2017 September - Pro Football Rumors

Colts To Start Jacoby Brissett At QB

September 15th, 2017 at 9:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts are planning on starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett on Sunday against the Cardinals, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Scott Tolzien, who started for the Colts in Week 1, will head to the bench. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter) hears that Brissett was actually informed of the team’s decision on Monday.

The Colts were criticized this offseason for not upgrading their backup QB situation. Right around the 53-man cutdown deadline, the Colts acquired Brissett from the Patriots in exchange for wide receiver Phillip Dorsett. Brissett was supposed to be Tolzien’s backup while Andrew Luck recovered from injury, but Tolzien’s putrid performance in the season opener has vaulted Brissett into the starting job.

Earlier this week, Colts coach Chuck Pagano admitted that he was thinking about starting Brissett.

“He’s got a sense of calm to him, poise,” Pagano said of Brissett. “Obviously, you love his physical traits, he’s a big man. He can see over things. … Been there before, so obviously it’s not too big.”

Tolzien went 9-of-18 in the season opener for 128 yards and two interceptions. He was also sacked four times. Brissett was called in at the end and completed two of three passes for 51 yards.

Broncos Place Jared Crick On IR

September 15th, 2017 at 9:22am CST by Zachary Links

Broncos defensive end Jared Crick is having surgery on his back, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He is looking at a lengthy absence, Rapoport adds.

The Broncos placed Crick on IR.

Crick went from the Texans to the Broncos when he signed a two-year, $4MM deal with Denver prior to the 2016 season. He appeared in all 16 games last year with Denver including 15 starts and finished out with 53 tackles, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and six pass deflections. This year, Denver was hoping to start him at left defensive end, but they’ll have to get by without him for at least a couple of months.

To help soften the blow, the Broncos signed former Seahawks defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin on Friday morning. Rubin will probably need some time to learn the playbook, but he could be in line for a major role after the Broncos face the Bills on Sunday.

Broncos To Sign DT Ahtyba Rubin

September 15th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos are set to sign defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin, according to Peter Schrager of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rubin was let go by the Seahawks in early September.

The Seahawks shopped Rubin after acquiring Sheldon Richardson from the Jets on Friday, but they could not find takers for his contract. After he was dropped from his three-year, $12MM deal, Rubin auditioned for the Bills and 49ers but did not sign with either club. He’ll now join up with a contending team in Denver.

Rubin will help to fill in the gaps for the Broncos while Jared Crick recovers from back surgery. No one knows exactly when Crick will be back in action, but it is clear that he will be out for a while.

The 31-year-old started in all 32 of his appearances with the Seahawks, recording 75 tackles and three sacks. Before that, he started in 75 of 99 games as a Brown from 2008-14.

DeMarcus Ware Nearly Rejoined Cowboys

September 14th, 2017 at 9:02pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

9:02pm: It appears Ware really is done for good. He wouldn’t seriously consider coming out of retirement, according to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News.

5:13pm: Pass rusher DeMarcus Ware revealed in April that the Cowboys were among those who tried to sign him before he retired in March, but it was unclear whether he came close to inking a deal with anyone. It turns out the nine-time Pro Bowler very nearly returned to Dallas, where he played from 2005-13 and amassed a franchise-record 117 sacks.

“I was one day away from coming back and signing with the Dallas Cowboys,” Ware told Todd Archer of ESPN.com. “But my body just told me it’s time. It’s time to stop playing. Still have the drive to get out there and the want to play, but you’ve got to think about family, think about what’s important and I just decided it’s time to hang up the cleats and put on a suit.”

Only one regular-season game into his retirement, the 35-year-old Ware suggested that he’d at least listen if Dallas were to make him another offer.

“If Jerry calls me, I’ll answer the phone,” he said. “I will answer the phone.”

While the Cowboys’ defense was a major question mark entering the season, the unit was outstanding during a 19-3 win over the Odell Beckham-less Giants in Week 1. Regardless of whether that was a sign of what’s to come from Dallas’ defense, it’s possible the team has enough pass rushers with Demarcus Lawrence, Benson Mayowa, Taco Charlton, Tyrone Crawford, David Irving (who’s serving a four-game suspension), Charles Tapper and Damontre Moore (one game left on a two-game ban) on hand. Still, only two of those players (Mayowa and Crawford) had more sacks last year than Ware, who picked up four during a 10-game slate with the Broncos.

Injuries dogged Ware over his final two years in Denver, limiting him to 21 of a possible 32 games, but he still managed 11.5 sacks during that span and 21.5 in his three seasons with the club. He’s now eighth all-time in sacks (138.5) and would likely climb at least a couple more spots on the list with a 2017 return. It’s unclear, however, whether the Dallas icon would actually come back if the potential Super Bowl contenders were to court him again. For now, he and former teammate and fellow retiree Tony Romo may be potential emergency options for the Cowboys.

Cardinals To Sign Jim Dray

September 14th, 2017 at 8:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cardinals have agreed to sign free agent tight end Jim Dray, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports (on Twitter). The team’s in need of a body at tight end with Jermaine Gresham and Troy Niklas battling injuries, Somers notes.

