Here are today’s minor moves.
Arizona Cardinals
Cleveland Browns
Houston Texans
Los Angeles Rams
New England Patriots
Washington Redskins
The Colts are placing Andrew Luck on IR and commencing a shutdown of their franchise quarterback, the team announced.
Luck told the team’s website he’s “very optimistic” about his future, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets Luck’s being shut down on the recommendation of several doctors. He adds this is not being viewed as a career-ending injury.
“I wish I was better and 100 percent this season, but that’s not the case,” Luck said. “I know I’ll be better from this. I know I’ll be a better quarterback, teammate, person and player from this, and I’m excited for the future.”
Luck had a cortisone injection done in his shoulder to help the pain he began experiencing after resuming workouts, and he hadn’t practiced since. Although Luck’s timetable was murky for most of this season, Chris Ballard said (via Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral, on Twitter) the team did not attempt to mislead and called this a fluid situation. Ballard said Luck’s soreness did not calm down after the injection, but the rookie GM did not say another surgery was on tap (Twitter links, via Chappell).
However, Ballard won’t put a time frame on when Luck will again resume throwing (Twitter link, via Chappell).
Ballard also said (via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter) he hasn’t heard from one doctor that this is a career-ending injury. The Colts as of now are planning on Luck being ready for the 2018 season, per Ballard (via Chappell, on Twitter).
“We’re going to exhaust all resources because the best interest is the player,” Chuck Pagano said. “It’s long-term, and we said that. It’s for the next 10, 12 years for this guy and for any player. Before we put anybody out there, we’re going to make sure he’s right so we’re going to stick to that process.”
Luck’s injury could have affected Pagano significantly. It’s unlikely he’ll get to coach Luck again. The Colts are 2-6 after consecutive seasons without playoff berths, and given that Ballard did not hire him, the sixth-year Indianapolis coach looms as an obvious Black Monday candidate.
Ballard confirmed the Colts attempted to sign quarterbacks during the summer when it looked like Luck was not going to be ready in time for this season, but the recent GM hire said (Twitter links, via Holder) the team didn’t find anyone it liked and the situation ended up being stabilized once Jacoby Brissett arrived. Ballard did say (via Chappell, on Twitter) he regrets waiting until September to trade for Brissett. Although, it’s uncertain if the Patriots would have pulled the trigger much earlier since he was a candidate to make their roster — one that housed a deeper wideout corps prior to Julian Edelman‘s injury, one that induced the Pats to acquire Phillip Dorsett — during training camp. Brissett is signed through the 2019 season.
The Colts attempted to sign Nate Sudfeld off the Eagles’ practice squad this week, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets, but they worked out four other quarterbacks late last month. The Eagles promoted Sudfeld to their active roster on Wednesday. Rapoport notes (on Twitter) Josh Johnson is likely to be the player signed to fill Luck’s roster spot.
Indianapolis’ brass continued to push back Luck’s timetable after his January surgery, much like the Bill Polian-led regime did with Peyton Manning‘s in 2011, and this will end up being the second time in seven seasons the team will have had to redshirt its franchise quarterback.
Luck, though, is obviously in no danger of being cut after this season. However, this shoulder problem lingered for two years, with Albert Breer of SI.com noting (on Twitter) he played through injury for two years and is paying for it now. Luck missed nine games in 2015 but missed just one last season, and the 2016 absence was because of a concussion. The Colts have not advanced to the playoffs since Luck’s third season.
The Colts will now turn things over to Brissett as Luck’s rehab shifts toward the long-term.
Veteran signal-caller Josh Johnson is likely to emerge as the Giants‘ backup quarterback in 2017, which means free agent signee Geno Smith is in danger of being released, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Johnson spent the entire 2016 campaign with Big Blue, and though he was only for two games, he earned the trust of Giants’ coaches. New York, meanwhile, would only incur $325K in dead money by parting ways with Smith. Third-round pick Davis Webb, of course, is slated to open the season as the Giants’ third-string quarterback.
The Giants are re-signing quarterback Josh Johnson, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal, according to his agent.
Johnson, 31 in May, has bounced around since leaving the Buccaneers in 2011. Since 2012, Johnson has spent time with the Ravens, Browns, Bengals, 49ers, Colts, Bills, Jets, and Giants. The last time he took the field was in 2013, when he compiled 20 rushing yards on seven carries for Cincinnati. His last NFL start came in 2011 with the Bucs.
Johnson, for now, will occupy the second QB spot on the Giants’ depth chart. Given Eli Manning‘s major struggles last season, I would expect the Giants to seek out a higher-quality QB2 for 2017.
The Giants have been heavily connected to Adrian Peterson ever since his option was officially declined by the Vikings. It turns out, they might not be a player for No. 28. The Giants aren’t in the running for Peterson, according to multiple sources who spoke with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. 
Last year, the Giants went on a free agent spending spree that saw them add three high-priced players to the defense. This time around, it could be a much quieter March. In addition to Peterson being unlikely, Raanan hears the Giants are not expected to go after a high-end left tackle, guard, middle linebacker, or wide receiver. All of those positions are needs for the G-Men, but they won’t be satisfied with the best players at each spot.
This spring might not be as exciting as the last one, but the Giants are still willing to loosen up the purse strings to lock down their own top free agents. They are working hard to re-sign defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and to extend Jason Pierre-Paul after his franchise tag. There have also “been talks” about new deals for free agents like linebacker Keenan Robinson, guard John Jerry, backup quarterback Josh Johnson, and cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, Raanan writes.
