2018 November - Pro Football Rumors

49ers DB Jimmie Ward Done For Season

November 26th, 2018 at 5:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

49ers defensive back Jimmie Ward will miss the remainder of the season after breaking his forearm on Sunday, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

Ward hasn’t been able to avoid injury over the past year-plus, as he also missed the second half of the 2017 campaign with a broken arm. A former first-round pick, Ward had played both safety and cornerback this season, displaying versatility when injuries elsewhere on the San Francisco roster forced him to move between positions. He’d started the past four games at corner in place of Adrian Colbert, who was placed on injured reserve in late October.

“I wanted to finish the season off,” Ward said, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “Safety is easy for me. It’s natural. Corner, I just started playing corner when I got in the league so each play, each game, I just started getting better, just like I was getting better at safety. So, I’ll be all right. I’ll bounce back and I’ll ball.”

Ward is currently playing on his fifth-year option, on which he’s collecting $8.526MM before hitting free agency next spring. The 49ers could conceivably re-sign Ward before he reaches the open market, but given that he was at least mentioned in trade rumors in November, it’s possible San Francisco is ready to move on.

Ward, 27, will end the 2018 season having appeared in nine games while making seven starts. He played 62.9% of the 49ers’ defensive snaps and roughly a third of the club’s special teams snaps, managing 24 tackles in that time.

Jaguars Promote Scott Milanovich To OC

November 26th, 2018 at 4:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

After firing Nathaniel Hackett, the Jaguars will tab one of his lieutenants as the replacement offensive coordinator.

Quarterbacks coach Scott Milanovich will take over as OC and call plays, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Milanovich is in his second season with the Jaguars.

Hackett joined the Jags as their QBs coach in 2015, ascending to the role of interim OC during the 2016 season and taking over full-time during the 2017 offseason. The Jags, though, have struggled for most of this season. They rank 28th in points scored and 22nd in yardage.

The Jags gave Milanovich his first NFL role. The 45-year-old assistant and former Maryland quarterback spent the previous five seasons as the Toronto Argonauts’ head coach. He’ll now be working with new starting quarterback Cody Kessler, whom the Jaguars are moving into the starting lineup to take over for the ineffective Blake Bortles.

CB Sean Smith Suspended

November 26th, 2018 at 4:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sean Smith‘s NFL days may well be over, and it’s certain he will not play in 2018. The free agent cornerback will be suspended for the rest of this season, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The 31-year-old corner spent part of this year in prison but was released over the summer. An assault incident led to a one-year prison sentence, and Smith served less than half of that. Smith will be eligible to petition for reinstatement following Super Bowl LIII, per Schefter, though that’s obviously not a lock given what’s transpired.

The felony assault charge stemmed from a July 4, 2017 incident. Smith allegedly beat his sister’s boyfriend and stomped on his head. This came barely a year after the Raiders signed him to a four-year deal.

A former Dolphins, Chiefs and Raiders defender, Smith has been available since his release, but, predictably, no one signed him. The Raiders released Smith this offseason. He will turn 32 before the start of the 2019 season.

Prior to the prison stay, though, the 6-foot-3 boundary corner did start 123 games from 2009-17. Last season marked just the second year of Smith’s nine-season career he wasn’t a full-time starter.

Patriots Activate Rex Burkhead From IR

November 26th, 2018 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

New England’s backfield will soon be the deepest it’s been since the start of this season. Rex Burkhead will likely be in uniform Sunday after the Patriots activated him from IR, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

The Patriots will waive offensive lineman Matt Tobin to make room on their roster, per ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter).

This season hasn’t been the smoothest for the Pats’ backfield. Sony Michel has missed time due to injury, and Jeremy Hill was lost for the season after Week 1. Burkhead suffered a neck injury later in September and went to IR. He returned to practice nearly three weeks ago, and the Patriots just beat the three-week window they had to activate their utility back.

Burkhead played a key role for the AFC champion Pats last season, totaling 518 yards from scrimmage and scoring eight touchdowns. He missed six games due to injury a year ago. He’ll join Michel and James White in a Patriots running back corps that’s starting to resemble well-rounded groups of past Pats teams.

Bengals Place Andy Dalton On IR

November 26th, 2018 at 3:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Andy Dalton‘s thumb injury will end his season. The Bengals will place their starting quarterback on IR, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter).

Cincinnati also claimed Tom Savage off waivers from the 49ers, per Dehner (on Twitter). Jeff Driskel, who took his first NFL snaps this season, will be in line to start the rest of the way for Cincinnati. This may deal a massive blow to the Bengals’ fleeting playoff hopes.

