2016 November - Pro Football Rumors

Browns Notes: Greco, RG3, McCown

November 27th, 2016 at 5:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Browns right guard John Greco injured his foot during the third quarter of today’s loss to the Giants. The 31-year-old was taken to the locker room and didn’t return to the contest. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets that Greco was spotted leaving the stadium accompanied by crutches and a right boot.

If Greco is forced to miss time, it’d be another hit to an injury-riddled Browns offensive line. The team is already without guard Joel Bitonio and center Austin Reiter, while Cameron Erving has also missed time with an injury.

Let’s take a look at some other notes out of Cleveland…

The Browns want to see what they have in Robert Griffin III. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noted on NFL GameDay Morning that the organization wants to see several more starts from the signal-caller (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). Of course, that all depends on whether rookie quarterback Cody Kessler is unable to return from his concussion. Griffin was placed on the injured reserve following the Browns’ season-opener, and the quarterback ended up returning to practice earlier this week.
ESPN.com’s Tony Grossi wonders if quarterback Josh McCown may have made his final start with the Browns today. The 37-year-old is now 1-10 as a starter over the past two seasons, including today’s loss to the Giants. The veteran is owed $3.625MM next season, and he’s due a $750K roster bonus in March.
If the Patriots were willing to part with quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, Cabot believes he’d be a great addition to the Browns. Of course, that wouldn’t necessarily prevent the organization from taking a quarterback in the draft. Cabot says the team could still target North Carolina signal-caller Mitch Trubisky regardless of whether they acquire a quarterback via trade or free agency.

Bears Fear Danny Trevathan Tore ACL

November 27th, 2016 at 4:21pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s starting to get bad in Chicago. The Bears lost linebacker Danny Trevathan to injury during today’s loss to the Titans, as the defender was carted off the field during the fourth quarter. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Bears coach John Fox fears the defender suffered “a serious knee injury.” Rapoport adds that the team believes Trevathan tore his ACL, and he notes that the linebacker will soon have an MRI.

The 26-year-old has been productive during his first season in Chicago. Trevathan ranks second on the team in tackles (61), and he’s also added a sack and four passes defended. The Bears signed the veteran to a four-year, $24.5MM contract this offseason. Trevathan had spent the previous four years in Denver.

Injuries are certainly nothing new to the Bears. The team has already lost quarterbacks Brian Hoyer and Connor Shaw for the season, although there’s some optimism that starter Jay Cutler could return. The Bears will also be without wideout Kevin White, tight end Zach Miller, offensive lineman Hroniss Grasu and Kyle Long, and defenders Lamarr Houston, Will Sutton, and Brandon Boykin. Wideout Alshon Jeffery and linebacker Jerrell Freeman are currently serving suspensions.

If Trevathan does miss time, the Bears will likely turn to linebackers Christian Jones or John Timu.

Latest On Adrian Peterson’s Potential Return

November 27th, 2016 at 3:02pm CST by Ben Levine

There’s more optimism regarding Adrian Peterson‘s return to the field. Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer tweets that the Vikings running back has recently been running in the pool. If the veteran’s knee responds positively, the team will look to run him on hard surfaces this week.

Despite tearing his meniscus earlier this season, recent reports indicated that the 31-year-old was on track to return in December. Peterson suffered the injury during the Vikings Week 2 contest against the Packers. Up to that point in the season, the running back had rushed for only 50 yards on 31 carries. Of course, that’s not to say that the veteran still can’t be productive. Peterson is only one season removed from a 1,485-yard, 11-touchdown campaign.

The Vikings have relied on Jerick McKinnon and Matt Asiata during Peterson’s absence. The duo have rushed for 603 yards on 196 carries, and they’ve found the end zone six times. The Vikings currently rank second-to-last in the NFL in rushing yards (782), and they’re averaging a league-low 2.8-yards-per-attempt.

The Vikings actually cut running back Ronnie Hillman earlier this week, though they did add Bishop Sankey to their practice squad.

PFR Originals: 11/20/16 – 11/27/16

November 27th, 2016 at 2:11pm CST by Ben Levine

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

Are the Cowboys the NFL’s best team? When it comes to overall record, they’ll obviously the top team, but are they actually the Super Bowl favorites? That’s what Connor Byrne was trying to find out in this week’s poll. So far, more than 65-percent of you say that the Cowboys are indeed the NFL’s best squad.

