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AFC East Notes: Pats, Ayers, Jets, ASJ, Fins

October 28th, 2017 at 7:44pm CST by Micah Powell

In the wake of Dont’a Hightower‘s season-ending injury, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes Akeem Ayers would be a logical candidate for the Patriots should the team look to add a hybrid-type linebacker. Reiss notes that Ayers, who was a part of New England’s Super Bowl-winning team in 2014, was in for a workout prior to the start of the season but the Patriots decided to pass at the time. A second-round selection in 2011 by Tennessee, Ayers last played with the Colts in 2016 and posted two sacks and an interception.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • Despite Josh McCown performing well, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty could see action down the stretch should the Jets falter with a tough upcoming schedule, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. Cimini notes that though McCown ranks 13th in passer rating (91.5), the fact remains that the 38-year-old quarterback is not in the team’s long-term plan. The veteran also is owed $125K per start, so New York could save a little money while also getting a better look at the team’s two young signal-callers.
  • Austin Seferian-Jenkins is happy in New York and would love to be with the Jets for the foreseeable future, the tight end told Connor Hughes of NJ Advance Media.”I would love to be here long term,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “I love this place. I consider this home for me.” After being cut from the Buccaneers in 2016 following an arrest for suspicion of DUI, the tight end was signed by the Jets and has reignited his promising career with a touchdown in three consecutive games this season.
  • Dolphins starting left guard Anthony Steen had surgery on his left foot and will be out indefinitely, Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post reports. Miami used undrafted rookie Jesse Davis in Steen’s stead on Thursday vs. Baltimore, and Habib speculates veteran Ted Larsen, who started the season on IR with a torn biceps, could see time at the spot.

Martellus Bennett Considering Retirement?

October 28th, 2017 at 7:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Packers tight end Martellus Bennett is seemingly considering hanging up his cleats following the end of the 2017 season, as he announced on his Instagram account (Twitter link).Martellus Bennett (Vertical)

“After conversations with my family I’m pretty sure these next 8 games will be the conclusion of my NFL career,” writes Bennett. “To everyone who has poured themselves and time into my life and career. These next games are for you. Thank you.”

Bennett, 30, is in the midst of his 10th NFL campaign, and his first with the Packers, with whom he signed a three-year, $21MM deal in the spring. Fresh off one of the more productive seasons of his career with the Patriots in 2016, Bennett has disappointed this year, as he’s managed only 24 receptions, 233 yards, and zero touchdowns through seven games.

If this is it for Bennett, the former second-round pick will have completed an outstanding decade-long career, a tenure all the more noteworthy given that Bennett was essentially a part-time player through his first four NFL seasons (all with the Cowboys). Over the next five years, Bennett averaged 64 catches, 688 yards, and six touchdowns per season with the Giants, Bears, and Patriots, and earned a Super Bowl ring in the process.

Bennett will finish the rest of his Packers career without quarterback Aaron Rodgers under center, so his dismal numbers might not see much of an improvement over the second half of the season. If Bennett does indeed retire, Green Bay will be stuck with dead money in 2018, as $4.2MM in prorated signing bonus cash will immediately accelerate onto the Packers’ salary cap.

Bennett has never been accused of a shortage of interests, and his life off the football field figures to be just as entertaining and refreshing as his NFL career. (For an excellent profile of Bennett and his brother, Seahawks defensive lineman Michael Bennett, check out Mina Kimes’ of ESPN.com’s 2016 piece.)

NFC East Rumors: Cowboys, Foster, Johnson

October 28th, 2017 at 4:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys decided not to pursue an extension for Demarcus Lawrence before this season, with the defensive end’s history of back trouble leading to hesitancy on this front, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News notes. Dallas’ brass wanted to see if Lawrence could stay healthy and deliver on the intermittent promise he showed during his career, per George, who adds the franchise tag could be in play for Lawrence come March. That would cost the team more than $17MM, but with Lawrence’s 9.5 sacks second in the league (despite the Cowboys having already had their bye) and considering he had back surgeries the past two offseasons, it would seem reasonable the team would still want to opt for a temporary arrangement for the time being. George describes Lawrence as playing through severe back pain last season rather than opting for season-ending surgery, and he’s on the verge of becoming a high-end UFA if he can make it through this season healthy.

Here’s more from Dallas and other NFC East cities.

