HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Texans RB Lamar Miller Tears ACL, Possibly MCL

August 24th, 2019 at 9:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Texans running back Lamar Miller suffered a torn ACL in Saturday’s preseason contest, as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Per McClain, Miller may have also torn his MCL. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported last night that Houston feared an ACL tear for their No. 1 RB (Twitter link).

Miller will obviously miss the entire 2019 campaign, so Duke Johnson will become the team’s top running back for now. The Texans acquired Johnson from the Browns a few weeks ago, but he isn’t necessarily a workhorse type of back (though as McClain adds in a separate tweet, Johnson will get all the playing time he can handle).

The Texans don’t have much else on the depth chart behind Johnson at the moment. They have veteran Taiwan Jones, who has mostly been a special teamer in recent years, and then a bunch of unproven young/UDFA types. It’s quite possible that they’ll look to acquire a veteran either through a trade or from what’s left on the free agent market. Indeed, the club could ask for an RB in the Jadeveon Clowney trade that is expected to be consummated soon.

Among available free agents, Jay Ajayi is probably the biggest name. Ajayi would make some sense, although he obviously has a significant injury history of his own.

Miller was entering the final year of the four-year, $26MM contract he signed with Houston back in 2016, so this is a tough blow to his open market value entering next offseason. He’ll be 29 in April, and coming off a major injury, he will likely have to settle for a prove-it deal.

Andrew Luck Retiring From NFL

August 24th, 2019 at 8:29pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Truly shocking news, as Colts quarterback Andrew Luck is retiring from the NFL, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Schefter reports there will be a press conference on Sunday to formally announce the news. He writes that Luck “is mentally worn down, and now checking out.”

To say this is stunning news would be a massive understatement. In a separate tweet, Schefter writes that Luck has already met with Colts owner Jim Irsay to tell him of his decision. Luck has been dealing with a mysterious calf/ankle injury, although it wasn’t thought to be serious. The latest reporting indicated that the Colts were still hoping Luck would be ready for Week 1.

Indianapolis had known for “at least two weeks” that Luck was seriously considering retirement, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). While the news apparently didn’t completely catch the organization off-guard, it doesn’t make it all that much easier to swallow for them.

In one of the most unprecedented moves in recent league history, Luck will be hanging up his cleats at the age of 29. There will be endless discussion in the coming days about what caused him to step away, although injuries are obviously part of it. Luck was plagued with a shoulder injury that lingered for a couple of years and ended up costing him the entire 2017 season. The process was mentally exhausting and always shrouded in secrecy, but he eventually worked his way back onto the field for the start of last year.

He made a triumphant return to Indy, leading them to wins in nine of their last ten games to sneak into the playoffs. He helped the Colts topple the Texans in the first round of the playoffs before they fell to the Chiefs. The team has a lot of good young talent and made major strides under head coach Frank Reich last year.

They were expected to be a Super Bowl contender heading into 2019 and were one of the most buzzed about teams this offseason. Luck’s lower leg injury was starting to get concerning due to the limited information available, but obviously nobody ever saw this coming. With Luck stepping away, Jacoby Brissett will now take over as the team’s starter.

Brissett is widely regarded as one of the league’s best backups, so things could be worse for the Colts. The team has been expressing confidence in Brissett all offseason, which in hindsight might’ve been foreshadowing this news. After being acquired in a trade with the Patriots, Brissett started most of the 2017 season for Indy. He finished with 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He’s scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent after the season, making his situation all the more interesting.

Luck’s retirement is obviously a huge boost to the rest of the AFC South, and he was 11-0 in his career against the Titans. The Colts will still have a chance to be competitive given Reich’s coaching and Brissett’s competence, but it’s hard not to see this as removing them from the list of AFC contenders.

Even with Brissett in tow, the Colts will likely be in the market for a veteran quarterback now. Their only backups are Phillip Walker and Chad Kelly, and neither has ever attempted a regular season pass. Kelly is also suspended for the first two games of the season, so he won’t be able to backup Brissett until Week 3.