Torn thumb ligaments will cause Dalton to venture to IR, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). It’s not known if a surgery is scheduled, but that would be logical given the IR announcement. This malady forced Dalton out of the Bengals’ Week 12 loss, but it was initially reported the eighth-year quarterback did not suffer a break. Still, he will head to IR for the first time in his career.

Dalton has missed just three games in his career — all in 2015, which crushed probably the best Bengals team in the past 30 years — and the Bengals did not invest much in a backup quarterback this offseason. A.J. McCarron departed via free agency, but the Bengals retained Driskel and essentially promoted him to QB2.

The Bengals started out 4-1 but have lost five of their past six games. Dalton did not finish losses against the Saints and Browns, the former because of the nature of the game. He was enjoying a better season than he produced in 2017, throwing 21 touchdown passes and holding a 64.6 Total QBR — nearly 20 points better than his 2017 mark.

Dalton had cooled off, though, since Cincy’s hot start, failing to eclipse 160 passing yards in three of his past five starts — the most recent such instance because of his injury. A.J. Green‘s absence had plenty to do with this, but while the Bengals’ top player may be ready to return in Week 13 against the Broncos, Driskel (36 career pass attempts) will be throwing him passes.

Driskel began his college career at Florida before transferring to Louisiana Tech. He landed with the 49ers in 2016 as a UDFA.

Savage spent parts of this season with the 49ers but was jettisoned multiple times, the most recent cut coming Saturday. He was the Texans’ opening day starter in 2017, but Deshaun Watson quickly replaced him. After Watson’s injury, Savage returned. He finished last season with 1,412 passing yards, five touchdown throws and six INTs.

Colts To Place Jack Doyle On IR

November 26th, 2018 at 2:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The surging Colts are likely to see a key cog in their offense head to injured reserve. Jack Doyle suffered an injury Sunday that will send him to IR, Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports (subscription required).

It’s a kidney injury, Frank Reich said (via Mike Chappell of Fox 59). Reich said Doyle was hospitalized because of this ailment and underwent a procedure.

Teaming with touchdown maven Eric Ebron, Doyle caught one of Andrew Luck‘s TD passes Sunday — Indianapolis’ fifth straight win — but appears set to see his season end early. Doyle missed five games earlier this season because of a hip injury but had returned to play in the Colts’ past three contests.

Indianapolis was down to just Ebron and Doyle on Sunday, with Erik Swoope, Mo Alie-Cox and Ryan Hewitt out. The Colts are likely to consider adding a reinforcement at this position, Holder notes.

Colts tight ends have caught 18 of Luck’s 32 touchdown passes this season. Though Ebron’s 11 TD grabs comprise much of that total, Doyle scored twice in limited action.

Swoope and Alie-Cox’s five combined scores make them potentially promising fill-ins, but their injuries complicate matters. An 80-reception, 690-yard season sent Doyle to the Pro Bowl last year. He’s signed through 2019 but has no guaranteed money remaining on a three-year, $18.9MM deal.

Lions To Place WR Marvin Jones On IR

November 26th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Marvin Jones‘ third Lions season will come to an end early. Detroit will place the veteran wide receiver on IR, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News tweets.

A knee injury has sidelined Jones in recent weeks. The Lions are signing linebacker Nicholas Grigsby to fill Jones’ roster spot, per Rogers (on Twitter).

Detroit dealt Golden Tate to Philadelphia this season but soon after lost Jones to injury. The 2017 Lions saw both players exceed 1,000 yards, making them the only 1,000-1,000 receiver tandem last season, but this year’s group will play without both the rest of the way. Kenny Golladay will take over as the Lions’ No. 1 wideout.

Signed through 2020 on his $40MM deal, Jones had played in 31 regular-season games with Detroit from 2016-17. He’ll end up missing seven this season. The 28-year-old wideout caught 35 passes for 508 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Jaguars Place Andrew Norwell On IR

November 26th, 2018 at 1:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The ankle injury Andrew Norwell suffered Sunday will result in an IR stay for the veteran guard. His first Jaguars season will come to an end.

Norwell is now set to rehab a sprained ankle and will miss the Jags’ final five games. Jacksonville made the 2017 first-team a $13MM-per-year player this offseason.

This marks the fourth starting offensive lineman the Jags have sent to IR this season. Norwell follows Cam Robinson, Brandon Linder and part-time starter Josh Wells to the season-ending injury list. The former Panthers guard started all 11 games this season.

