2016 November - Pro Football Rumors

Chris Johnson To Continue Playing

November 30th, 2016 at 4:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Chris Johnson is done for the season, but he is not going to call it a career. Johnson says his body feels good and he’d like to play a couple more seasons (Twitter link via Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com).

Johnson was placed on IR in October with a groin injury. He was hoping to be the team’s one player to be designated for return, but that door was shut when safety Tyvon Branch got the nod instead. This year, Johnson had just 95 yards and one touchdown off of 28 carries. But, in 2015, he racked up 814 rushing yards in eleven games. There’s reason to believe that Johnson can still be a contributor as he enters his age-32 season, even if he’s not starting material.

Johnson returned to the Cardinals on a one-year, $3MM deal this past offseason and it remains to be seen whether Arizona has interest in a reunion. David Johnson has a firm hold on the starting job and Andre Ellington is a solid No. 2 RB. Beyond them, the Cards have 25-year-olds Stepfan Taylor and Kerwynn Williams. Johnson took less money to stay with Arizona in the spring, but there might not be a place for him this time around.

Broncos FB Andy Janovich Placed On IR

November 30th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Broncos fullback Andy Janovich had ankle surgery and will be placed on IR, as Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post tweets.

Janovich was taken in the sixth round of this year’s draft. Not only did Janovich make the 53-man roster this year, but he has appeared in all eleven games for Denver this season.

Used primarily for blocking purposes, the youngster has excelled. He is ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 fullback in the entire NFL with roughly even marks for his run blocking and pass blocking. He was on the field for 235 total snaps, the second-highest number of any fullback to date. Only Kyle Juszczyk of the Ravens (331 snaps) has seen more burn. The fullback position has been marginalized by many teams around the league, but the Broncos have leaned heavily on Janovich’s blocking.

As the 176th overall pick, Janovich is playing on a four-year deal worth $2.504MM, with a signing bonus of about $164K.

Leon Orr Arrested; Released By Dolphins

November 30th, 2016 at 2:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Leon Orr is out of a job. After being arrested on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance, the Dolphins have released the defensive tackle, coach Adam Gase confirmed to reporters.

Orr was signed to Miami’s practice squad in September and was bumped up to the active roster in October. The promotion was a big opportunity for the 2015 UDFA out of Florida as he had only three NFL games on his resume heading into this season. Now, it might be a while before he gets his next opportunity to play anywhere.

Orr, 24, was pulled over when cops believed his car to have illegally tinted windows. Upon approaching the car, deputies detected a strong odor of marijuana. From there, they found Orr to be carrying marijuana on his person and discovered marijuana wax and THC-laced liquids in the car.

This isn’t Orr’s first red flag. During his senior year at Florida, Orr was moved out of the starting lineup and responded by walking out on the program. When he returned two days later to apologize, he was told by then-coach Will Muschamp that he was not welcome back. If not for that incident, it’s possible that Orr could have been a Day 3 pick.

Texas RB D’Onta Foreman To Enter NFL Draft

November 30th, 2016 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

D’Onta Foreman is going pro. The University of Texas running back announced today that he’s declaring for the NFL draft.

The addition of Foreman makes this year’s crop of running backs even stronger. Tailbacks like Foreman, Leonard Fournette of LSU, Dalvin Cook of Florida State, and Christian McCaffrey of Stanford are all projected to go in the early rounds. As of this writing, many projections have Foreman pegged as a Day 2 prospect, but he could find his way into the first round.

Foreman stands as the nation’s leading rusher with 2,028 yards and he also has 15 touchdowns on the year. He carried the ball 323 times, making him just one of three tailbacks in the country to crack 300 attempts. Foreman averaged an eye-popping 29.36 carries per contest in the team’s eleven-game season. For reference, DeMarco Murray averaged 24.5 carries per game in 2014 for the Cowboys. Foreman’s per game average of carries even eclipses Larry Johnson in 2006 (416 carries, 26 attempts per game), which stands as the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing attempt record.

