2016 October - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Bills Safety Aaron Williams

October 27th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bills safety Aaron Williams will wait until the offseason before making a decision on the future of his NFL career, Williams’ father tells John Wawrow of the Associated Press. Williams suffered a neck injury after taking a vicious hit from Dolphins wide receiver Jarvis Landry in Sunday’s game (which can be viewed here). Landry was fined nearly $25K for the hit.

Retirement hasn’t yet been brought up in discussions with Williams, according to his father, but the defensive back plans to revisit the subject with his entire family later this year. The injury is doubly worrisome given that Williams suffered a severe neck ailment in 2015 that cost him 11 games and forced him to consider retirement. This time around, Bills head coach Rex Ryan admitted that Williams is facing “long-term concerns,” but deemed him week-to-week, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com.

Williams, 26, is in the midst of his sixth NFL season, all of which have been spent with the Bills. He’s been a starter for the majority of his career in Buffalo, posting seven interceptions and 183 tackles through 59 games. Having agreed to an extension in 2014, Williams is signed through the 2018 campaign, with cap hits north of $6MM in each of the next two seasons.

Williams, unsurprisingly, is unlikely to play on Sunday when the Bills face the Patriots. Buffalo has other options at safety that can fill in while Williams is sidelined, including Robert Blanton, Duke Williams, and Jonathan Meeks.

49ers Release DT Ian Williams From NFI

October 27th, 2016 at 6:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers have released defensive tackle Ian Williams from the reserve/non-football injury list with an injury settlement, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Williams was placed on NFI in July while dealing with an ankle injury.

Williams, 26, originally agreed to a five-year, $26MM deal with San Francisco in the early stages of free agency in March, but the same ankle ailment that ultimately landed him on NFI forced him to accept a reworked one-year contract worth only $4MM. He hasn’t been earning that full salary while on NFI, but the settlement will allow Williams to make a bit more money that he would have on NFI, as Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee writes.

As such, the injury settlement doesn’t necessarily indicate that Williams suffered a setback in his recovery, per Barrows. Williams will now be allowed to hit free agency and search for deals with other clubs, but the 49ers remain interested in re-signing him after the season concludes. Under the league’s rules, Williams would have to wait three weeks plus the length of the settlement before re-upping with San Francisco.

A former undrafted free agent, Williams had been with the Niners for the entirety of his career, serving as a reserve from 2011-13 and becoming a starter during Jim Harbaugh‘s final season. In 2015, Williams started started 16 games for the first time. A quality run defender, Williams made 65 tackles last season and ranked as one of Pro Football Focus’ top interior defensive linemen, grading as the No. 18 overall interior defender and a top-two 3-4 nose tackle.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/27/16

October 27th, 2016 at 5:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad moves:

Buffalo Bills

Signed: T Michael Ola
Cut: T Will Poehls

Green Bay Packers

Cut: CB Keith Baxter

Houston Texans

Signed: G Josh Walker
Cut: T Joseph Cheek

Kansas City Chiefs

Signed: RB Zac Brooks

New Orleans Saints

Signed: DE Chris McCain

NFL Interviews Ezekiel Elliott

October 27th, 2016 at 4:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL recently interviewed Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott about the domestic violence allegations raised against him earlier this year, a source tells USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. Elliott did not face criminal charges for any of the five alleged incidents raised by his ex-girlfriend, but the league is still investigating what happened.

Of course, the NFL is under extra scrutiny with regards to domestic violence cases in the wake of the Josh Brown issue. If the league finds that the allegations against Elliott hold some water, it’s not difficult to imagine him being hit with a suspension.

In addition to the DV allegations, the Cowboys were reportedly disappointed by Elliott’s off-the-field behavior in the summer. Elliott was spotted at a Seattle marijuana shop in August and in texts with his aforementioned ex, he seemed to imply that he was working to circumvent a drug test.

Since the start of the season, Elliott has been doing nothing but making Cowboys officials smile. Through six games, the Ohio State product has 703 yards off of 137 carries with five touchdowns. That averages out to a 5.1 yards per carry average and 117.2 yards per contest. Elliott also has 11 catches for 98 yards.

Bears Coach John Fox “Done With” Jay Cutler?

October 27th, 2016 at 3:20pm CST by Zachary Links

It has long been rumored that the Bears will be moving on from quarterback Jay Cutler after the 2016 season. According to one report, coach John Fox has been vocal about that behind the scenes. Fox told friends he was done with Cutler earlier this year, two different league sources tell Mike Mulligan of the Chicago Tribune.

Of course, the Bears didn’t have the luxury of swearing off Cutler when Brian Hoyer went down with a broken left arm. Now, Cutler is back in the driver’s seat, even though the belief is still that he won’t be back next year. For what it’s worth, Fox vehemently denied Mulligan’s report when talking to reporters today, saying that it is “absolutely not true.”

