2017 September - Pro Football Rumors

Jaguars S Calvin Pryor Placed On IR

September 18th, 2017 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

This has been a rough month for Calvin Pryor. On Monday, the Jaguars placed the safety on injured reserve with an ankle injury.

It’s not immediately clear whether Pryor’s injury is a season-ender or if he could conceivably return during the season. Even if Pryor can recover in time for a midseason return, the Jaguars may or may not be willing to burn an IR-DTR slot on him.

Pryor, a former first-round pick of the Jets, was jettisoned to the Browns this offseason in a trade for linebacker Demario Davis. The Browns planned to give him significant playing time, but he was cut earlier this month after getting into a fight with teammate Ricardo Louis. The Jaguars claimed him the next day with the hope that he could help provide support for starting strong safety Barry Church. Instead, he’ll have to focus his energy on recovering – potentially with an eye on playing again next season.

Jaguars Sign QB Ryan Nassib

September 18th, 2017 at 12:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars announced that they have signed quarterback Ryan Nassib. Nassib currently sits as the team’s No. 3 QB behind Blake Bortles and Chad Henne, though that order could be rearranged after Sunday’s 37-16 loss to the Titans.

Nassib served as Eli Manning‘s backup in New York for several years. His connection with Jaguars czar Tom Coughlin undoubtedly paved the way for his new opportunity in Jacksonville. He also has some history with Doug Marrone from their time together in Syracuse.

Nassib never got to make a start for the G-Men and they didn’t make an attempt to re-sign him this offseason. In June, he hooked on with the Saints, but he was released prior to the 53-man roster deadline in early September. He was said to be neck-and-neck with Garrett Grayson for the Saints’ QB3 spot, but both players were cut and that role has since been filled by BYU product Taysom Hill.

Nassib occupies the QB3 spot for now, but that could change if the team opts to bench Bortles for the entire season so that they do not risk him getting injured and collecting on $19MM+ in 2018 when they don’t want him. In that scenario, Henne would take over as the starter with Nassib as his backup.

Falcons Lose Vic Beasley To Injury

September 18th, 2017 at 12:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Falcons linebacker Vic Beasley is expected to miss about a month with a hamstring injury, a source tells Zach Klein of WSB (on Twitter). Beasley suffered the injury during Sunday night’s 34-23 win over the Packers.

The 25-year-old led the league with 15.5 sacks in 2016, earning a Pro Bowl nod and a First Team All-Pro selection. He also played a major role in Atlanta’s nationally televised win over Green Bay, including his bone-crushing hit on Aaron Rodgers in the third quarter which led to a defensive TD.

Defensive end Courtney Upshaw was sidelined for Week 2 with an ankle injury, so the Falcons’ front seven could be particularly thin when they face the Lions on Sunday. In the meantime, the Falcons will have to lean a little more heavily on Derrick Shelby, Adrian Clayborn, and first-round pick Takkarist McKinley. Since Beasley and Upshaw are facing only short-term absences, they may not have the roster room to add an impact edge rusher.

Latest On Ezekiel Elliott

September 18th, 2017 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has lost the latest battle in the legal system against Ezekiel Elliott, but the courtroom war is not yet over. The NFL’s emergency motion for a stay of the preliminary injunction has been denied by judge Amos L. Mazzant (Twitter link via sports attorney Daniel Wallach). The league is now taking its case to the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in hopes that a stay will be granted and the suspension will be put into effect immediately.

If the NFL wins at the Fifth Circuit level, Elliott’s suspension will go into effect immediately, taking him out of action for games against the Cardinals, Rams, Packers, 49ers, Redskins, and Chiefs. He would not be able to return until Nov. 12 when the Cowboys travel to Atlanta to face the Falcons.

Elliott has never been arrested or charged with a crime, but his name has appeared in at least four investigations concerning assault, battery, domestic violence, and disorderly conduct in the last three years and change.