With size and a workhorse reputation, Foreman is a prospect to watch this spring.

Shane Vereen Returns To Practice For Giants

November 30th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants could be getting one of their most talented running backs back on the field. Shane Vereen was in attendance for practice today, as Seth Walder of the New York Daily News writes.

Vereen was placed on IR in September with a triceps injury. After sitting out the necessary eight weeks (and then some), Vereen is eligible to return to action. Without Vereen, the Giants have used Bobby Rainey as their top reserve pass-catching back. Rashad Jennings has been in the lead role, when healthy, and rookie Paul Perkins is finally starting to see some work. If and when Vereen gets back in the game, he will probably take a good deal of snaps from Rainey and maybe even chip into Jennings’ workload.

Vereen’s recovery timetable is not immediately clear, but yesterday’s release of Orleans Darkwa could be a sign that he will be 100% sooner rather than later. The Giants presently have the three aforementioned tailbacks on the 53-man roster with tailback George Winn on the practice squad.

Eagles’ Agholor Still Under NFL Investigaton

November 30th, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Zachary Links

Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor was not charged in connection with a rape accusation that was made against him this summer, but he is not out of the woods in terms of potential league discipline. The NFL’s investigation is still ongoing, according to Mark Eckel of NJ.com.

A source close to the situation says the recently league sent its Director of Investigations, Kia Roberts, to the gentleman’s club where the alleged incident transpired. Roberts went fact finding there last week, at the same time Eagles head coach Doug Pederson decided to bench Agholor against the Packers. When asked about the reason for benching Agholor today, Pederson offered little in the way answers. He did imply that the decision was football-based, however (link):

“I just think he … the biggest thing is just, seeing the way the offense kind of works. Seeing how the game kind of unfolds. How guys react in certain situations. And I wanted him to put himself in the game situations and see how he would react, see how he would play, see how he would run that route. And its a lot easier to do that from a removed position where you can kind of see it from a big picture with calmer eyes where the pressure and stress isn’t on you to perform. That is what I am hoping he takes away from this, and learns from this down the road.”

Agholor recently admitted he’s fighting a “mental battle” on the field and he has been seeing a sports psychologist as of late. The potential for a significant suspension could also be weighing on Agholor, who hasn’t really looked the part of a former first-round pick.

Patriots Designate QB Jacoby Brissett For Return

November 30th, 2016 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

Jacoby Brissett is returning to practice today, meaning that he will be the Patriots’ player to be designated for return from the injured reserve list (Twitter link via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe). The Patriots now have 21 days until they have to put him on the 53-man roster or shut him down for the year.

When Tom Brady accepted his four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal, the Pats were forced to turn to youngster Jimmy Garoppolo. When Garoppolo was taken out by a big hit from Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso, New England elevated Brissett to the starting role. Despite concerns that he was too green for the job – and that included ally Bill Parcells – Brissett was a solid fill-in. Unfortunately, he was slowed by a thumb injury and had surgery for it in early October.

The prevailing thought at the time was that Brissett would be stashed on IR with an eye on 2017. However, the Pats did not have a better candidate for return. Notables like tackle Sebastian Vollmer and Jonathan Freeny technically could have been brought back, but their respective maladies made that impossible.

This offseason, the Patriots could hypothetically trade Garoppolo to a QB-needy team and bump Brissett up to the No. 2 job behind Brady.

Cardinals, Patrick Peterson Rework Contract

November 30th, 2016 at 9:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals converted approximately $3.17MM of Patrick Peterson‘s base salary into a signing bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move creates $2.5MM in 2016 cap space.

The Cardinals are near the bottom of the league in cap room and they needed a bit of a breather in the current year. We are past the trade deadline and there are no real premium free agents left on the board, but the Cardinals should now have enough space to make any minor signings that are necessary for the rest of the season.

Peterson is in the midst of a five-year, $70MM+ extension that was inked in the summer of 2014. That deal now stands as the third-highest in the league amongst cornerbacks in terms of total value and average salary per year. If the full contract is played out, the 26-year-old will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season.

