HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Greg Zuerlein Out “At Least” A Few Weeks

September 17th, 2018 at 7:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The injury Greg Zuerlein sustained during warmups Sunday will keep him out for “at least” a few weeks, Sean McVay said (via ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry, on Twitter).

Los Angeles made a quick move to address this by bringing in Sam Ficken, just as it did when Zuerlein went down late last season. However, the Rams are not ready to place Zuerlein on IR. Such a move would shelve the Pro Bowl specialist for at least eight weeks, so the team certainly appears to believe the seventh-year kicker won’t be out that long.

Zuerlein suffered a groin injury prior to the Rams’ 34-0 win over the Cardinals. The Rams attempted three two-point conversions, converting each, and saw punter Johnny Hekker make an extra point and a 20-yard field goal. Ficken will supply a more proven place-kicking leg while Zuerlein rehabs.

A back injury resulted in Zuerlein heading to IR last season, sidelining the kicker for Los Angeles’ playoff game. Ficken made 2 of 3 field goal attempts and 4 of 5 extra points during his regular-season Rams replacement action last year.

West Rumors: Chiefs, Hawks, Rams, Tryouts

September 17th, 2018 at 6:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Patrick Mahomes being arguably the NFL MVP through two weeks, the Chiefs are exiting a tough two-game stretch — road assignments against the Chargers and Steelers — at 2-0. They’ve done this without their defensive centerpiece. Eric Berry‘s been bothered by a nagging heel injury and hasn’t practice since early August. However, the three-time All-Pro safety is improving in his recovery and may be ready to practice this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The cancer survivor was already trying to surmount his second severe NFL injury, having also missed most of the 2011 season prior to tearing his Achilles’ tendon in Week 1 of last year, and is important for a Chiefs defense that’s struggled in shootout wins.

Here’s the latest out of the Wests entering the Seahawks-Bears Monday tilt.

  • Mychal Kendricks will play plenty in his Seahawks debut Monday night, John Schneider said (Twitter link via Stacy Jo Rost of ESPN 710). Austin Calitro will be Seattle’s middle linebacker in place of the injured Bobby Wagner, Schneider said, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times expects Kendricks to primarily play on the weak side (Twitter link). He’s working with the starters in warmups, per Condotta (on Twitter). Kendricks is facing an NFL suspension for his insider trading charge but is appealing and is thus allowed to play tonight.
  • Rams practice squad center Aaron Neary‘s run into trouble. He was arrested Sunday for suspicion of DUI and hit and run charges, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com reports. Neary’s blood-alcohol level of .17 was more than twice the legal limit, and Thiry adds he was booked into the Ventura County Jail. Neary came to the Rams recently, after being waived by the Browns to create roster space for Anthony Zettel. He spent most of last season on the Rams’ practice squad, playing in one 2017 game, but may have trouble keeping that spot.
  • Clive Walford ventured to Kansas City for a Chiefs workout on Monday, Rapoport tweets. The former Raiders tight end was a Jets cut this summer. After being a regular in Oakland’s passing game in 2015-16, the one-time third-round pick only caught nine passes for 80 yards last season.
  • The Raiders‘ affinity for 30-somethings this offseason should be well known, and Jon Gruden said the team would have signed Clinton McDonald in March had a medical issue not intervened, per Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (on Twitter). McDonald signed with the Broncos, but they reworked his contract because of an injury. He’s now with the Raiders, having made his Raider debut in Denver.
  • Joe Callahan was among a contingent that worked out for the Raiders on Monday, Gehlken tweets. The now-well-traveled backup quarterback was most recently with the Eagles during the preseason. Quarterback Kyle Allen, tight end Billy Brown, running back Orleans Darkwa, wide receivers Roger Lewis and Hunter Sharp also auditioned for the Silver and Black, per NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter). The Colts, Jets, Bills, Patriots (twice) and Redskins have brought in Darkwa for workouts this year.
  • Former Broncos backup inside linebacker Zaire Anderson will work out for the Cardinals on Tuesday, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Anderson spent three years with the Broncos — 2015-17, being on Denver’s practice squad during its Super Bowl season — before being a post-preseason cut. Also working out for the Cardinals: linebacker Nigel Harris, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).

Saints To Bring Back DT Jay Bromley

September 17th, 2018 at 6:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jay Bromley‘s spent a couple of weeks on the NFL in-season workout circuit, but the defensive tackle will rejoin the Saints.

With Tyeler Davison battling a foot injury, the Saints will bring back Bromley after cutting him prior to the regular season, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The former third-round pick served as a Giants depth cog for four seasons, playing in 55 games from 2014-17. He joined the Saints in May before being released in September. Bromley’s since worked out for the Bills and Lions.

Bromley will join David Onyemata and rookie UDFA Taylor Stallworth as Saints defensive tackles, presumably set to play as a backup behind Onyemata in the event Davison must miss time. Davison started in Week 1 but missed the Saints’ Week 2 game. Onyemata started alongside Sheldon Rankins against the Browns.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/17/18

September 17th, 2018 at 6:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Monday’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Redskins To Add Michael Floyd

September 17th, 2018 at 5:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Monday workout that led to Breshad Perriman earning a Redskins contract also produced another offer, and Michael Floyd will be another new wideout coming to Washington full-time.