The Giants have added a third quarterback. Agent Doug Hendrickson announced (via Twitter) that client Josh Johnson has signed with the G-Men. According to ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan (via Twitter), the team has released veteran linebacker Jasper Brinkley to make room on the roster.
Johnson, 30, was cut by the Ravens this weekend after having signed with Baltimore in May. The journeyman has bounced around since leaving the Buccaneers in 2011. Since 2012, Johnson has spent time with the Ravens, Browns, Bengals, 49ers, Colts, Bills and Jets. The last time the quarterback took the field was in 2013, when he compiled 20 rushing yards on seven carries for Cincinnati. His last NFL start came in 2011. Johnson will presumably slide in behind Eli Manning and Ryan Nassib on the Giants depth chart.
Brinkley, 31, re-signed with the Giants this offseason after having spent the 2015 season in New York. The veteran had another solid campaign last year, compiling 67 tackles and one sack. The linebacker has only missed a pair of games since the start of 2012. Raanan notes (on Twitter) that the Giants guaranteed $1.7MM of Brinkley’s 2016 contract. With the veteran out of the picture, Keenan Robinson or Kelvin Sheppard could slide into the starting middle linebacker spot for New York.
The Ravens have announced the moves that take their roster to 53:
Placed On IR:
Lewis-Moore, the Ravens’ sixth-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2013, had a tough beginning to his professional career, landing on IR in each of his first two seasons with the club. He finally made cracked the 53-man roster last year, appearing in five games for the Ravens. Baltimore has always liked his upside as a pass rusher, but he found himself squeezed out of a deep defensive line group this season.
Cutting Brooks was a bit of a surprise, as the former third-rounder was playing well early in the preseason. There was some optimism that Brooks would be able to leapfrog former first-rounder Matt Elam on the depth chart, but the 25-year-old was unable to carve out a role during his two years (plus preseason) on the team.
Zach Links contributed to this post
Through the first two games of the preseason, Lions rookie quarterback Jake Rudock has outplayed veteran Dan Orlovsky by a wide margin, which has left many wondering who will serve as Matthew Stafford‘s primary backup in 2016. Although Orlovsky entered training camp with a huge lead over the rookie for the backup job, and few expected Rudock to seriously vie for it — indeed, Orlovsky has the game experience that a team looks for in a No. 2 signal-caller, and Rudock did not play very well during Detroit’s offseason program — Rudock’s performance and Orlovsky’s struggles in the preseason may leave head coach Jim Caldwell with a difficult decision. When asked who he expected to win the job, Caldwell said, “the best player, period” (article via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com).
Of course, as Meinke observes, the best player for the short term isn’t always the best player for the long term, so Caldwell’s comments do not add much clarity, and Caldwell would reveal little else about how the Lions would go about choosing between the quarterbacks, other than to say the club is weighing its options. As Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press writes, if the Lions keep all three quarterbacks, you can count on Orlovsky being the No. 2 on gamedays. The real question is who the Lions keep if they carry just one backup, which is usually how New England built its roster when Lions GM Bob Quinn was in the front office there.
Now for a quick swing around the league’s North divisions:
The Ravens have signed quarterback Josh Johnson and guard Vlad Ducasse, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
Johnson, who turned 30 on Sunday, was on and off of the Colts’ roster early in 2015 while Andrew Luck was sidelined. In October, Johnson signed on with the Bills to help provide some insurance behind Tyrod Taylor and E.J. Manuel. Johnson did not see the field in Buffalo, however. In his six NFL seasons, Johnson has started only five games. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be on the roster in Baltimore by September, but he can certainly provide another arm in practice while Joe Flacco recovers from a torn ACL.
Ducasse spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jets before joining the Vikings in 2014 and signing on with the Bears in 2015. Selected out of UMass in the second round of the 2010 draft, Ducasse never lived up to his draft pedigree, starting just five games during his time with New York. He topped that number in ’14 alone, starting six contests in Minnesota while playing at both guard positions. In 2015, he appeared in 15 games and started 11 of those contests.
In 2014, Ducasse played in 13 games, totaling 417 snaps, but graded as the league’s No. 61 guard among 78 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus. Last year, PFF rated Ducasse as the 47th best guard in the NFL out of 81 qualified players.
The Ravens also announced that they have signed rookie free agent Sam Brown, a defensive back from Missouri Western State.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
A day after he was released once again by the Colts, quarterback Josh Johnson has found a new NFL home. The Bills have signed the veteran signal-caller, cutting kicker Billy Cundiff to create room on the roster, the team announced today in a press release.
Johnson served as the Colts’ backup quarterback for the team’s last two games, with Andrew Luck sidelined due to a shoulder injury, and it’s fair to wonder if he’ll play the same role in Buffalo. Head coach Rex Ryan acknowledged after his team’s game this past weekend that Tyrod Taylor was banged up — E.J. Manuel had been the only other QB on the roster, so if Taylor is unable to play in Week 6, Johnson could back up Manuel for the Bills.
As for Cundiff, he’ll become a free agent again, just a week after joining the Bills. As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wrote this morning, Cundiff appeared to do a good job in his role as a kickoff specialist this week, though Ryan didn’t exactly shower him with praise.
“He did OK, but he probably wishes he had worked on his kickoffs maybe a little more,” Ryan said. “But he did a … it wasn’t probably his best effort. But he was out there.”
Cundiff had been somewhat expendable, since he wasn’t the only kicker on the Bills’ roster — if the club doesn’t re-add Cundiff or sign another kicker before its next game, Dan Carpenter figures to handle kickoffs, along with his field goal and extra point duties.