5 Key Stories: 11/20/16 – 11/27/16

November 27th, 2016 at 2:06pm CST by Ben Levine

Several of the top stories from around the NFL this week…

Injuries, injuries, and more injuries: Injuries are part of the NFL, but we still hate to see some of our favorite players miss time. Several notable players were shut down for this season this week, including Bengals running back Giovani Bernard (ACL), 49ers safety Eric Reid (biceps), and Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant (pectoral). It’s not all bad news, fortunately, as we learned that several injured players may actually return this season. There’s still optimism that Bengals wideout A.J. Green will return to the field, while Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is eyeing a December return.

Activations: While several players were lost for the season, we also saw the return of a handful of healthy players. Bills wideout Sammy Watkins was the most notable activation, as the receiver returned to practice for the first time since Week 2. The Buccaneers designated running back Charles Sims as their player to return, while the Panthers did the same with defensive end Ryan Delaire.

Quarterback Futures: Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins is reportedly seeking nearly $24MM annually, while the organization could choose to franchise him to a similar one-year deal. This would certainly be a pay increase for the fifth-year veteran, who is currently making $19.95MM. With Jay Cutler being ruled out for the season in Chicago, there was some thought that he may have played his final game with the organization. However, there’s reportedly some optimism that the veteran could return to the Bears in 2017. Finally, the Tony Romo/Dak Prescott saga continues in Dallas.

Webb Cut: Despite signing J’Marcus Webb to a two-year deal over the offseason, the Seahawks cut bait with the offensive lineman this week. The 28-year-old was expected to be a starter for Russell Wilson and the Seahawks offense, but he ended up losing the gig after only three games. The return of rookie Germain Ifedi cemented Webb’s fate, although it’s not hard to envision the veteran catching on with another team.

McDaniels Wants to Coach: Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels is presumably enjoying his renaissance with Tom Brady and the organization, but the 40-year-old said he’d love to get another head coaching gig. McDaniels will presumably be a commodity this winter, although he didn’t have much success when he coached the Broncos several years ago. Denver ended up going 11-17 in one-plus season with McDaniels at the helm.

Greg Robinson Benched

November 27th, 2016 at 12:52pm CST by Rory Parks

The Rams have benched former No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes. Robinson, whom the Rams selected out of Auburn in the first round of the 2014 draft, was a healthy scratch for today’s matchup against the Saints.

Robinson started 12 of 16 regular season contests in his rookie campaign and all 16 games in 2015. However, Robinson has suffered from inconsistent play and frustrating penalties since he entered the league, and his 28 penalties over the past two years are four more than anyone else in the NFL. He has also allowed a whopping 21 quarterback hurries this year, and he ranks 75th out of 80 qualified tackles according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.

Offensive line coach Paul Boudreau said of Robinson’s struggles, “[r]ecently, it’s just a matter of his technique. He’s all over the place with his feet, he’s all over the place with his hands. And when he gets in trouble, when he stops his feet, he grabs, and he gets those holding penalties that you really don’t need. So he’s got to concentrate on focusing on the little things.”

Although head coach Jeff Fisher may simply be giving Robinson a game off to get his head straight and to regain his focus, his struggles have spurred some speculation as to his status with the club heading into next year. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com wonders if this is the beginning of the end of Robinson’s tenure in Los Angeles, observing that the Rams were forced to trade a struggling Jason Smith some years ago for a pittance. Fitzgerald further points out that Robinson’s contract does make it feasible for him to be dealt if Los Angeles wants to go that route (Twitter links).

Left guard Rodger Saffold shifted over to left tackle for today’s game to take Robinson’s place.

East Notes: Stills, McVay, Vereen

November 27th, 2016 at 12:13pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a quick swing around the league’s east divisions:

The Dolphins will try to retain impending free agent Kenny Stills, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Head coach Adam Gase loves Stills, who has become one of the league’s better deep threats, but depending on how aggressive the bidding on Stills becomes, Jackson writes that Miami could let him seek his fortune elsewhere and try to replace him with Leonte Carroo.
Patriots defensive tackle Alan Branch will continue to play as he appeals his recent four-game suspension, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that the appeal is expected to be heard within the next month. That means that New England could lose Branch very late in the season and into the playoffs, which begs the question of whether it would be better for the team if Branch simply accepts his suspension now so that he is sure to be back for the stretch run. Branch, though, needs to do what is best for him, as the suspension could cost him about $1.13MM and could hurt his market when he reaches free agency this spring.
Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay is not exactly a household name outside of the nation’s capital, but his work with Kirk Cousins and his development of Washington’s proficient offense is garnering attention around the league, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Per La Canfora, the 30-year-old McVay is viewed as a coaching prodigy, and he is expected to get interviews for head coaching gigs at the end of the year if the Redskins’ offense continues performing at a high level.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter passes along another interesting detail about Matt Forte‘s brief flirtation with the Patriots. According to Schefter, Forte flew into New Jersey to meet with the Jets on the first day of free agency, and Gang Green decided to sign him. However, there were some concerns about the condition of Forte’s knee during the physical, and the Jets did not rush to get the paperwork done. That made Forte a bit antsy, and he made plans to board a plane and visit the Patriots. But when New York learned of those plans, the team’s concerns with Forte’s knee suddenly evaporated and Forte was handed his contract.
Giants RB Shane Vereen, currently on IR, could be on his way back to the field. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Giants are optimistic Vereen can return for the club’s December 11 matchup with Dallas.