This will be Dray’s second stint in Arizona. The 30-year-old began his career there in 2010 after going in the seventh round of the draft and was a member of the Cardinals for four years, catching 48 passes in 55 games (18 starts). Dray’s most successful year to date was his final season with the Cards, 2013, when he tallied personal bests in receptions (26), targets (32) and touchdowns (two). He went on to play with the Browns, Bills and 49ers from 2014-16.

While Dray was mildly successful in Cleveland from 2014-15 (32 appearances, 18 starts, 23 catches), he wasn’t a factor at all in Buffalo or San Francisco last year. Dray appeared in six games and, for the first time in his career, failed to record a catch. As a result, he didn’t draw any known interest before rejoining the Cardinals.

NFC Notes: OBJ, Sherman, Barr, Freeman

September 14th, 2017 at 7:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. returned to practice Thursday and is likely to make his season debut this week, which should be a boon to an offense that looked lost on season-opening Sunday. However, OBJ won’t be at full strength for a little while longer. The ankle injury that has bothered him since mid-August comes with a six- to eight-week recovery timeline, he revealed to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com and other reporters Thursday. The Giants’ game against the Lions on Monday will mark exactly four weeks since Beckham suffered the injury, notes Raanan, meaning Big Blue might not see him at his best until the end of this month or sometime in October.

Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has missed two straight practices with a hamstring issue, perhaps jeopardizing his chances of playing against San Francisco on Sunday. Watching the game in street clothes would be a first for Sherman, a seventh-year man who has played in 97 straight contests since the Seahawks added him as a fifth-round pick in 2011. Defensive coordinator Kris Richard suggested Thursday that Sherman’s streak will continue, telling reporters (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times) that he’s “not even considering” going without the corner because “it’s never happened here.”
Like Sherman, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr has missed back-to-back practices with a hamstring injury. He’s now at risk of sitting out a game this week for the first time since December 2015, per The Associated Press. Barr played all 62 of the Vikings’ defensive snaps in their win over New Orleans on Monday. With or without the two-time Pro Bowler, the Vikings will face a difficult road test in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman announced on Instagram on Thursday that he suffered a torn pectoral on the first play of their loss to the Falcons in Week 1, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune relays (on Twitter). Remarkably, Freeman still played roughly 95 percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps and racked up 10 tackles in their 23-17 defeat. The Bears placed Freeman on injured reserve this week and will go without him until at least November.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/17

September 14th, 2017 at 7:00pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thursday’s minor NFL transactions:

The Jets waived defensive lineman Claude Pelon, who has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the club since it signed him as an undrafted free agent in May 2016. The former USC Trojan had multiple stints on the Jets’ practice squad last year. New York re-signed Pelon to a futures contract in January, and he made his NFL debut in its Week 1 loss to Buffalo last Sunday. Pelon was on the field for 17 defensive snaps – just over 22 percent of the unit’s plays – and recorded the first two tackles of his career.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/14/17

September 14th, 2017 at 6:26pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest workout updates from across the NFL, courtesy of Howard Balzer (Twitter links here):

Arizona Cardinals

OTs Nick Becton, Vinston Painter (signed to practice squad)

Detroit Lions

CBs Aarion Penton, Marcus Sayles, Damian Swann

Kansas City Chiefs

NT Rickey Hatley (signed to practice squad); DE Jhaustin Thomas

New York Giants

CBs Elie Bouka, Robert Nelson

New York Jets

S Tyvis Powell

Texans To Work Out Audie Cole, Brian Parker

September 14th, 2017 at 4:29pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Dealing with a suspension at linebacker and injuries at tight end, the Texans will work out a couple potential reinforcements at those positions next week. The team will audition linebacker Audie Cole on Monday and tight end Brian Parker on Tuesday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links).

Nobody would mistake Cole for the accomplished Brian Cushing, who will sit until early December because of a 10-game performance-enhancing drug ban, though the former would nonetheless provide some experience at inside linebacker. The 28-year-old has appeared in 57 games, all with the Vikings, since going in the seventh round of the 2012 draft. He wasn’t much of a factor defensively in Minnesota, though, as he tallied just seven starts (five of which came in 2013) and 78 tackles. Cole played a mere 36 defensive snaps in 2016, compared to 275 on special teams.

Parker, whose sole NFL experience to this post came during a nine-game, one-catch 2015 with the Chiefs, would add a body at tight end for a Houston team whose top options – C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson – are battling concussions. Notably, the Texans will meet with Gary Barnidge, a far more established tight end than Parker, on Friday.

Panthers Claim John Theus From 49ers

September 14th, 2017 at 4:11pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers announced that they’ve claimed offensive tackle John Theus off waivers from the 49ers. Carolina also placed undrafted rookie cornerback Cole Luke on injured reserve with an ankle problem.

The 49ers waived Theus on Wednesday, ending a union that lasted just over a season. Theus joined the team in 2016 as a fifth-round pick out of Georgia and went on to appear in four of San Francisco’s game last season, starting one. He totaled just 88 snaps in a 49ers uniform a year ago and wasn’t active for their season-opening loss to his new team, the Panthers, last Sunday.

Theus will serve as depth in Carolina, which starts Matt Kalil and Daryl Williams at the tackle positions. Amini Silatolu and Taylor Moton make up the other Panthers bookends.