HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Panthers’ Cam Newton Unlikely To Play Vs. Cardinals

September 19th, 2019 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers are unlikely to have Cam Newton in uniform when they face the Cardinals on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. If Newton is sidelined, the Panthers will turn to Kyle Allen as their starter. 

Newton’s foot sprain recovery has come along much slower than expected and his outlook for the rest of the season is murky, at best. Through two games, it’s clear that Newton is playing at far below 100% strength – he has yet to score a touchdown via the air or ground, and he completed just 49% of his passes in a rough outing against the Bucs last week.

The Panthers are hoping for an inverse of their 2018 season, which saw a strong beginning and a bumpy finish. After a 6-2 start, they went 1-7 as Newton battled a shoulder issue. That achey shoulder ultimately landed Newton on the bench for the final two games of the campaign.

After the Cardinals, the 0-2 Panthers will face the Texans and Jaguars in Weeks 4 and 5.

Cardinals Inquire On Jalen Ramsey

September 19th, 2019 at 8:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals might not be the leaders in the clubhouse for Jalen Ramsey, but they’re at least interested. The Cardinals don’t believe they’ll land the standout cornerback, but they did speak with the Jaguars about him, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 

They also restructured the contract of linebacker Chandler Jones this week, Schefter hears, giving them an additional $4MM in cap flexibility this season. That’s money that could, in theory, be put towards acquiring Ramsey and giving him the top-of-the-market extension that he seeks.

Here’s where things stand on the Ramsey front: The Jaguars are asking two first-round picks in a trade, but clubs have yet to meet their asking price. So far, they’ve received offers of one first-round choice from two different clubs, and teams could up the ante as time moves on. Ramsey will be in uniform for the Jaguars’ Thursday night game against the Titans, but it sounds like the Jags are hoping to trade him on Friday. The Raiders are among the teams with interest in the standout corner and most of the league’s teams want him as well.

Schefter also passes along this interesting note, via Twitter – Earlier this week, one team reached out to the league office and asked whether Ramsey could play on Sunday for a new club after he played Thursday for Jacksonville. The league informed the team that Ramsey could not, as league rules restrict players to one game per week.

Jets Doubt Trumaine Johnson’s Commitment

September 19th, 2019 at 8:24am CST by Zachary Links

Trumaine Johnson is in Year Two of a five-year, $72.5MM deal. And the Jets do not believe that he loves the sport of football, sources tell Manish Mehta of the Daily News. This is, perhaps, an indication that a divorce could be just around the corner, even though it would be costly for Gang Green. 

Johnson, for his part, says he’s still committed to being the best player he can be.

“Of course I love football,” Johnson said. “I’ve been doing it all my life. I’m passionate about it. It’s my life. It’s not a job to me. I love what I do.”

For what it’s worth, Johnson showed more passion in his response than head coach Adam Gase did when explaining why he benched Johnson for the bulk of Monday night’s loss to the Browns.

“We just decided not to play him,” said Gase.

Johnson, a breakout star with the Rams, has also been held back by injuries during his Jets tenure. Johnson missed five games last year due to a lingering quad injury and some Jets officials feel that he could have played through the injury, Mehta hears. It’s also worth noting that Johnson missed another game due to a suspension for tardiness.

Johnson, 29, is signed through 2022. Releasing him now would saddle the Jets with $24MM in dead money, with no cap benefit. The Jets could consider cutting ties with Johnson after this season, prior to his $11MM base salary becoming fully guaranteed on the third day of the league year. That move would save the Jets $3MM against the cap, but would still leave them with $12MM in dead money.

Saints Sign LB Ray-Ray Armstrong

September 18th, 2019 at 9:57pm CST by PFR Staff

The Saints have signed veteran linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong to fill a roster spot created by Alex Anzalone‘s IR placement.

Armstrong did not make the Browns’ 53-man roster this summer and worked out for the Saints on Tuesday, doing so after auditioning for the Redskins earlier this month.

A UDFA out of Miami in 2013, Armstrong has bounced around the league throughout his career, spending time with the Rams, Raiders, 49ers, Giants and Browns. He played in 15 games in each of the past two seasons, working mostly as a reserve, and went through four seasons playing in regular-season games for multiple teams. For his career, the 28-year-old linebacker has made 12 starts.

The Saints placed Anzalone on IR on Monday; it’s unclear if there is a chance Anzalone could return to the lineup this year. New Orleans’ starting middle linebacker will have to miss a minimum of eight weeks before that is a possibility. In the meantime, New Orleans added a journeyman in an attempt to fill the void.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/18/19

September 18th, 2019 at 9:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad decisions:

Baltimore Ravens

Indianapolis Colts

  • Cut: RB Bruce Anderson

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

NFL Workout Updates: 9/18/19

September 18th, 2019 at 8:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is Wednesday’s latest from the workout circuit:

Cleveland Browns

Miami Dolphins

Oakland Raiders

San Francisco 49ers

QB Notes: Cam, Dak, Teddy, Eli, Siemian

September 18th, 2019 at 7:52pm CST by PFR Staff

Kyle Allen is trending toward starting for the Panthers this week, as Cam Newton missed practice Wednesday while he recovers from a foot injury, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. After Carolina’s loss to Tampa Bay last week, Newton complained of foot pain and it was expected that he would miss some game time. After initially suffering the injury during the preseason, and then aggravating it last week, it would seem wise for Carolina to let the former MVP fully heal before taking the field again.