It’s anyone’s guess as to what Luck will do now in his post-playing career. Given his young age, there will surely be rumors of a comeback for as long as he stays retired. Luck was apparently on the field at the Colts’ preseason game when the news broke, casually chatting with teammates, according to a tweet from Stephen Holder of The Athletic.

Jadeveon Clowney Likely To Be Traded In Next 24-48 Hours?

August 24th, 2019 at 7:50pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Things appear to be reaching a head between Jadeveon Clowney and the Texans. Clowney was franchise tagged earlier this offseason, and the two sides were unable to agree on a longterm extension. Clowney has been holding out all summer, and reportedly didn’t plan to show up until just before the start of the regular season.

There have been rumors that the Texans want to trade Clowney to ensure they get something for him, and those rumors are starting to heat up. Clowney “will be traded within the next 24-to-48 hours,” according to Michael Lombardi of The Athletic (Twitter video link), who adds that he would be “shocked” if he isn’t. Lombardi also reports that “there’s a lot of teams that are after him.”

As for what Houston is looking for in terms of compensation, Lombardi says that they’re looking to add a receiver to play opposite DeAndre Hopkins. The Texans already have a very solid group of pass-catchers with Hopkins, Will Fuller, and Keke Coutee, but they apparently aren’t satisfied. Fuller is coming off a torn ACL and Coutee is seemingly always hurt, so maybe that has something to do with their interest in another wideout.

Lombardi says he knows of two teams that are currently negotiating with Clowney to try to get him to agree to come to them. As he points out, Clowney has some leverage and control in trade talks since he has to sign his franchise tender before he can get traded. The former first overall pick is scheduled to make 15.967MM under the tag in 2019 after being classified as a linebacker, although there have been rumblings about a potential grievance being filed to get him classified as a defensive end.

Lamar Miller Carted Off With Knee Injury

August 24th, 2019 at 6:33pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Texans may have just suffered a significant injury in their regular season dress rehearsal. Starting running back Lamar Miller went down with a knee injury and had to be carted off, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

It’s unclear how severe the injury is, although obviously the cart coming out isn’t a great sign. Miller was at least able to walk to the cart, tweets David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, so there is some hope. If you want to watch video of the play, you can view that here, courtesy of Ben Baldwin of The Athletic (Twitter link).

D’Onta Foreman was expected to be Miller’s backup coming into the season, but the Texans cut him a few weeks back after he was unable to ever fully recover from his Achilles tear. Houston traded for Duke Johnson shortly after, and they’re surely glad they acquired the former Browns running back now. That being said Johnson is more of a pass-catcher than a runner, and he likely won’t be able to take on a full workload if Miller misses regular season time.

Behind Miller and Johnson, the Texans mostly have unproven young guys. Buddy Howell, a second-year UDFA from FAU, led the team in carries in their second preseason game. Houston also signed veteran Taiwan Jones back in May, although he’s been more of a special teams guy in recent years. It’s quite possible the Texans will look to add a veteran either through a trade or free agency if Miller is going to be out a while.

Colts Waive RB D’Onta Foreman With Injury Settlement

August 24th, 2019 at 6:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

D’Onta Foreman‘s time with the Colts is officially over. The team has waived the young running back from injured reserve with an injury settlement, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL radio (Twitter link).

This is a departure from what we initially heard after Foreman went down with a torn biceps. The Colts placed him on injured reserve, but it was reported that they planned to stash him on IR with the hopes of bringing him back to compete for a role in 2020. It’s unclear whether Indy changed their mind, or if Foreman and his representatives were able to force his way out so that he could try and play for a new team this season.

Unfortunately, Foreman’s once promising career has been derailed by injuries. The Texans drafted him in the third round in 2017, and he showed a lot of potential as a rookie. A lot of people thought he would eventually take over for Lamar Miller as Houston’s starter, but then he tore his Achilles toward the end of the season.

He had complications while recovering from it, and ended up playing in only one game in 2018. The Texans threw in the towel on the Texas product earlier this offseason, and he was quickly swooped up by the Colts. Shortly after signing, he went down with his latest serious injury. Here’s to hoping that Foreman can get back to full health wherever he ends up next.

