HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Dolphins DE Andre Branch To Miss Time

September 25th, 2018 at 1:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins defensive end Andre Branch suffered a knee injury on Sunday that will cause him to miss 2-4 weeks of action, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). It’s a bad blow for a Dolphins D that will also be without fellow defensive end William Hayes for the remainder of the season. 

The Dolphins entered the year with solid edge rushing depth, but they’ll now have to rely heavily on Charles Harris to rotate in for starting defensive ends Cameron Wake and Robert Quinn. They’ll have to add a player or two for depth, at the very least, and there aren’t a ton of impact DEs left on the open market. Robert Ayers, who had a one-day stint with the Lions in late August, is one of the most notable names left in free agency. Odds are, the Dolphins will have to settle for some less inspiring options while they wait for Branch to heal up.

Branch, 29, tallied five tackles in the first three weeks of the season. In his two previous Dolphins seasons, Branch amassed ten sacks and played mostly as a starter.

Latest On Vikings’ Everson Griffen

September 25th, 2018 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen is being evaluated and treated at a mental health facility, sources tell Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune. This comes after his wife phoned police with concern about his behavior. 

Police were called to a downtown Minneapolis hotel on Saturday where he was threatening to assault staff employees and lying on the lobby floor. Later that day, Griffen’s wife contacted police to tell them that Griffen had sped off in a vehicle with another person and was not wearing a shirt. He returned later on, but police then received a call from a woman who said that Griffen was either breaking into the home of teammate Trae Waynes or trying to break in. A woman said she saw a shirtless Griffen at one point in the bushes of the yard.

Vikings player development director Les Pico told police that Griffen has not been himself for a few weeks and added that the team sent Griffen’s camp a letter on Thursday saying he wasn’t allowed back until he had a mental health evaluation (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). The hotel incident on Saturday did not result in charges, so Griffen has been cleared by local authorities. It also appears that he was not forced to enter a mental health facility – rather, he is there voluntarily.

It’s a scary situation for Griffen, who inked a four-year, $58MM extension with the Vikings in 2017. No one knows exactly what’s going on with the three-time Pro Bowler, and the Vikings are understandably concerned about his overall wellbeing.

49ers To Work Out QB Matt Simms

September 25th, 2018 at 12:07pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers’ quarterback tryouts on Tuesday will include Matt Simms, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Simms will join Tom Savage, Kellen Clemens, and T.J. Yates in the audition, and there could be more QBs to come. 

Simms, who turns 30 on Thursday, is the son of Phil Simms. He appeared in four games for the Jets between 2013 and 2014, but has not seen the field since then. In recent years, he has spent time on the Falcons’ practice squad.

The workout will not include former Dolphins QB Matt Moore, although the 49ers did speak to his representatives. The 34-year-old is still weighing his options regarding an NFL return, his agent tells Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).

Bengals Sign DL Adolphus Washington

September 25th, 2018 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have signed defensive lineman Adolphus Washington from the Cowboys’ practice squad, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets. Washington was a third-round pick of the Bills in 2016, but has yet to do much at the pro level and missed the team’s final cut this year.

The Bills reportedly tried trading Washington last season, but found no takers. That’s no surprise given that he has failed to perform and was arrested last summer on weapons charges.

In two-plus years with the team, Washington started 21 games for the Bills and racked up 56 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three passes defended while being used primarily as a run-stuffer. With the Bengals, he’ll try to fill the void after Ryan Glasgow was lost to a season-ending knee injury.

Latest On Le’Veon Bell

September 25th, 2018 at 9:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers can technically net a compensatory draft pick by revoking Le’Veon Bell‘s tag and losing him to another team, but their previous free agency signings would cancel out the loss of the running back, as Mike Florio of PFT writes. 