Redskins To Franchise Kirk Cousins Again?

November 27th, 2016 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:58am: Despite a report from Albert Breer of TheMMQB indicating that the Redskins would not be willing to use the franchise tag on Cousins for a second consecutive year, ESPN’s Adam Schefter, like La Canfora, hears that Washington will indeed use the tag if it cannot reach a long-term deal with Cousins before free agency opens in March. Schefter adds that if the Redskins had to tag Cousins for a third straight year in 2018, it would cost the team over $34MM, which gives the quarterback some leverage heading into contract negotiations.

THURSDAY, 1:15pm: As we look ahead to the spring, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins stands as the top player on the free agent market. While big names like Chandler Jones, Kawann Short, Jamie Collins, and Dont’a Hightower are also eligible for free agency, Cousins stands to make the most money given the dearth of quality QBs in the NFL. In order to keep him, the Redskins are willing to use the franchise tag for the second year in a row, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.

Cousins is after a lucrative long-term deal, but a second franchise tag wouldn’t be a bad consolation prize. The tag would grant him a 120% raise on his current deal which comes out to roughly $23.94MM for 2017. Of course, that potential outcome also gives his reps a favorable jumping-off point for multi-year contract. If the Redskins allow Cousins to reach the open market, the bidding could get even higher and several teams in need of a signal caller have told La Canfora they will pursue him if given the opportunity.

Heading into today’s game, Cousins has a 6-3-1 record on the year with a 67.2% completion percentage. The advanced metrics aren’t as wild about his play, however. Pro Football Focus has Cousins ranked as just the 17th best QB in the NFL this year, behind Ryan Tannehill, Brian Hoyer, and Tyrod Taylor.

We should note that Albert Breer of The MMQB is hearing that the Redskins are unlikely to use the tag on Cousins. Here’s a full rundown of his latest column discussing the Washington QB and much more.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/27/16

November 27th, 2016 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s practice squad moves:

New England Patriots

Cut: DB Shamiel Gary

Minnesota Vikings

Signed: OL Sean Hickey (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press)

NFL’s Decision On Aldon Smith Due This Week

November 27th, 2016 at 10:17am CST by Rory Parks

Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith applied for reinstatement on October 3, and as ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has 60 days to render a decision on reinstatement under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. That 60-day period ends on Friday, December 2.

Smith was eligible to be reinstated on November 17, which marked the end of the one-year ban he received for violating the league’s substance abuse policy when he was arrested in August 2015 on drunken driving, hit and run, and vandalism charges. That was the fifth time Smith had been arrested since he entered the league as the seventh overall pick of the 2011 draft. The 49ers, who drafted Smith and who reaped the benefits of his fearsome pass rush ability for several seasons, had simply had enough at that point, and they cut Smith shortly after the arrest.

He was subsequently scooped up by the Raiders, and he posted 3.5 sacks for Oakland in nine games during the 2015 season. Despite his most recent suspension–he also served a nine-game ban in 2013 for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies–Oakland handed Smith a two-year, $11.5MM deal this spring.

Smith checked himself into a rehabilitation facility in Carbondale, Colorado in July, not long after a suspicious video post appeared on his Periscope account. That video featured an unidentified man that purportedly sounded like Smith and an unidentified woman talking about a hand-rolled cigarette. Smith has denied it was him in the video, but he entered rehab just the same.

He spent 120 days in the Carbondale facility, and although he also spent time in rehab in 2013, Schefter’s sources have said that Smith’s latest rehab stint had a “profound effect” on the Missouri product. The Raiders are optimistic that Smith will be reinstated and allowed to finish out the season, which would be a tremendous boon for the club as it battles to hold onto first place in the AFC West and competes for a first-round bye. Smith has accrued 47.5 sacks in 59 career games, and although he will not be expected to return to form right away, that kind of production does not grow on trees, and it shows why the 49ers and Raiders have exhibited considerable patience with Smith’s troubles.

Goodell’s decision could be taking awhile because the Periscope video compelled the league to investigate whether Smith violated the protocols required of a suspended player seeking reinstatement to the league following a violation of the substance abuse policy.