  • Ezekiel Elliott will play for the Cowboys on Sunday, but the seminal event for the running back will come Monday afternoon when his team and the NFL face off in New York’s Southern District Court. The latest Elliott-vs.-NFL chapter is set for 4pm CT Monday, and Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News expects it to determine the running back’s 2017 fate. Should Judge Katherine Polk Failla green-light an Elliott injunction, Hairopoulos expects him to play the rest of this season while the court battle plays out. If not, the reporter doesn’t see him skirting the six-game suspension.
  • Mason Foster fired off a string of tweets voicing his frustration with the Redskins, who placed him on IR Friday. However, the veteran linebacker met with Bruce Allen, senior VP of football operations-general counsel Eric Schaffer and other members of Washington’s front office on Saturday to clear the air about the IR decision, Master Tefatsion of the Washington Post reports. The inside ‘backer described his state of mind upon sending those tweets as being “too emotional,” and the UFA-to-be is open to staying with the Redskins. “I’m a Redskin until they tell me I’m not a Redskin,” Foster said, via Tefatsion. “That’s how I feel about it. I love this team. This is where I wanna be. We handled it internally, and I appreciate Bruce sitting down with me and Eric Schaffer so that we could get it squashed and go about business.” Foster played through a 2014 injury that affected his free agent stock the following spring and will be shut down this time around after playing through a torn shoulder labrum for three games.
  • The Eagles will not move Lane Johnson to left tackle midseason, instead installing swing tackle Halapoulivaati Vaitai at Jason Peters‘ spot, Zach Berman of Philly.com notes. Vaitai struggled replacing Johnson last season at right tackle, and considering the Eagles’ hot start, there will be a bright spotlight on the second-year player this season on the left side. “Right now, Lane is playing extremely well at right tackle and looking down the road, and I hate to look down the road, but we’ve got some teams coming up that have some players on our right side, their left side, the Von Millers of the world, Khalil Macks of the world that play on that side of the ball,” Doug Pederson said of the decision to keep Johnson at right tackle.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/28/17

October 28th, 2017 at 4:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves.

  • The Bills will fill Marcell Dareus‘ roster spot with running back Joe Banyard, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Banyard will return to Buffalo’s 53-man roster after being released last week. This is the running back/special-teamer’s sixth NFL season.
  • The Broncos waived wide receiver Hunter Sharp and promoted linebacker Kevin Snyder from their practice squad, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweets. Denver promoted Sharp last week when it was set to operate without Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie, but McKenzie is set to return and Sanders has a questionable designation. The Broncos signed Snyder to a reserve/futures deal in January, and he’s back despite the team having waived him with an injury designation in September.
  • Center Cornelius Edison will rise from the Vikings‘ practice squad to their active roster, per the St. Paul Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson (on Twitter). Minnesota will be playing without Jeremiah Sirles on Sunday, and starting guard Nick Easton is questionable after missing last week with a calf injury. Edison played in six games with the Bears last season.
  • The Redskins officially placed linebacker Mason Foster on injured reserve and waived running back Mack Brown, the club announced today. The dual transactions will create roster space for Washington’s two newest offensive lineman, Orlando Franklin and Arie Kouandjio.

Redskins Sign Orlando Franklin, Arie Kouandjio

October 28th, 2017 at 3:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Orlando Franklin‘s Washington workout will produce a signing, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) the UFA offensive lineman agreed to terms with the Redskins.

Needing more offensive line help due to injuries depleting their group, the Redskins also signed Arie Kouandjio off the Ravens’ practice squad, Schefter reports.

Franklin, 29, has not played this season after the Saints released him in August but auditioned for the Redskins earlier this week. He started for six seasons leading up to this one, however, lining up as a right tackle for three years and a left guard for the previous three.

Center Spencer Long and tackle Ty Nsekhe are out for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys. Trent Williams, Morgan Moses and Brandon Scherff are listed as questionable.

The brother of Cyrus Kouandjio, Arie Kouandjio spent two seasons with Washington after the franchise selected the Alabama blocker in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. He started two games at left guard for the 2016 Redskins but could not make this year’s roster. The Ravens signed the older of the two NFL Kouandjios in September and stashed him on their practice squad.

The Chargers cut Franklin after two seasons earlier this year, doing so after signing him to five-year deal in March 2015.

Lions Activate Sam Martin From NFI List

October 28th, 2017 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions will deploy a third punter this season, but this one is at least their preferred option. Sam Martin will return to his post as Detroit’s punter on Sunday night after the Lions activated him from the non-football injury list Saturday, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com reports.

To make room for Martin’s roster return, the Lions cut defensive end Jacquies Smith. The Lions signed Smith last week after the Buccaneers waived him earlier this month.

Martin will make his season debut after residing on Detroit’s NFI list since the preseason concluded. The fifth-year punter dealt with a foot injury sustained away from the team, but the Lions have not disclosed how it occurred. Detroit cut veteran punter Jeff Locke earlier this week. Locke held down the fort for the Lions, who lost previous Martin replacement Kasey Redfern to a season-ending injury suffered during Week 1.

The 27-year-old Martin, though, is coming off a season where he posted the second-best net punting average (44.2 yards) in league history. The one-time fifth-round pick — and recipient of a Lions extension in 2016 — played in 64 regular-season games from 2013-16 prior to suffering this summer setback.