The Steelers didn’t have the splashiest offseason out there, but they did sign safety Morgan Burnett and linebacker Jon Bostic while losing only tackle Chris Hubbard – all of whom count in the formula. Therefore, if there were to lose Bell right now, it wouldn’t do anything to help their case in terms of 2019 draft picks.

On the other hand, losing Bell as a free agent next year would make a positive mark on their 2020 comp pick formula, provided that they do not add too many compensatory free agents.

So, the Steelers are likely still using a 2020 third-round pick as a reference point in trade talks and would not accept anything less than that in a deal. A 2019 third-round pick could convince them to pull the trigger on a trade, since it carries a higher value and would give them less to worry about when it comes to the 2020 comp formula.

There’s no shortage of teams that would like to land Bell, but any club acquiring him via trade would have to wait until after the season to negotiate a long-term deal. That, coupled with the fact that Bell wants to shatter the market for running backs, will limit the Steelers’ potential return. Still, the Jets have already phoned the Steelers, and other clubs have surely opened up trade talks with GM Kevin Colbert.

49ers Promote Nick Mullens From P-Squad

September 25th, 2018 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers will promote quarterback Nick Mullens from the practice squad, as Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. Mullens will serve as the No. 2 quarterback behind C.J. Beathard, who has been promoted to the top job after Jimmy Garoppolo‘s ACL tear. 

The Niners’ QB search isn’t necessarily done there. On Tuesday, they’ll work out a group of veteran QBs including Tom Savage, T.J. Yates, and Kellen Clemens. Former Dolphins backup Matt Moore may also take part in the audition. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has already said that the team won’t bring in any competition for Beathard, so any quarterback signed would be added as a backup.

Mullens, a Southern Mississippi product, threw for 87 touchdowns against 46 interceptions across his four-year collegiate career. He spent time in camp with the club last offseason and was re-signed on a futures deal this past January.

The 1-2 49ers will have their work cut out for them without Garoppolo and their first test comes on Sunday against the Chargers.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/24/18

September 24th, 2018 at 9:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s workout updates are below. There were some notable names, including veteran quarterback Landry Jones, who was released by the Steelers at final cuts.

Cleveland Browns

Indianapolis Colts

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Looks like the Browns are searching for defensive help, working out a slew of players on that side of the ball. Jones working out for the Patriots is interesting, as he isn’t really young enough to be seen as a developmental project, and Brian Hoyer is entrenched as Tom Brady‘s backup.

Everson Griffen Has ‘Serious Personal Health’ Issue

September 24th, 2018 at 8:46pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

UPDATE: Pelissero confirms Griffen was involved at an incident at a hotel in Minneapolis this weekend. The below story seems to be related to that incident. You can view the details of that report in Pelissero’s follow-up tweet here. Pelissero also adds in another tweet that Griffen is “being evaluated at a local hospital” and that there are “concerns about his mental health.”

Everson Griffen didn’t play in the Vikings’ recent loss to the Bills, and mysteriously wasn’t at the game at all. Coach Mike Zimmer said after the game that his absence wasn’t injury related and was due to something “personal.”

While the situation is still murky, new details are beginning to emerge. Griffen “has been dealing for weeks with a serious, personal health-related issue” sources told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). This helps explain why Zimmer was so vague, but still doesn’t explain why the Vikings said there was no injury to Griffen.

Vikings GM Rick Spielman released a statement with Pelissero’s report, saying “we are aware of the situation involving Everson Griffen and certainly concerned by what we have heard. We are currently focused on Everson’s well-being and providing the appropriate support for him and his family.”

Everything is very vague, but it certainly sounds like Griffen is dealing with a very serious issue. We don’t want to speculate on what it could be, so we’ll wait until further details emerge. However, it doesn’t sound like Minnesota is planning on having Griffen suit up for them anytime soon.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/18

September 24th, 2018 at 7:04pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals 

  • Claimed off waivers from the Browns: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
  • Released: DE Jacquies Smith

Baltimore Ravens

Indianapolis Colts

Los Angeles Chargers

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