Floyd will sign with the Redskins, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), and join Perriman in adding to the team’s fluid receiving corps.

Perriman, Floyd and Kendall Wright were among the notable receivers to audition for Washington on Monday morning. Floyd, who has three 800-plus-yard receiving seasons on his resume, will follow Perriman as a likely depth piece for the reeling Redskins.

Washington placed rookies Cam Sims and Trey Quinn on IR, along with second-year man Robert Davis. And Paul Richardson entered Week 2 with a questionable designation because of a shoulder injury.

Floyd was most recently with the Saints, who signed him late in the offseason and cut him after the preseason slate. He has not played a regular role on a team since the Cardinals cut him in 2016 after an off-field incident. The former first-round pick did post three 800-plus-yard seasons, but those came from 2013-15. He caught 10 passes for 78 yards with the Vikings last season.

Bills Notes: Allen, McCoy, Staff, CBs

September 17th, 2018 at 5:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite the quarterback battle between Nathan Peterman and Josh Allen being close during the preseason, the Bills did not want their No. 7 overall pick to have to play so soon. They hoped Peterman would keep the job “for a while” while Allen learned, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. However, after Peterman’s 0.0 passer rating against the Ravens, little debate ensued about making the move to the rookie for Week 2.

“You wish you had more to go on than just the three starts, and it might be different if this was a veteran with a five-year body of work,” a Bills source told La Canfora, recalling Peterman’s five-interception start against the Chargers last season. “But you don’t have anything else to go on, and after it happens a second time you can’t just write it off as an anomaly.”

Allen is now the starter, but La Canfora reports the Bills remain on the lookout for quarterbacks — via the waiver wire and on other teams’ depth charts. However, as for their QB1 job, it’s Allen’s. Sean McDermott confirmed as much Monday (via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW, on Twitter). Citing the Wyoming product’s intellect, the Bills did not envision their draft prize sitting an entire season like some expected, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). In his first start, a loss to the Chargers, Allen completed 18 of 33 passes for 245 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

Here’s the latest from Buffalo:

  • Allen may not have LeSean McCoy available to take handoffs in Week 3. The former All-Pro running back cracked rib cartilage against the Chargers, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding McCoy will be questionable to face Vikings. Worries existed this injury indeed was cracked ribs, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), who adds this injury won’t be classified as a fracture. Chris Ivory resides as Buffalo’s backup running back.
  • McDermott took over play-calling duties from defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier mid-game, he confirmed after the Bills’ loss to the Chargers. “I just thought we needed a spark and that’s my background,” McDermott said. Frazier said during his tenure he and McDermott have worked collaboratively, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • Vontae Davis‘ mid-game retirement obviously caught the Bills by surprise, and it’s final. McDermott will not be reaching out to the cornerback, who signed with the Bills this offseason. “I have not been in touch with Vontae today,” McDermott said (via Buscaglia, on Twitter). “His actions were loud and clear. My focus is on my team right now.”
  • Despite the 30-year-old corner retiring, the Bills received a roster exemption for Davis, Rapoport tweets. It’s a left-squad designation, per NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link).
  • Phillip Gaines will now be counted on to start opposite Tre’Davious White, but he’s encountered some injury trouble. Gaines dislocated one of his elbows, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. That may not stop him from playing in Week 3, but it’s a concern at this point, per Rodak. After a shaky stay with the Chiefs, Gaines joined Davis in signing with the Bills this offseason. The Bills have fourth-round rookie Taron Johnson and third-year player Lafayette Pitts on their roster. With Davis gone and Gaines injured, Buffalo has three available corners at this moment.

Redskins Work Out Paxton Lynch, WRs

September 17th, 2018 at 4:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

While Breshad Perriman‘s Monday workout was enough to land him a Redskins contract, the team brought in several notable free agents for visits as it begins Week 3 preparations.

Paxton Lynch‘s workout tour continued with a trip to Washington, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets Kendall Wright and Michael Floyd were also part of the contingent to audition for the Redskins.

The Redskins mark the fourth team Lynch has auditioned for, following the Bills, Lions and Eagles. Washington is carrying just two quarterbacks — Alex Smith and Colt McCoy — on its active roster and doesn’t have any on its practice squad. Lynch still has P-squad eligibility. The 24-year-old quarterback could not come close to justifying his draft status in Denver, but other teams continue to kick the tires on the once-highly regarded prospect.

Wright and Floyd saw the Vikings and Saints, respectively, deem them preseason cuts. While it’s been a bit since Floyd had a steady gig, Wright led the Bears in receiving last season. Washington signed Perriman on Monday afternoon, making him its latest wideout addition this season.

Browns To Sign WR Rod Streater

September 17th, 2018 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

More Josh Gordon fallout: the Browns will replace the recently traded wide receiver on their roster with veteran Rod Streater, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports (on Twitter).

