’ retirement stems somewhat from the concussion he suffered earlier this season. “I just want to keep my time and mind intact,” Davis posted on Twitter. He suffered a concussion in practice Sept. 15, per Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, and didn’t practice with the 49ers after that injury.

6:41pm: Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. The 49ers announced that offensive lineman Anthony Davis is retiring from the NFL.

Davis, a first-round pick in 2010, originally announced his retirement during the summer of 2015, citing injury concerns. He returned to the 49ers this offseason and it’s not quite clear if both sides were happy with the reunion. New coach Chip Kelly asked Davis to move over to the interior line and he may or may not have been acting in protest when he missed a crucial practice prior to the season-opener.

Davis, 27 in October, has not seen the field since SF’s strong debut against the Rams. Prior to tonight’s surprising announcement, he was considered to be questionable for this week’s matchup against the Cowboys due to concussion-like symptoms. Davis missed nine games in 2014 due to injury and called his retirement a break for his body and brain.

The Rutgers product has had an unusual career to say the least, but he is ostensibly putting his long-term health ahead of his football aspirations with today’s announcement. We here at PFR wish Davis the best in retirement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.