Jacksonville is now 3-8 and has fired its offensive coordinator and demoted its longtime starting quarterback today. While significant changes may be in store for the Jags this offseason — though, Doug Marrone is believed to be safe — Norwell will almost certainly be back in Jacksonville’s starting lineup next season.

Cardinals Cut Andre Smith, Bene Benwikere

November 26th, 2018 at 1:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cardinals made a host of moves Monday afternoon. Another of Patrick Peterson‘s top sidekicks is now out of the picture, with Arizona making the decision to waive cornerback Bene Benwikere.

Additionally, the Cards are cutting veteran tackle Andre Smith. They also placed Phil Dawson and linebacker Josh Bynes on IR and are elevating kicker Zane Gonzalez from the practice squad. The team announced the moves.

Smith’s inconsistency will end his Arizona tenure, per Steve Wilks (via ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss, on Twitter). He started eight games at right tackle for the Cardinals, including Sunday’s 45-10 loss to the Chargers, but has not played to the level he displayed during his earlier Bengals days. The 31-year-old edge blocker will head to the waiver wire, joining the less experienced Benwikere.

The Cards already parted ways with Jamar Taylor, acquired in hopes he could fill the Peterson-sidekick role the team has long had issues with, after Benwikere beat him out for that job. The young journeyman started eight Arizona games this season, intercepting one pass and making 51 tackles. Benwikere’s eight starts represent a career high in his five-season NFL run.

Dawson’s been dealing with a hip injury this season. It forced the 43-year-old kicker to miss a game earlier this month. The Cardinals’ kicker over the past two seasons, the 20-year veteran is a free agent after this season. He’s attempted a career-low eight field goals, making five. This will end Dawson’s least accurate season.

Previously going with rookie Matthew McCrane to fill in for Dawson, the Cardinals will now turn to Gonzalez. The Browns waived Gonzalez after a rough Week 2. The 2017 seventh-round pick has not kicked in a game since.

Despite being retained on a low-level deal, Bynes was playing ahead of both Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick this season. He made 75 tackles, registered two sacks and returned a fumble for a touchdown in a standout season. Bynes is signed through the 2020 season.

Jaguars Bench Blake Bortles

November 26th, 2018 at 1:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time this season, the Jaguars have demoted Blake Bortles. The reeling team will turn to Cody Kessler in Week 13. Doug Marrone announced the change Monday.

The Jags demoted Bortles during a loss earlier this season, but after Kessler’s cameo, the defending AFC South champions reinstalled Bortles as their starter. That decision did not work out. The Jags lost their next four games and are now 3-8.

With its losing streak now at seven games, Jacksonville fired offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Now, Bortles will head to the bench. The Jags acquired Kessler from the Browns this offseason, one that may be scrutinized for a while.

During a rocky 2017 Bortles season, the Jaguars were viewed as a prime suitor for quarterbacks in this year’s unusually deep market. But Bortles (and a No. 1-ranked defense) helped the Jags to the AFC championship game. Instead of moving on from Bortles, the franchise signed him to an $18MM-AAV extension and did not make a significant investment in a possible challenger for the embattled starter. Kessler, acquired for a conditional 2019 seventh-rounder, was the top offseason add.

Prior to their decision to bypass the the 2018 QB marketplace — which included Kirk Cousins, Alex Smith, Case Keenum, Tyrod Taylor and Teddy Bridgewater — the Jaguars passed on Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson to select Leonard Fournette during the 2017 draft. They now figure to be interested in a 2019 upgrade at the position though will have a difficult time shedding Bortles’ contract. The fifth-year passer is signed through 2020 and would cost the Jags $16.5MM in dead money to cut in 2019. Bortles has a $1MM roster bonus due in March, and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com adds (via Twitter) $6.5MM of his $14MM 2019 base salary is fully guaranteed.

Bortles posted a 46.8 Total QBR this season and threw for fewer than 130 yards in his past two games. The 2014 No. 3 overall pick has completed less than 60 percent of his passes in six of the seven games that have comprised the Jags’ losing streak.

A 2016 third-round pick, Kessler’s made eight starts — all in Cleveland’s 1-15 2016 season — and has thrown seven touchdown passes compared to four interceptions. He completed 70 percent of his passes, albeit at just 5.2 yards per attempt, in his lone Jags appearance this season.

The team is now plunging toward another top-10 pick, which would be its 11th in the past 12 years. Next year’s draft crop, though, is not expected to be as fruitful at the quarterback position as the most recent group of prospects was.