In the interim, Allen would be the starter for the foreseeable future and would be set to face former college teammate Kyler Murray this Sunday when they take on the Cardinals. In his lone career start last year, a win against the Saints, Allen played well, completing 16 of 27 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns.

Let’s take a look at some other quarterback notes from around the NFL:

  • A week ago, Jerry Jones said a deal for Dak Prescott was “imminent,” but a few days later acknowledged just because he thinks it is imminent doesn’t mean the quarterback does, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer. After the Cowboys‘ win in Washington, Jones continued to display his belief a deal will get done. “I have no hesitation about it. I’m very comfortable. He’s very comfortable,” Jones said. “The way it is, he’s very comfortable. Those are things we re-emphasize a timeframe in anything that requires two people … and I’m not trying to be talking riddles here. Certainly from the standpoint of where we’ve been from talking about, his business, talking about the Cowboys’ business, we have a lot of water under the bridge.” Many expect a deal to get done between the Cowboys and Prescott at some point this season.
  • With Drew Brees expected to miss the next six weeks due to a thumb injury, the Saints will rely on Teddy Bridgewater to carry the load and run the offense. Interestingly, there are also some financial incentives tied to Bridgewater making starts for the Saints in the wake of Brees’ injury. Bridgewater can earn up to $5.25MM in incentives, while also getting $2.5MM if he plays 50% of the offensive snaps and they make the playoffs, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
  • After undergoing an MRI on Tuesday, Adam Gase informed the media that Trevor Siemian would unsurprisingly be out for the season, with an MRI revealing torn ligaments. After the swelling goes down, Siemian is expected to have surgery, according to Rapoport. In the interim, Luke Falk is penciled in as the Jets’ starter until starter Sam Darnold returns from mono, which could be as soon as Week 5 against the Eagles.
  • After being benched by the Giants for rookie Daniel Jones, Eli Manning said today that that he was “obviously disappointed, not happy”, but still intends to finish this season and support Jones. It remains to be seen if Manning finishes the season with the only NFL franchise he’s known. However, if any of the quarterback-needy teams were to try and trade for Manning, they would have to take on a hefty amount of salary. Manning is making $17MM this year, with $5.5MM (roster/workout bonuses) having already been paid out, costing any team $676k a week (base salary), according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.

Injury Notes: Winston, Rams, Cowboys, Pack

September 18th, 2019 at 6:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is the latest from the injury front at the midweek point, beginning with another NFC South quarterback encountering injury trouble.

  • Jameis Winston is now battling a foot injury. The Buccaneers quarterback, who is in a contract year, appears on the team’s first Week 3 injury report with this issue. Winston joins Drew Brees and Cam Newton as injured NFC South quarterbacks, but his malady doesn’t appear to be nearly as severe. Winston practiced fully on Wednesday and appears in line to face the Giants.
  • Austin Blythe needed a cart to leave the field Sunday at Los Angeles Coliseum, but the Rams‘ starting right guard looks to have dodged significant trouble. The fourth-year blocker said (via ESPN.com’s Lindsey Thiry, on Twitter) he suffered a low ankle sprain. Blythe is not certain how much time he will miss, but considering how he left the field, this may have been the best possible outcome. If he cannot return for Sunday’s game in Cleveland, 2018 sixth-rounder Jamil Demby would be in line to start.
  • Cowboys defensive tackle Antwaun Woods suffered an MCL sprain in Week 2, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Second-round pick Trysten Hill stands to be called to action if Woods is out against the Dolphins on Sunday. Hill has yet to be active this season. Woods started 15 games as Dallas’ nose tackle last season and has reprised that role this year.
  • Darnell Savage left Sunday’s Packers-Vikings game in a walking boot, but the rookie safety looks to have received good news. Savage shed the walking boot, per The Athletic’s Matt Schneiderman (on Twitter), and has been diagnosed with a shin injury. It looks like he will be good to go for Week 3’s game against the Broncos.

Browns’ David Njoku Suffers Broken Wrist

September 18th, 2019 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to the concussion David Njoku suffered Monday night, the Browns tight end also may face the prospect of a lengthy absence because of a wrist injury.

Njoku is seeking medical opinions on his wrist, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting (via Twitter) surgery is not out of the question. However, the first medical diagnosis is not good, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (via Twitter) Njoku suffered a broken wrist and will miss at least a month. Anthony Lima of 92.3 The Fan first reported the wrist injury, which the Akron Beacon Journal’s Nate Ulrich notes occurred on the same play as Njoku’s concussion (Twitter link).

The 2017 first-round pick has not yet determined if he will undergo surgery, but this is a major blow to his third season. Njoku posted 639 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 2018. He resides as a key part of a much-hyped Cleveland offense. The Browns signed former Chiefs second-stringer Demetrius Harris in March and recently added ex-Cardinals starter Ricky Seals-Jones.

This would stand to deprive Baker Mayfield of another weapon going into perhaps the Browns’ biggest regular-season game this decade. It will at least be the one with the widest audience, with the Rams traveling to Cleveland for Week 3’s Sunday-night game. Rashard Higgins missed Monday night’s game with an injury, and Antonio Callaway is out until Week 5. Njoku missing Sunday, which now seems likely, stands to place additional burden on the likes of Odell Beckham Jr. and Jarvis Landry.

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