HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Joey Bosa Likely To Miss More Games

September 13th, 2018 at 12:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joey Bosa‘s foot issue has become a key concern for the Chargers. Their dynamic defensive end is unlikely to make his season debut for a bit.

During a Sirius XM Radio interview (Twitter link), Anthony Lynn said he does not expect the third-year defender to suit up for the “next couple of weeks.”

Bosa visited foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson on Wednesday and was already not expected to join the Chargers on the field for their Week 2 Bills game Sunday, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets this injury is not serious enough the Bolts are considering an IR stay.

Given his importance to the Chargers’ defense, which ranked third against the pass last season, this poses a problem. Bosa (23 career sacks) and Melvin Ingram are arguably the top edge-rushing pair in the NFL, but the Bolts aren’t particularly deep behind them. Only two more defensive ends — 2017 seventh-rounder Isaac Rochell and third-round Justin Jones — are on Los Angeles’ roster. The Bolts are already without Corey Liuget due to a four-game suspension.

The Chargers allowed Patrick Mahomes to throw four touchdown passes Sunday in a double-digit loss to the Chiefs. After the Bills, the Bolts will trek to the Los Angeles Coliseum for a Rams tilt before rounding out September with a home 49ers assignment.

AFC Notes: Browns, Dorsey, Bills, Bell, Texans, Henderson

September 13th, 2018 at 10:39am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Browns GM John Dorsey never expected to end up in Cleveland. When the longtime NFL executive was fired by the Chiefs last June, Dorsey was “blindsided” by the move according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. After four seasons in Kansas City, Dorsey was forced out in what amounted to a power grab by Chiefs coach Andy Reid.

Dorsey helped turn Kansas City around from a 2-14 team to one with a string of playoff appearances in a row, and even won an Executive of the Year Award with the Chiefs. He’ll now be tasked with turning around the Browns in similar fashion, and walked into a GM’s dream scenario with seemingly endless draft picks and young players to develop. Dorsey’s reign will be closely tied to the development of first overall pick Baker Mayfield. Kay Cabot thinks “Dorsey getting fired by the Chiefs may prove to be the the best thing that ever happened to the Browns”, and while there’s still a lot left to prove, things finally seem to be on the right track in Cleveland.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Speaking of the Browns, when their former first round pick Corey Coleman recently signed with the Patriots, it ended up saving the Bills some money according to Joel Corry of CBS Sports (Twitter link). Buffalo traded for Coleman earlier this season, absorbing all the guarantees left on his contract, but cut him before the season began. Luckily his contract had offset language in it, and the Bills will recoup $592K this year from his deal with New England.
  • More evidence that Le’Veon Bell’s continued absence could hurt his prospects in 2019, as one NFL executive told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN that they see “Bell’s move as disrupting the team-first formula they covet, thus potentially affecting his bottom line” in free agency. Bell is undeniably taking a major gamble, and at this point it seems like he may potentially be seriously harming his open market value.
  • Texans’ offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson‘s season ending injury will cost him financially according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). He was due around $100K in per game active roster bonuses, so the ankle injury will end up costing him about $1.5MM over the course of the season. The players union has reportedly been encouraging agents not to negotiate deals with heavy active roster bonuses, as it essentially punishes players for getting hurt.

Buccaneers Notes: Monken, Koetter, Pierre-Paul, Jackson, Hargreaves

September 13th, 2018 at 9:32am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Buccaneers’ offensive explosion in Week 1 caught pretty much everybody by surprise. The Bucs scored 48 points and won fairly easily on the road in New Orleans. Ryan Fitzpatrick had one of the best games of his career, throwing for 417 yards and four touchdowns and no interceptions.

Although it was mostly the same personnel from previous seasons, there was at least one major change. Offensive coordinator Todd Monken was calling plays instead of head coach Dirk Koetter according to Jenna Laine of ESPN. Koetter had always called plays during his time in Tampa Bay, but relinquished the play calling duties to Monken after he excelled in the role during the preseason. If Week 1 is any indication, it doesn’t look like Koetter will be asking for the responsibility back anytime soon.

Here’s more from Tampa:

  • The injuries just keep piling up for the Bucs on defense. Vernon Hargreaves was recently placed on injured reserve, top corner Brent Grimes‘ status is still unclear, and now star defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul has a knee injury according to Laine (Twitter link). Pierre-Paul told Laine his knee was “jacked up” and that while he hopes to play this Sunday he’s “not really sure” if he’ll be able to.
  • The injuries aren’t only on defense. Receiver DeSean Jackson is in the concussion protocol according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). In addition to the concussion, Jackson is nursing a minor shoulder injury and it’s unclear if he’ll be able to go Sunday against the Eagles, although at this point it looks like he’ll probably play assuming he clears the protocol.
  • It was reported earlier this week that Hargreaves would miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury, and now more details are in. The 11th overall pick of the 2016 draft has a torn labrum according to Laine. Although he struggled his first two years in the league, Hargreaves reportedly had a very strong camp to win the starting job, and it’s a huge blow to the Bucs’ already thin secondary.

Raiders Place Justin Ellis On Injured Reserve

September 13th, 2018 at 8:33am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Raiders will be without defensive tackle Justin Ellis for a while, as they placed the veteran run-stuffer on injured reserve according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Veags Review-Journal (Twitter link).

The good news for Oakland is that Gehlken writes the “season [is] not considered over” for Ellis, posting in a follow-up tweet that Ellis is “expected to resume practice when first eligible in six weeks” and presumably return to the field when first eligible in eight weeks.

