2016 October - Pro Football Rumors

Bears Activate LB Pernell McPhee

October 20th, 2016 at 3:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears announced that they have activated linebacker Pernell McPhee. In a related move, fullback Paul Lasike has been waived.

McPhee began the season on the PUP list but returned to practice this week. McPhee was hindered by a knee injury in the summer and needed arthroscopic surgery, but he is finally healthy after months of hard work. After McPhee recorded six sacks, one interception, and 53 tackles last season, the Bears are certainly happy to get him back on the field.

McPhee came to Chicago on a five-year, $38.75MM deal last offseason and showed everyone that he was worthy of that money. Unfortunately, his troublesome knee slowed him down later in the season.

The linebacker will be on the field tonight as the Bears take on the Packers.

Latest On Bills RB LeSean McCoy

October 20th, 2016 at 3:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Bills running back LeSean McCoy is not playing this Sunday and could miss more time after that depending on how he heals, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

McCoy has been having a strong season for Buffalo, averaging 5.6 yards per carry through six games. Shady also has six touchdowns and one receiving touchdown, making him one of the NFL’s most productive running backs so far in this young season. Losing McCoy will hurt Buffalo, though they do have a talented backup in Mike Gillislee.

Gillislee is expected to start when the Bills face the Dolphins on Monday. Buffalo may also make a move to add another tailback to the roster.

Last year, racked up 1,187 total yards from scrimmage in 12 games. When he was out, Karlos Williams stepped up and kept Buffalo’s ground game moving. With any luck, the Bills can stay afloat with Gillislee, Jonathan Williams, and Reggie Bush in the backfield if McCoy has to miss significant time.

NFL To Investigate Giants K Josh Brown

October 20th, 2016 at 1:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this year, Giants kicker Josh Brown was the subject of controversy when information emerged about the domestic violence accusations. Unlike other players who have been punished in recent years over DV charges, Brown appeared to get a slap on the wrist in the form of a one-game suspension. Now, after yesterday’s revelations, many are calling upon the league office to revaluate Brown’s case and give him a harsher punishment. Moments ago, the NFL released a statement on the matter and it sounds like Brown could be in for a lengthier suspension if the allegations hold up.

NFL investigators made repeated attempts-both orally and in writing-to obtain any and all evidence and relevant information in this case from the King County Sheriff’s Office. Each of those requests was denied and the Sheriff’s Office declined to provide any of the requested information, which ultimately limited our ability to fully investigate this matter. We concluded our own investigation, more than a year after the initial incident, based on the facts and evidence available to us at the time and after making exhaustive attempts to obtain information in a timely fashion. It is unfortunate that we did not have the benefit or knowledge of these materials at the time.

In light of the release of these documents yesterday, we will thoroughly review the additional information and determine next steps in the context of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy. We will not be making any comments on potential discipline until that time.

If Brown does receive additional discipline from the league, it raises an interesting quandary for the Giants. The G-Men are facing the Rams in London, England on Sunday and they’d have to get a kicker on a plane post haste if Brown needs to be replaced. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter), Randy Bullock has an up-to-date passport. Bullock kicked for the Giants in Week 1 while Brown was suspended.

Packers To Place Eddie Lacy On IR

October 20th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Eddie Lacy‘s season is over. Lacy will have surgery performed on his injured ankle, likely ruling him out for the remainder of the season. Taking his place will be running back Don Jackson who is being promoted from the practice squad today. The team has confirmed both moves via press release.

If Lacy is able to return, he would be eligible to come back for Week 15 of the regular season. Jackson will serve as Green Bay’s primary tailback tonight. In the longer term, it remains to be seen how the Packers will fill the void while Lacy is sidelined. The Packers acquired Knile Davis from the Chiefs earlier this week and they’ve also taken to using wide receiver Ty Montgomery in the backfield. While Montgomery offers great pass catching ability, they would like to have a more traditional runner available at times.