Jarrad Davis Has High Ankle Sprain

August 24th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Lions have officially dodged another bullet. After it originally appeared they might have lost two starters for the season, they’ve now got another dose of good news.

Starting linebacker Jarrad Davis is dealing with a high ankle sprain, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). We had already heard earlier today that starting center Frank Ragnow was only dealing with a minor ankle sprain. While a high ankle sprain is certainly nothing too minor, it’s definitely better than initially expected, and Rapoport writes that “the word is he’s already feeling better and it’s a long way from what many thought last night.”

That being said, Rapoport notes that Davis will still miss some regular season time. Depending on how quickly it heals, it looks like Davis will likely miss at least the first month or so of the season. It’ll be a pretty big blow to the Lions for their first handful of games, as Davis is one of their most critical players.

Drafted in the first round out of Florida back in 2017, Davis has started all 30 games that he’s appeared in over the last two seasons. Last year, he had 100 tackles and six sacks while playing 99 percent of the defensive snaps. Davis easily played the most snaps on the team last season and since Detroit’s linebacking corp is already pretty thin, they’ll be feeling his absence big time. The Lions open the season at Arizona, and they’ll be doing it without their emerging stud.

Jets Eyeing Edge Rushers, Cornerbacks

August 24th, 2019 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two positions at which the Jets may be most vulnerable, even at full strength, may not have key players in Week 1. Trumaine Johnson is dealing with a hamstring injury, and Brandon Copeland just received a four-game suspension. The Jets have been looking for cornerback help since Joe Douglas‘ tenure began, and the rookie GM said Saturday the team will seek edge-rushing contributors as well, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (via Twitter).

The Jets hold the No. 3 waiver priority, and Douglas confirms (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, on Twitter) the team will be active next weekend when teams slash their rosters from 90 players to 53. Should a trade scenario surface, Douglas said he would consider parting with valued draft capital for the right fit (Twitter link via Cimini).

Although both Copeland and Jordan Jenkins registered at least five sacks last season, with Jenkins collecting a career-high seven, the Jets are thin on the edge. Without Copeland, third-round pick Jachai Polite may be summoned for more extensive duty than initially expected to start his career. The team also has former Colts third-rounder Tarell Basham. No Jets outside linebacker has posted more than seven sacks in a season since Calvin Pace‘s 10.5 in 2013.

At corner, Johnson heads a group including holdover Darryl Roberts and UFA slot addition Brian Poole. It would be surprising if the Jets did not add at least one cornerback next weekend, via pre-final-cutdown trade or through waivers. Considering the corner and edge groups feature Mike Maccagnan investments, it’s a good bet they will look slightly different entering Week 1 compared to how they look when Douglas and Co. initially get down to 53.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Newton, Lions, Vikings

August 24th, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a report indicated the 49ers brought longtime offensive line coach Chris Foerster out of coaching exile surfaced Friday, Kyle Shanahan confirmed as much. The third-year 49ers coach said Foerster joined San Francisco’s staff as a consultant. Consultants do not serve as in-game coaches, and Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports Bay Area notes the 49ers have Foerster working on film and in position group meetings. Shanahan said the 49ers brought on Foerster as a consultant last year and elevated his duties in 2019, though the 57-year-old assistant — who has 20-plus years of NFL coaching experience — is still classified as a consultant. Shanahan and Foerster worked together in Washington.

“He is still in a consulting role because I do understand the seriousness of this matter,” Shanahan said of Foerster, who resigned from the Dolphins in 2017 after a video showed him snorting a white powdery substance. “We’re trying to ease him back in. I understand how big of a problem he did have. I also understand what he’s doing in committing to fix that problem. We’re trying to give him a chance to get back on track.

“He’s done that exactly the right way for two years. We will see if he continues to do that, and then we will reassess that after this year.”