According to Gehlken, Ellis suffered a “foot strain” during the Raiders’ opener against the Rams. It’s a big blow to a defense that already saw its defensive front get dominated by the Rams’ offensive line on Monday night. Earlier this year, Ellis signed a three-year $15MM extension with the team, so the new regime led by Jon Gruden clearly thought highly of him.

Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the league’s better run stopping tackles last year, and the Raiders wasted no time in replacing him. They signed a pair of defensive tackles yesterday, adding Clinton McDonald as well as Johnathan Hankins.

Lions Notes: Patricia, Ansah, Martin

September 12th, 2018 at 9:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions looked like one of the league’s worst teams on Monday night while suffering a humiliating loss to the Jets, and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) there are already rumblings that Detroit’s veterans aren’t happy with first-year head coach Matt Patricia. The former Patriots defensive coordinator has reportedly installed rules that Lions players find cumbersome while (in the opinion on the player) over-working them during practice sessions. Ex-New England coordinators finding conflict in their first go-round sans Bill Belichick is nothing new (see: Josh McDaniels, Eric Mangini), but Patricia’s standing with his veteran players is certainly something to keep an eye on as the season progresses.

Here’s more from the Motor City:

  • Defensive end Ezekiel Ansah left Monday night’s contest with a shoulder injury, but an MRI revealed the issue isn’t serious, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who adds Ansah is “hopeful” he can play against the 49ers in Week 2. Losing Ansah for any amount of time would be devastating for the Lions, who don’t have much depth on the edge and ranked just 22nd in adjusted sack rate a season ago. Ansah, 29, was franchise-tagged this offseason and is now earning $17.143MM for the 2018 campaign, but he’ll need to produce again this year in order to land a multi-year deal next spring. He finished the 2017 season with 12 sacks, 44 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
  • The Lions aren’t pleased with punter Sam Martin after the club allowed multiple lengthy returns against the Jets, so they’re taking a look at free agent options, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Ryan Santoso, an undrafted rookie free agent who spent the summer with Detroit, was in for a workout, as was veteran Ryan Quigley. Martin, for his part, ranked second-to-last in net punting average in 2017, but the Lions’ punting unit ranked in the middle of the pack, per Football Outsiders’ special teams metrics. Detroit would take on at least $1.5MM in dead money over the next two seasons if it cuts Martin.
  • In case you missed it, the Lions auditioned free agent cornerback David Amerson earlier this week in an effort to shore up a weak secondary.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/12/18

September 12th, 2018 at 9:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM’s Twitter account:

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys Notes: Irving, Gregory, Su’a-Filo

September 12th, 2018 at 8:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Suspended defensive tackle David Irving is back in the Cowboys’ facility, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Irving was banned four games under the NFL’s substance abuse policy, so he’s allowed to be with the club for workouts and meetings, but not practices. Conversely, Irving wasn’t granted any access with Dallas when he was suspended for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy in 2017. After posting seven sacks in only eight games last season, Irving wasn’t present for Cowboys training camp as he dealt with personal issues. He’s scheduled to return to the field in Week 5 when the Cowboys face the Texans on the road.

Here’s more from Dallas:

  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones pushed back on recent reports that defensive end Randy Gregory could be facing yet another substance abuse suspension, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “I don’t think these reports have any substance at all, if you really want to know the truth about it,” Jones said Tuesday. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier this week that Gregory had suffered a relapse in August and could be banned from the league again, but the NFL has yet to make any formal announcement to that effect. Gregory, of course, has missed 30 of the Cowboys’ past 32 regular season games, including the entire 2017 season, as a result of his violations.
  • Guard Xavier Su’a-Filo‘s deal with the Cowboys is actually a two-year pact and contains a $50K signing bonus, tweets Archer. The fact that Dallas gave Su’a-Filo a multi-year deal could be an indication the club is relatively high on the former second-round pick, and may believe he can factor into its 2019 plans. Su’a-Filo likely received league minimum base salaries, but his contract won’t be classified as a minimum salary benefit deal given that it covers multiple years. Now 27 years old, Su’a-Filo gives the Cowboys a bit of interior offensive line depth as they wait for center Travis Frederick to return.
  • Speaking of Frederick, he reportedly continues to experience numbness in both arms as he deals with the effects of Guillain Barre syndrome, and it’s unclear when he’ll be able to get back on the field.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/12/18

September 12th, 2018 at 7:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Denver Broncos

Houston Texans

New England Patriots

San Francisco 49ers

  • Signed: WR Frank Stephens

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Lions Work Out DT Chris Baker

September 12th, 2018 at 6:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions worked out defensive tackles Chris Baker, Jay Bromley, and Kendall Reyes on Wednesday, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link).

Cincinnati inked Baker to a one-year, $2.45MM deal in March in the hopes that he’d become its starting nose tackle opposite All-Pro three-technique Geno Atkins. However, Baker struggled during the preseason, often getting defeated in both the run and pass game, and was severely outplayed by third-year pro Andrew Billings. The Bengals released Baker just prior to final cutdowns, and he hasn’t drawn any other known interest thus far.

Baker, 30, spent the 2017 campaign with the Buccaneers after signing a three-year pact last March. Although he’d played like of the league’s better interior defenders from 2015-16, Baker struggled in 2017, grading as just the No. 96 defensive tackle among 122 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, and was subsequently released after only a single season in Tampa Bay.

Detroit attempted to fortify its interior defensive line this offseason after losing veteran Haloti Ngata by adding several free agents of their own. Defensive tackles Ricky Jean-Francois and Sylvester Williams were each inked to contracts, while versatile lineman Da’Shawn Hand was brought in via the draft.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/12/18

September 12th, 2018 at 6:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Denver Broncos

  • Waived from injured reserve: OL J.J. Dielman

Detroit Lions

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

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