Lacy recently received a second opinion on his foot from Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte. Initially, the belief was that Lacy suffered a sprain, but it now looks like he is dealing with something more severe. Lacy, a powerful yet inconsistent tailback, suffered the injury in the Packers’ Week 5 win over the Giants. He toughed it out, running for 65 yards on 17 rushes the following week against Dallas.

The Packers will test out their makeshift backfield tonight against the 1-5 Bears. The Bears are allowing an average of 107.7 rushing yards per game this season, putting them roughly in the middle of the pack.

49ers Won’t Fire GM Trent Baalke?

October 20th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are 1-5 and it doesn’t sound like Chip Kelly‘s first season in SF will result in a playoff berth. Still, GM Trent Baalke‘s job is not in jeopardy at this time, according to a source who spoke with Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).

The Niners have struggled on both sides of the ball so far this season. After getting off to a rough start with quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the team decided to give the starting job back to Colin Kaepernick. In his debut last weekend, No. 7 completed just 13 of his 29 passing attempts as San Francisco got blown out at Buffalo. Meanwhile, the 49ers’ defense has allowed more than 30 points in four of its past five games.

Despite the team’s problems, the 49ers still believe that Baalke is the right guy to select the right players for Kelly, according to Cole’s source. Personally, I’m still skeptical as to whether Baalke will be retained for a seventh season in San Francisco if things do not improve.

Jets Not Looking To Trade Key Pieces

October 20th, 2016 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

To say that things are going poorly for the Jets would be an understatement. Gang Green is 1-5 through six games, reverting back to Geno Smith at quarterback, and recently lost Eric Decker for the remainder of the season (and possibly longer). Still, owner Woody Johnson says the Jets are not looking to trade key players between now and the trade deadline, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).

Overall, Johnson says the Jets are not going to be terribly active in pursuing trades and notable players like Darrelle Revis and Brandon Marshall aren’t going anywhere. Of course, it’s fair to wonder whether there would be any sort of market for Revis even if he were made available. So far this season, Revis is rated as just No. 103 out of 112 qualified cornerbacks, according to the metrics at Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, he’s in the midst of a five-year, $70MM contract he inked prior to the 2015 season.

Johnson also indicated that the Jets will explore all avenues to improve the team, though it’s hard to see them mortgaging the future in any capacity to help themselves in 2016. To even have a punchers chance at the postseason, the lowly Jets would have to go 8-2 the rest of the way.

AFC Notes: Flacco, Incognito, Jets, Bengals

October 19th, 2016 at 9:45pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has irritation in the joint of his throwing shoulder and was withheld from practice Wednesday to try to improve the situation, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether Flacco will be ready to play against the Jets on Sunday, though head coach John Harbaugh believes he has a “legitimate chance” (via Marc Sessler of NFL.com). If Flacco can’t go, Baltimore will probably look to add a quarterback to place behind Ryan Mallett. The Ravens don’t have any QBs on their practice squad.

Here’s more from the AFC:

