2018 September - Pro Football Rumors

Aqib Talib To Undergo Surgery

September 25th, 2018 at 5:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aqib Talib is expected to miss around a month of action because of a high ankle sprain suffered in the Rams’ win over the Chargers. However, this process will now include a surgery.

Sean McVay confirmed Talib will have surgery on Thursday (per The Athletic’s Vincent Bonsignore, on Twitter). He’s been declared out for Thursday’s game against the Vikings, and McVay isn’t sure how long it will take Talib to recover from this operation, per Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

An IR stay for the 11th-year defender hasn’t yet been mentioned. The Rams are set to face the Vikings in a key NFC game Thursday and may not have either Talib or Marcus Peters for it. Peters is battling a calf strain and is day-to-day, per McVay.

This will be a blow to a Rams team flush with star talent on defense. Nickell Robey-Coleman and Sam Shields represent the next men up, but Robey-Coleman serves as Los Angeles’ slot corner. Shields missed all but one game during the 2016 and ’17 seasons due to severe concussion trouble. He’s played in 48 snaps across three Rams games this season, however. The former Packers top corner is still just 30.

Talib has not missed more than three games in a season since his 2012 campaign with the Buccaneers and Patriots. He missed three games for the 2016 Broncos but still earned his first-team All-Pro honor. He missed one game last season, but that was for his fight with Michael Crabtree.

Following their home Vikings tilt, the Rams have road trips scheduled for Seattle, Denver and San Francisco. It appears unlikely Talib will be healthy enough to face the Broncos in Week 6.

Matt Moore Turns Down Titans Workout

September 25th, 2018 at 5:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Austin Davis‘ signing with the Titans would seem to indicate they’ve decided on the outside quarterback investment they’ll be making while Marcus Mariota and Blaine Gabbert deal with injuries. But Tennessee wanted a more experienced backup option to come in for a workout.

The Titans sought Matt Moore for a workout this week, Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com tweets. Moore, though, decided against attending. He also turned down a chance to take part in a now-extensive 49ers signal-caller audition. There may be more to this as well.

Moore served as Ryan Tannehill‘s backup with the Dolphins for five seasons, but Miami chose to sign Jay Cutler after its starter went down last summer, adding $10MM to the payroll rather than just promoting Moore. Rumors of Moore having arm trouble are out there, with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweeting Moore didn’t get the Dolphins’ job in 2017 because his arm was “shot.”

It’s uncertain if that’s true, but the 34-year-old passer turning down multiple opportunities this week is certainly interesting. Earlier this offseason, Moore discussed a deal with the Chiefs and Texans but was willing to wait for the right fit. The Dolphins’ decision to sign Cutler last year reportedly irked Moore as well.

Moore took over for an injured Tannehill in 2016 and led the Dolphins to the playoffs. He did not fare as well in two starts for Cutler last year, his yards-per-attempt figure dropping from 8.3 to 6.8 and his interception count (five) eclipsing his touchdown-pass total (four).

49ers To Work Out QB Landry Jones

September 25th, 2018 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers’ list of prospective quarterbacks continues to grow. On Tuesday, Landry Jones will join the group of roster hopefuls looking to join San Francisco, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic (on Twitter).

Jones, a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2013, has already spent time on the workout circuit this season. He’s auditioned for the Patriots, Jaguars and Cowboys over the past eight days.

The longtime Steelers backup will join Tom Savage, Kellen Clemens, Matt Simms and T.J. Yates among those vying to presumably serve as the No. 2 man behind new starter C.J. Beathard. Jones doesn’t have as much service-time experience as Clemens or Yates, nor has he opened a season as a starter like Savage has, but he did spend five seasons in Pittsburgh and started five games from 2015-17.

A prolific college quarterback while at Oklahoma, Jones has a career 63.9 completion percentage (7.8 yards per attempt) and has thrown eight touchdown passes compared to seven interceptions. He played in three games for an injured Ben Roethlisberger and started the Steelers’ past two Week 17 games — both against the Browns — while the Steelers rested Big Ben. Joshua Dobbs, however, beat out Jones for Pittsburgh’s backup job this offseason.

Packers To Place CB Davon House On IR

September 25th, 2018 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers’ cornerback contingent will thin out following a Tuesday transaction. Davon House is headed to the Packers’ IR list, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (on Twitter).

A shoulder injury has bothered the veteran cover man all season, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky adds (via Twitter). He’ll now have at least eight weeks to surmount it, but it’s obviously possible House is out for the remainder of the season.

House will need surgery, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link), and Demovsky reports it will be a season-ending procedure.

Green Bay used House as a 12-game starter last season but hasn’t given him nearly as much run to start 2018. Although House has seen action in all three games, he’s played just 29 total snaps. Additions of Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson, and the return of Tramon Williams, have cut into House’s playing time.

The Packers are working out other cornerbacks, per Rapoport. Both House and Kevin King, who missed Week 3 with a groin injury, are battling maladies. While King’s availability for Week 4 isn’t yet known, House will be down until at least November because of his shoulder troubles.

House is still just 29 despite having two Packers stints separated by two Jaguars seasons. He was part of a five-man Packers corner corps, and the team will surely add a replacement soon.