Streater was most recently in camp with the Bills but could not make their 53-man roster. He has not played in a regular-season game since the 2016 season, when he was with the 49ers.

A 6-foot-2 pass-catcher, Streater’s most notable NFL work came with the Raiders many years ago. He caught 60 passes for 888 yards and four touchdowns with the 2013 Raiders, doing so after surpassing 500 air yards as a rookie in 2012. In the seasons since, he hasn’t exceeded 300 yards combined.

The 30-year-old wideout joins a Browns roster that just lost Gordon. Jarvis Landry and Antonio Callaway headline Cleveland’s receiving corps, with Rashard Higgins, Damion Ratley and UDFA rookie Derrick Willies factoring in as well.

Redskins To Sign Breshad Perriman

September 17th, 2018 at 4:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the teams that contacted the Browns about Josh Gordon will sign another former AFC North pass-catcher.

The Redskins will sign Breshad Perriman after working him out earlier Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The former Ravens first-round pick has not made much of an impression in three NFL seasons, years largely marred by injuries. Maladies to current Washington receivers prompted this deal, however. Trey Quinn, Cam Sims and Robert Davis are all on IR. Perriman joins Brian Quick and Jehu Chesson in being in-season Redskins additions, although Quick spent last season in Washington as well.

Perriman caught 33 passes for 499 yards and three touchdowns in 2016. He missed all of his rookie season and part of his sophomore campaign due to injuries. He caught 10 passes for 77 yards in 2017 and was a Ravens cut prior to this regular season’s outset.

The Central Florida product just turned 25 last week, however, and the Redskins will see if they can salvage some of the potential he carried into the NFL as a prospect.

Patriots To Acquire Josh Gordon

September 17th, 2018 at 3:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

It’s a done deal. Josh Gordon is headed to the Patriots, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Pats will send a fifth-round pick to the Browns for the former All-Pro.

Gordon is expected to play for the Patriots on Sunday night against the Lions, Schefter reports (via Twitter). The Patriots will receive a 2019 seventh-round pick from the Browns if Gordon is unable to play 10 games with New England this season, per Schefter (on Twitter).

The Patriots will waive former Gordon Browns teammate Corey Coleman to make room, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

This trade was initially supposed to be for a sixth-round pick, but with New England not having a 2019 sixth, Schefter adds Cleveland will receive a fifth for Gordon. The Browns wanted to send Gordon to the NFC, and Schefter tweets they discussed the seventh-year wideout with the Cowboys, Redskins and 49ers before the Patriots stepped up. The Gordon market was vast but not flush with strong offers, with Albert Breer of SI.com tweeting a sixth-rounder was set to get this deal done before the Pats agreed to part with a fifth.

The 27-year-old wide receiver recently underwent a hamstring MRI, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the scan came out fine. That would put him on track to play for his new team on Sunday night.

This ends a six-plus-year saga for Gordon in Cleveland. He’s leaving a team that’s won one game since the start of the 2016 season and heading to this era’s most successful franchise. Gordon could be controlled on his 2012 rookie contract through the 2019 season. He’s set to be a restricted free agent after 2018.

“John (Dorsey) got the best he could,” Hue Jackson said Monday (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com).

Some in the Browns’ organization believe Gordon slipped in his recovery program, per Cabot, who adds it wasn’t Gordon’s hamstring issue but his rampant off-field issues that finally prompted the Browns to cut the cord. They first announced they were planning to cut Gordon. That understandably generated a trade market for the mercurial talent, and Dorsey will add draft capital as a result. Although if Gordon proves healthy and available for the Pats, he’ll be worth more than a fifth-round pick.

But the Patriots are comfortable enough to make a deal. They are getting a player who delivered one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history, albeit way back in 2013, and one of the league’s most notorious suspension risks. Gordon’s missed all but 11 games since the start of the 2014 season.

Gordon will add not only to the extensive Browns-Pats pipeline that’s formed — joining Jamie Collins, Barkevious Mingo, Jason McCourty and Danny Shelton among notable players these franchises have exchanged recently — but represent another Bill Belichick reclamation project. He’ll join Corey Dillon, Randy Moss, Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth in that club and represent more risk than each, given his history.

The Patriots, however, could well be facing a closing championship window — with Tom Brady now 41 — and have made 28 wide receiver transactions since the 2018 league year began. They’ve attempted for months to find weapons for Brady; they’ve now landed the most interesting possible piece.

New England is without Julian Edelman until after Week 4 and have been discussing receivers with other teams leading up to their Gordon deal. The former second-round supplemental pick joins a receiving corps headed by Chris Hogan and Phillip Dorsett.

Belichick will gamble the newest Patriot can stay on the field. Gordon missed all of the 2015 and ’16 seasons due to substance-abuse trouble, incurred a 10-game 2014 ban and did not suit up for the Browns until December 2017 post-reinstatement. Gordon also missed Browns training camp, reportedly checking himself into a rehab facility in fear of another substance-abuse relapse. He also admitted he’d played under the influence since high school, so his future with another organization will be interesting to follow.

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