Elliott was stifled by the Broncos’ D on Sunday, rushing for just eight yards off of nine carries. He also took a great deal of criticism for not chasing down Broncos corner Chris Harris after he intercepted a pass in the third quarter.

Latest On Panthers TE Greg Olsen

September 18th, 2017 at 10:25am CST by Zachary Links

The broken foot suffered by Panthers tight Greg Olsen will not be a season-ender, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Instead, he could be out for as little as six games.

A stint on the injured reserve list is also possible, Rapoport hears. That would allow the Panthers to open up a roster spot while Olsen is sidelined, but it would also mean that he will have to miss a minimum of eight weeks.

As of this writing, Ed Dickson stands as the team’s top healthy tight end with Chris Manhertz as his only backup. Dickson did produce as a pass-catcher with the Ravens, but he is now several seasons removed from the 2011 campaign in which he had 54 grabs for 528 yards and five scores. Since then, he has not topped 25 receptions in any season and he has never managed more than 134 receiving yards as a member of the Panthers. It might behoove the Panthers to add another experience tight end with soft hands and that could be made possible by moving Olsen to IR.

Browns’ Corey Coleman Has Broken Hand

September 18th, 2017 at 10:24am CST by Sam Robinson

A broken hand in September 2016 sidetracked Corey Coleman‘s rookie season, and some eerie similarities may have the Browns receiving corps in trouble again.

Tests confirmed that Coleman has suffered another broken hand, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Coleman left Sunday’s game early in the fourth quarter after a painful collision with Ravens corner Marlon Humphrey.

A 2016 first-round pick, Coleman again serves as a key component for the rebuilding Browns. Kenny Britt has struggled to acclimate thus far for his new team, and the Browns do not possess much receiving depth beyond those two talents. Coleman caught just one pass for nine yards against the Ravens.

Last season’s broken hand, which occurred during practice, shelved Coleman for six weeks, derailing a potentially promising season after the Baylor product started strong. He returned to play and finished with a 10-game season, hauling in 33 receptions for 413 yards and three touchdowns.

The Browns did trade for Sammie Coates and claimed Seahawks preseason standout Kasen Williams on waivers. Second-year player Rashard Higgins led Cleveland in receiving on Sunday. The Browns will likely move to add another receiver to the fold, but they’ll be hard-pressed to find one with as much upside as Coleman at this stage of the year.

Dolphins’ Lawrence Timmons Wants To Resume Playing

September 18th, 2017 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

Lawrence Timmons threw everyone for a loop on Sunday when he left the Dolphins for unknown reasons prior to their game against the Chargers. The good news is that he may be back in action for next week’s contest against the Jets. Timmons is “doing much better today and wants to resume playing immediately” with hope that he will practice this week, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) hears.

We still don’t know what prompted Timmons to bail on the team, but he’ll meet with doctors on Monday to suss that out, Schefter hears (Twitter link). In a scheduled appearance on a local Miami station Sunday night, agent Drew Rosenhaus declined to shed light on the issue and did not say whether Timmons would be available next Sunday (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald).

Timmons joined the Dolphins on a two-year, $12MM deal this offseason. Last year with the Steelers, he piled up 114 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two picks and a forced fumble. For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus weren’t impressed with his work. He placed 70th in overall performance among 87 qualified linebackers.

Sunday’s absence marked Timmons’ first missed game since 2009.

5 Key Stories: 9/10/17 – 9/17/17

September 17th, 2017 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bengals reshuffle staff after 0-2 start: The Bengals have scored nine points in two games and fired their offensive coordinator as a result. OC Ken Zampese is out in Cincinnati, and the team promoted quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor to its top offensive post. The son of longtime NFL assistant Ernie Zampese, Ken Zampese just began his second season as Bengals OC. But he did not appear to win over his players, who may or may not have assembled something of a mutiny to force the franchise to make a key change. Lazor’s previous OC gig ended when the Dolphins fired him from that post in November 2015. As a result of Cincy’s rampant struggles, longtime starter Andy Dalton may not be free from a demotion. Some Bengals players are also voicing support for a Colin Kaepernick signing.