Buccaneers Place Chris Conte On IR

September 25th, 2018 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have placed strong safety Chris Conte on injured reserve. Conte was forced to exit Monday night’s game against the Steelers with a knee injury, and it wound up being a serious issue.

Conte has been a starter for the bulk of his career and has been a fixture in the Bucs’ secondary for the last four seasons. Last year, he played in all 16 games last year, starting 14. He didn’t set the world on fire as he was ranked No. 57 at his position by PFF, but the Bucs saw him as a serviceable player and brought him back on a low-cost $2.375MM option.

Conte was posterized by Steelers tight end Vance McDonald on Monday night, but the brutal stiff arm proved to be the least of his problems. Meanwhile, the Bucs will have to draw from a reserve safety group that includes fourth-round rookie Jordan Whitehead and former UDFA Isaiah Johnson.

Saints To Place Patrick Robinson On IR

September 25th, 2018 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are expected to place cornerback Patrick Robinson on injured reserve with a broken ankle, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Saints initially thought Robinson was dealing with a sprain, but further tests uncovered more serious damage.

It’s not immediately clear whether the injury will rule Robinson out for the year. Per league rules, Robinson can return after spending at least eight weeks on IR, so he could be back in the lineup later this year if he heals up quickly.

The injury will impact the Saints for however long Robinson is out of action. Through three weeks, the Saints have one of the worst-ranked pass defenses in the NFL, and the loss of their top slot man will hurt.

After winning a championship with the Eagles, Robinson inked a four-year deal with the Saints in March. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 ranked CB.

Bills Trade Marshall Newhouse To Panthers

September 25th, 2018 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are trading offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse to the Panthers, a source tells Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). In exchange, the Bills will receive a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick (Twitter link via Joe Person of The Athletic).

Newhouse, 30 on Saturday, started 14 games at right tackle for the Raiders last season. In March, Oakland released him, leading him to sign a free agent deal with Buffalo. Newhouse was set to serve as a reserve after the trade of Cordy Glenn and the departure of Seantrel Henderson, but didn’t do much in his three games behind starters Dion Dawkins and Jordan Mills.

The Panthers’ O-Line, meanwhile, is coming off of a solid performance on Sunday which helped propel the team to a 31-21 win over the Bengals. The Panthers hope that Newhouse can fit in as a backup behind Taylor Moton and Amini Silatolu, particularly with Daryl Williams and Matt Kalil sidelined.

To replace Newhouse, the Bills are signing offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles. Sirles started 14 games from 2016-17 in Minnesota and spent the offseason with Carolina before being waived/injured.

49ers Haven’t Discussed Colin Kaepernick

September 25th, 2018 at 3:01pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says the team has not discussed bringing back Colin Kaepernick (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). Shanahan added that the team discussed signing Kaepernick last year, but determined that he was not the right fit for their offense.

After Jimmy Garoppolo‘s season-ending ACL tear, the 49ers are looking into backup quarterback options. Kaepernick represents a viable starter in a sea of clipboard holders, but he is not in consideration for San Francisco. Kaepernick may not be an ideal fit for the offense, but the national controversy surrounding him may also be playing a role here.

Kaepernick, 31 in November, has spent his entire NFL career to date with the 49ers. From 2011-2016, he went 28-30 in his starts, though he did take the team to the Super Bowl following the 2012 season and the NFC championship game following the 2013 campaign. Kaepernick’s last start came in January of 2017 as the 49ers closed out a trying season with a loss to the Seahawks.

Falcons Sign Bruce Carter, Sharrod Neasman

September 25th, 2018 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have signed linebacker Bruce Carter and safety Sharrod Neasman, according to a team announcement. In related moves, the Falcons formally placed Ricardo Allen on injured reserve and waived linebacker Richard Jarvis.

The Falcons said they would not make a splashy signing at safety to replace Allen, and the signing of Neasman shows that they are sticking to that plan. Neasman has previous experience with the Falcons, but does not represent a starting option. Without the services of Allen or Keanu Neal, the Falcons seem content with a group that includes Damontae Kazee, Jordan Richards, Keith Tandy, linebacker/safety Kemal Ishmael, and Neasman. The Seahawks may be open to trading Earl Thomas and Eric Reid continues to look for work, but the Falcons believe they have enough to get by.

Carter, who has past experience with the Cowboys, Bucs, and Jets, spent much of the last two years playing special teams in New York.

Titans To Sign QB Austin Davis

September 25th, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans are signing free agent quarterback Austin Davis, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Davis will provide veteran insurance with Blaine Gabbert in the concussion protocol and Marcus Mariota nursing an elbow injury.

The expectation remains that Mariota will be ready to face the Eagles on Sunday, especially after he came in for Gabbert over the weekend. But, with Gabbert’s status up in the air, the Titans wanted another QB ready in reserve. If Mariota’s elbow trouble flares up again, it’s possible that Davis could be thrown into live action against the defending champs.

The Titans’ passing offense has been inconsistent through three games, but they’ve managed to jump out to a 2-1 record after wins against a pair of divisional rivals. The Titans hope that Mariota will regain his footing on Sunday, and they certainly hope that they won’t have to put Davis on the field.