In 2014, Cutler completed a career high 66% of his passes and threw 28 touchdowns (also a career high) against 18 interceptions. Last year, however, his performance fell off as the Bears had another down year.

Tony Romo Returns To Cowboys Practice

October 27th, 2016 at 3:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo practiced today for the first time since his injury. The Cowboys officially announced the news while listing him as “limited” on the injury report.

At the time of Romo’s injury, the plan was for rookie Dak Prescott to hold down the fort until the veteran could make his mid-season return. Of course, Prescott has taken off in his six games under center, leading Dallas to a 5-1 record. While Prescott’s play has been a pleasant surprise for Dallas, Cowboys COO Stephen Jones did hedge his bets a tad in August when asked about the possibility of a Drew Bledsoe/Tom Brady situation.

“I can’t imagine a scenario where Tony’s not our quarterback when he’s ready,” Jones said. “But things happen. You know that. You know what happened to Bledsoe and Brady. I’m sure Tony’s aware of that. But the reality is, Tony’s going to come back for us and play great, we believe.”

Romo only played in four games in 2015, tossing five touchdowns and seven interceptions. He has been eager to show what he can do in 2016, but it’s not clear when or if he’ll get that opportunity. When Romo does return, he’s likely to be holding the clipboard for Prescott.

Broncos RB C.J. Anderson Likely Going On IR

October 27th, 2016 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

C.J. Anderson has torn the meniscus in his right knee, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. He is likely headed to IR. He’ll have arthroscopic surgery today to determine whether it’s a full or partial tear, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

There has been a roller coaster of reports on Anderson with some indicating that he could be out a few weeks while others hinted at a longer stint on the sidelines. Now, we know that Anderson will be out for at least two months.

It’s not immediately clear whether Anderson could conceivably make a late season return. Anderson’s timetable will likely hinge on the severity of the tear. A partial tear of the meniscus could allow for a faster recovery. However, a “bucket handle tear” of the meniscus like the one suffered by Adrian Peterson would rule him out for a lot longer.

Earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) reported that Anderson told people close to him that he is done for the year. Anderson issued a denial of his own on Twitter, but later deleted it.

Patriots RB Dion Lewis Returns To Practice

October 27th, 2016 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Patriots running back Dion Lewis returned to practice today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now that he has taken the practice field, the Patriots’ 21-day window for activation has begun.

Lewis was placed on the PUP list in late August as he continued his rehab his knee. Lewis was a key cog of New England’s offense before his ACL tear, rushing 49 times for 234 yards and catching 36 passes for 388 yards. He also scored four total touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground. After healing up from ACL surgery this summer, Lewis suffered an additional setback in his knee which also required an operation.

With Lewis sidelined, the Pats have leaned on LeGarrette Blount and James White to power the running game. While they have done a capable job for the 6-1 Patriots, a healthy Lewis would give the backfield a major boost.

Aldon Smith Applies For Reinstatement

October 27th, 2016 at 9:54am CST by Zachary Links

Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith has applied for reinstatement, GM Reggie McKenzie tells Vic Tafur of The San Francisco Chronicle. Smith’s one-year suspension formally ends on Nov. 17 and league sources tell Tafur that he is out of rehab.

“Aldon is doing well,” McKenzie said. “That situation is going to be totally up to the league because he’s been in the program and they’ve monitored him. It’s up to Goodell to say yah, nay or when. And he could say no to everything … that part is out of our hands. The league will take everything into consideration and Aldon will have to meet with [Roger] Goodell at some point.”

McKenzie added that Smith is “working out and getting ready,” though the team is forbidden from contacting Smith per the terms of his ban. Tafur writes that Oakland has kept in touch with Smith through intermediaries, including Smith’s agent.

Smith appeared in seven games for Oakland last season and inked a two-year extension with the team this spring. His $11.5MM deal contains no guaranteed money, so the Raiders can cut bait without financial penalty if Smith cannot stay on the right path.

No ACL Tear For C.J. Anderson

October 27th, 2016 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

UPDATE: Anderson did not suffer an ACL tear, but he is likely headed to IR after tearing his meniscus. Click here for more.

C.J. Anderson’s worst case scenario has been ruled out. Tests have confirmed that the Broncos running back does not have an ACL tear, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. More should be known about the full extent of Anderson’s injury later on today when the Broncos provide an update.

Anderson suffered his knee injury in the first quarter of Monday night’s game against the Texans. Showing tremendous heart, Anderson stayed in the game. Afterwards, the Broncos took a closer look at the injury and feared significant damage. Anderson isn’t totally out of the woods and could still miss multiple games, but it doesn’t sound like his injury is a season-ender.

Yesterday, it was reported that Anderson is expected to be out at least a few weeks. That still sounds like the most likely outcome for the the 25-year-old, but we should know more about his timetable this afternoon.