Raiders re-up Donald Penn, again: Reporting late during the preseason after a lengthy holdout, the longtime left tackle received a belated extension after starting the season. The Raiders and Penn agreed to a two-year, $21MM extension. Despite Penn being 34, he’s remained one of the game’s best left tackles and is now signed through his age-35 season. Penn playing for Oakland in 2018 would mark a five-year Raiders run, and this contract leaves open the possibility of a 2019 stay as well. Penn won’t make top-10 left tackle money like he sought, but his new $10.5MM deal represents a healthy raise from his previous two-year, $14MM extension signed in 2016.

David Johnson out for months: The Cardinals’ hopes at returning to the playoffs encountered a significant barrier early this week, when their All-Pro running back opted for wrist surgery. He of more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage last season, Johnson will be out for months and is now on IR. Arizona signed both D.J. Foster off the Patriots’ practice squad and re-signed Chris Johnson, bringing the latter back for a third season. CJ2K started for the Cards in 2015 but was not nearly as productive as his successor.

More Pro Bowlers go down: Week 2 brought brutal injuries to some of the NFL’s best, with Marshal Yanda and Greg Olsen‘s seasons set to be cut short. While Olsen’s broken foot looks to shelve him “for several weeks,” Yanda broke his ankle and is out for the season. This continues a vicious spate of maladies for the Ravens, who also placed Danny Woodhead on IR this week. Yanda, though, has been a vital Baltimore cog for many seasons. He signed an extension in 2015 and has made six consecutive Pro Bowl teams. Olsen’s booked Pro Bowl spots in each of the past three campaigns.

More PED-related trouble for Brian Cushing: The Texans linebacker will serve a 10-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. This will be the second such ban Cushing’s served in his nine-year career. The Pro Bowl ‘backer served a four-game ban for this offense in 2010. After appealing the 2010 suspension, Cushing will not fight this one and began serving it in Week 2.

Broncos Worried Garett Bolles Broke Ankle

September 17th, 2017 at 9:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Garett Bolles left the Broncos’ blowout win over the Cowboys because of a leg injury and used crutches to walk out of the stadium. The team is worried about a possible severe injury.

The Broncos fear their starting left tackle broke his left ankle, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). They’re hoping it’s a high-ankle sprain. The first-round pick will undergo an MRI on Monday morning, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Bolles exited the stadium in a walking boot, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post relays (Twitter link).

The X-rays weren’t conclusive, Cole notes, and Mike Klis of 9News tweets Bolles does not have an Achilles injury. Bolles has helped the Broncos out to a 2-0 start behind an offense that’s looked much better than it did for much of last season. The Utah product is already 25, despite being a rookie, so a lengthy absence would deprive him of much of a prime season.

Donald Stephenson entered the game for Bolles, but the Broncos used different combinations up front due to multiple injuries. Allen Barbre, who has seen time at tackle in recent years, lined up there as well. Denver traded Ty Sambrailo to the Falcons before the season and cut Michael Schofield, leaving its tackle corps thinner.

The Broncos allowed Russell Okung to depart in free agency after a middling year and used their first-round pick on Bolles, the first tackle they’ve taken in Round 1 in nine years.

PFR Originals: 9/10/17 – 9/17/17

September 17th, 2017 at 7:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

This week’s original content from PFR:

PFR, via Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, took an in-depth look at how each team assembled its roster for the season. The Bengals and Packers lead the league in homegrown players rostered, while the Bills and Bears preferred the free agency route, each team beginning this season with 24 UFAs. The Jaguars are the only team with more than 20 UDFAs on their roster, with 23, and the Panthers boast an NFL-high 12 former first-round picks on their roster.