Signed during the Lions’ bye week, Smith did not play in any games for the team. A two-year Tampa Bay starter, Smith suited up for one Bucs contest prior to being waived this season. The fourth-year player will head back onto the waiver wire.

Jaguars Release Jonathan Freeny

October 28th, 2017 at 1:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Marcell Dareus passed his Jaguars physical, making the Bills-Jags trade official, per Adam Schefter of ESPN (on Twitter). In sending only a draft pick Buffalo’s way, Jacksonville needed to clear a roster spot to make room for the defensive tackle.

The Jags did so by cutting Jonathan Freeny, per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). Freeny spent less than a week with the Jaguars, signing with the team earlier this week after playing three games with the Ravens this season.

The 28-year-old linebacker’s most known for being an 11-game starter with the Patriots from 2015-16, collecting a ring last season. The Ravens cut Freeny last week, and the sixth-year defender worked out for the Jags on Monday.

Freeny is not subject to waivers since he’s a vested veteran. Although, had the Jaguars made this move after the trade deadline in three days, Freeny would have been subject to waivers.

Jags executive VP Tom Coughlin described Dareus as an experienced player who’s been “productive throughout his career” and a talent who will help the Jags “immediately” (Twitter link).

AFC Notes: Jackson, Luck, Novak, Dolphins

October 28th, 2017 at 12:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Hue Jackson‘s record with the Browns is now 1-22, and that has naturally led to questions regarding the head coach’s job security. While Jackson might not have the support of the team’s brass, one of his fellow NFL head coaches believes the team is in good shape.

“Hue is a heck of a football coach,” said Vikings coach Mike Zimmer (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “He’s tough. He’s smart. He’s a great competitor. I know that it’s taking him a little bit longer than what he has anticipated, but he’s going to get that thing turned around. That’s the kind of guy he is. He will never stop or relax until he gets it all right.

“Really, they are not that far away. They are really good on defense, and they just turn the ball over offensively.”

Jackson and Zimmer previously coached together in Cincinnati, and they served as the coordinators for the 2007 Falcons. The Browns will be seeking their first win of the season when they play the Vikings tomorrow in London.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the AFC…

  • If Andrew Luck is ultimately cleared to play, he should be taking the field for the Colts, opines Stephen Holder of the Indy Star. The writer understands that there’s some risk to playing a previously-injured franchise quarterback when the team is already out of the playoff hunt. However, Holder believes there are several benefits to having Luck take over under center. If the quarterback misses the entire season, he’ll end up going 20 months without playing in an NFL game. Inserting Luck into the lineup would also allow him to get “reacclimated” with the system and his teammates, which could be instrumental if the team hopes to compete in 2018.
  • Nick Novak is currently dealing with an ankle injury, and the Chargers worked out three kickers yesterday. However, ESPN.com’s Eric Williams tweets that the veteran is expected to play this weekend. The 36-year-old has appeared in three games this season, converting three of his four field goal attempts.
  • Dolphins practice squad quarterback Brandon Doughty wasn’t promoted to the active roster this week. However, ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets that the former seventh-rounder did get a pay raise, as his weekly salary was bumped from $7,200 to $15,200.

Texans To Activate OT Duane Brown

October 28th, 2017 at 12:07pm CST by Ben Levine

After ending his holdout earlier this week, it looks like Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown will be in uniform this weekend. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the lineman will be activated for tomorrow’s game against the Seahawks. To make room on the roster, the team has waived offensive tackle Kendall Lamm (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter).

Duane Brown (vertical)The offensive tackle had been pushing for a new contract since July, and while initial reports indicated that he’d be back in time for the regular season, he didn’t report to the team until earlier this week. As our own Dallas Robinson explained, the offensive tackle’s decision doesn’t necessarily mean that either side has relented on contract talks. Rather, Brown needed eight games under his belt to earn credit for the 2017 campaign.

Chris Clark, who has been filling in at left tackle during Brown’s absence, will presumably lose his starting gig. Pro Football Focus ranked the 32-year-old 52nd among 71 eligible tackles, although the rest of the Texans offensive line has been more than serviceable this season. Clark is also set to miss several weeks with an injury, so it’s easy to assume that Brown will immediately slide into the starting role.

Earlier this week, we heard that the Texans would consider shopping Brown, who is signed through next season. The Seahawks were previously mentioned as a potential landing spot, and a trade would allow the organization to acquire some extra picks. However, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport says Brown’s return isn’t an attempt by the organization to showcase his trade value. Rather, the team is counting on the veteran to protect breakout rookie Deshaun Watson for the rest of the season.

Lamm, a 2015 undrafted free agent out of Appalachian State, appeared in 35 games (eight starts) over his two-plus seasons with the organization.

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