The cornerback got some good news this week when he learned that he did not suffer structural damage to his left knee. Peterson’s knee was hit by the cleat of Falcons receiver Julio Jones on Sunday. The incident was painful, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll miss any time as a result.

NFC Notes: Packers, Redskins, Vikings, Giants

November 29th, 2016 at 9:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

When asked by reporters today whether Clay Matthews Jr.’s shoulder injury is more concerning that Aaron Rodgers‘ hamstring ailment, Packers head coach Mike McCarthy responded with a simple answer: “Yes.” According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, McCarthy said the club will wait for further results on Matthews’ issue before speculating as to his status for Sunday’s game against the Texans, but Green Bay can ill afford to lose any more linebackers. Starters Jake Ryan and Blake Martinez, plus reserve Kyler Fackrell, were all inactive last night, meaning the Packers are heavily leaning on Matthews’ ability play inside and outside ‘backer.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Kirk Cousins could be playing himself into the $24MM per year range as he continues to rack up yards and touchdowns for the Redskins, said former agent Joel Corry on 106.7 The Fan today (Twitter link via Grant Paulsen). Cousins, who topped the inaugural edition of PFR’s 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings, is reportedly asking for $23.94MM — the amount he’d get under the ’17 franchise tag — annually. Conflicting reports have emerged as to whether Washington would be willing to franchise Cousins again next season.
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was spotted doing some light running today, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (Twitter link). It was reported last week that Peterson was likely to run around this time. This could be a good sign for Peterson, who is pushing to return from IR in December.
2015 first-round pick D.J. Humphries played well in his first attempt at left tackle on Sunday, and his solid showing gives the Cardinals options going forward, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Not only could Humphries continue to play on the blindside in 2016, with Jared Veldheer moving to right tackle, but he could allow Arizona to move on from Veldheer in years to come if the club needs to create cap space.
The Giants need to extend defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul before he hits free agency, argues Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Now more than a year removed from a fireworks accident, JPP has returned to his old form and could look to score on the open market next spring. New York, of course, has already invested heavily in its front four by handing large contracts to Olivier Vernon and Damon Harrison, and defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins is also headed for free agency.
The Eagles announced that right guard Brandon Brooks has been released from the hospital. Brooks was placed in the hospital before last night’s game against the Packers and ended up missing the contest with a mystery ailment. As such, his availability for Week 13 against Cincinnati is unclear.

NFL Workout Notes: Bucs, Jags, Colts, Chargers

November 29th, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Before signing defensive back Major Wright earlier today, the Buccaneers also worked out fellow safeties Jeron Johnson and Duke Williams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Johnson, a career special-teamer, signed a two-year deal to become a starter for the Redskins prior to the 2015 campaign, but flamed out after only one season. He signed on with the Chiefs but was cut this summer, and has been on the workout circuit ever since. Williams, meanwhile, had started 10 games over the past four years for Buffalo, but was waived to make room for Percy Harvin earlier this month.

Here’s more on today’s NFL auditions:

The Jaguars tried out three wide receivers on Monday, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union tweets. DeAndre Carter (Sacramento State), Cayleb Jones (Arizona), and Mekale McKay (Cincinnati) all auditioned for Jacksonville. Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns left Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury and didn’t return, so Jacksonville could be looking to add a bit of depth in the meantime.
Linebacker Beniquez Brown, cornerback Trae Elston, tight end Gabe Hughes, and quarterback Keith Wenning worked out for the Colts today, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter link). Indianapolis has been hit with injuries all over its roster, and Wenning, in particular, could be a safety net in case Andrew Luck suffers a setback in his recovery from a concussion.
The Chargers auditioned defensive backs Randall Evans and Solomon Means, tweets Balzer. San Diego is currently missing cornerback Brandon Flowers (concussion), while safety Jahleel Addae just returned on Sunday after recovering from a broken collarbone.
The Packers tried out offensive tackle Ryker Matthews today, per Balzer (Twitter link).