Here is the latest from the NFC:

  • Some positive news for Cam Newton. Although the Panthers quarterback remains in a walking boot and without a definitive return timetable, Jordan Rodrigue of The Athletic notes (subscription required) the team was encouraged by the follow-up MRI the ninth-year passer underwent. If Newton continues to progress in his recovery from a mid-foot sprain, Rodrigue adds he is expected to participate in practice in some capacity Monday. This would point to the veteran being ready for Week 1. Kyle Allen received first crack at Newton’s reps Saturday, but David Newton of ESPN.com notes Will Grier split time evenly with Carolina’s presumptive QB2. Ron Rivera confirmed the Panthers will not work out quarterbacks.
  • More good news on the injury front. Matt Patricia said (via the Detroit News’ Justin Rogers, on Twitter) he is not considering an IR trip for Jarrad Davis, who was carted to the Lions‘ locker room Friday night. Davis suffered a lower-leg injury against the Bills. Were Davis to be placed on IR in between next weekend and Week 1, he would miss at least eight regular-season weeks. This points to the Lions expecting him back during the first half of the season, at the latest.
  • Frank Ragnow, too, appears to have dodged a bullet. The Lions center suffered what’s being categorized as a minor ankle sprain Friday, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. The Lions are typically vague regarding injuries, with Patricia declining to elaborate on the nature of those suffered by Ragnow and Davis. But the second-year coach said (via Rogers) neither player is believed to have suffered a season-nullifying malady.
  • The Vikings and since-cut long snapper Kevin McDermott agreed to an injury settlement, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. McDermott suffered an elbow injury, which required surgery this week, and will collect $150K via this settlement. Austin Cutting beat out the longtime incumbent for Minnesota’s snapping job.

Patriots TE Lance Kendricks Suspended

August 24th, 2019 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another Patriots tight end will not be available to start the season. Lance Kendricks drew a one-game suspension for a violation of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Kendricks will join Ben Watson in being shelved for Week 1. The latter will be out four games with a suspension. In December 2017, Kendricks was charged with marijuana possession, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) the veteran tight end was given probation in July for it. This short ban will not help Kendricks as he attempts to make the Patriots’ 53-man roster.

The Patriots only guaranteed Kendricks $50K, and although they are thin at tight end, they have not hesitated to cut veteran pass catchers in the recent past. As for tight ends set to be available in Week 1, the Pats have Matt LaCosse, recently acquired Eric Saubert, former Texan Stephen Anderson, 2018 seventh-round pick Ryan Izzo and rookie UDFA Andrew Beck. Barring a trade or a veteran pickup, Week 1 will feature the Pats’ least recognizable tight end group in decades.

New England signed Kendricks just before training camp, and he was on track to make the team. That decision becomes slightly more complicated, though the Pats’ issues at tight end may ensure the 31-year-old veteran will be in uniform for Week 2. The ninth-year tight end caught 37 passes for 370 yards in two Packers seasons.

Falcons To Sign K Blair Walsh

August 24th, 2019 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Another kicker shakeup may occur this preseason. With their incumbent kicker struggling, the Falcons will sign Blair Walsh, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). While Giorgio Tavecchio remains on the team, he is now set for a full-fledged competition.

The Falcons confirmed the move, which comes after Dan Quinn suggested the team would bring in competition for Tavecchio. The third-year kicker has struggled during the preseason, missing 4 of 8 attempts — including a 39-yarder — thus far this month.

A Georgia alum, Walsh worked out for the Jets and Bears this year. Both teams opted against adding the former Vikings kicker. Should Walsh beat out Tavecchio, he would face his former team in Week 1. Walsh did not play in 2018.

Walsh has not kicked since a disappointing 2017 season. The Seahawks moved on from him after he went 21-for-29 that season. Minnesota initially selected Walsh in the 2012 sixth round and used him as its kicker for five seasons. The 29-year-old specialist earned All-Pro acclaim as a rookie, going 10-for-10 from beyond 50 yards, but his miss inside of 30 yards cost the Vikings a wild-card win against the Seahawks in 2015. He has yet to fully rebound from that errant try.

The Falcons also signed defensive tackle Stefan Charles and tight end Thomas Duarte. To make room for this new trio, the team waived wide receivers Shawn Bane and Kahlil Lewis, along with offensive lineman Tommy Doles.

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