With the Bills’ Richie Incognito preparing to face his former team, the Dolphins, this week, the guard revisited the 2013 Bullygate scandal in Miami that led to a three-month suspension and left him unemployed for a year and a half. “I’m still searching for the lesson in all of it,” Incognito told Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel. League investigator Ted Wells concluded Incognito subjected then-teammate Jonathan Martin to “a pattern of harassment” that included racial slurs. “Jonathan and I were close friends. I cared about him,” Incognito said of Martin. “If anybody was there for Jonathan it was me.” Martin left the Dolphins amid the scandal in 2013 and spent parts of the next two seasons with the 49ers and Panthers. He’s now retired. Incognito has since held his own in Buffalo, which signed him to a one-year contract in February 2015. He went to his second Pro Bowl last season and subsequently re-signed with the Bills on a three-year, $15.75MM deal with $5.4MM in guarantees. “I can sleep good at night knowing what happened and what my actions were. I’m not saying I was a saint. But I sleep well at night knowing what I did,” added Incognito, who maintains that Martin and his camp concocted a false narrative.
The Jets benched quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick in favor of Geno Smith on Wednesday, but Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News isn’t exactly convinced the move will energize the 1-5 team. Restarting the Smith era is “destined to fail,” writes Mehta, whose reasons include the 26-year-old’s poor on-field production since entering and the lack of maturity he has shown in his four NFL seasons. Mehta expects Smith to quickly flame out in his latest audition, thereby paving the way for second-year man Bryce Petty to take the reins under center.
Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert returned to practice Wednesday for the first time since suffering a back injury Oct. 3, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Thanks to both his back issue and offseason ankle surgery, the 2015 Pro Bowler hasn’t yet debuted this year. That could change Sunday against the Browns, per Dehner, who notes that Eifert was merely a limited participant Wednesday and will need to partake in a full practice before rejoining the Bengals’ lineup. The Bengals have gone a disappointing 2-4 this year without Eifert, who’s coming off an outstanding season. With 52 receptions, 615 yards and 13 touchdowns, the ex-Notre Dame star logged career highs across the board last year.
The Patriots worked out receiver Dres Anderson and linebacker Trevor Reilly on Wednesday, tweets Doug Kyed of NESN. Anderson went undrafted from Utah last year and spent some time with the 49ers, though he didn’t see any regular-season action. Reilly suited up 29 times and made 10 tackles with the Jets over the previous two seasons.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/19/16

October 19th, 2016 at 9:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Wednesday’s minor moves:

The Texans added two defenders to their active roster Wednesday, promoting lineman Brandon Dunn from their practice squad and signing free agent safety Don Jones, as Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets. To make room, Houston placed safety K.J. Dillon and linebacker Brennan Scarlett on IR.

NFC Notes: Dak, Vikes, Panthers, Packers

October 19th, 2016 at 8:51pm CST by Zachary Links

As expected, the Cowboys are starting quarterback Dak Prescott after the team’s bye week against the Eagles, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Tony Romo may not be ready to be considered for the following week against the Browns either, Rapoport hears.

Latest On Jets’ Quarterback Change

October 19th, 2016 at 8:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Before Jets head coach Todd Bowles demoted quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick to a backup role Wednesday, members of the team’s front office “made it clear” that they wanted Geno Smith to start, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Nevertheless, sources told Costello that the decision was ultimately up to Bowles.

Team owner Woody Johnson gave both Bowles and general manager Mike Maccagnan votes of confidence Wednesday. However, the second-year head coach could face job security questions in the coming months if the team’s skid continues under Smith, per Costello, who writes that Fitzpatrick is unlikely to start another game with the Jets. If Smith stumbles, the team could turn to one of its more recent draft picks, 2015 fourth-rounder Bryce Petty or rookie second-rounder Christian Hackenberg, in an effort to find a long-term solution.

Fitzpatrick and Smith are scheduled to become free agents at season’s end. The younger of the two, Smith, just turned 26 last week and – based on both that and his second-round pedigree – might have untapped potential. The fourth-year man has been subpar during his NFL career, though, having completed just 57.9 percent of passes to accompany 27 touchdowns and 36 interceptions in 32 appearances (29 starts).

Picks have also been a problem for the 33-year-old Fitzpatrick, who’s last in the league in INTs (11) and passer rating (63.4) in 2016. In the latest (and perhaps final) start of his Jets career, Fitzpatrick hit on a mere 16 of 31 passes for 174 yards and a pick in the club’s 28-3 road loss to Arizona on Monday. That dropped the Jets to 1-5, a far cry from the 10-6 mark they posted with an effective Fitzpatrick at the helm last season.

Fitzpatrick expressed disappointment in his relegation to the bench Wednesday, telling reporters – including Kimberley A. Martin of Newsday – that “I don’t like it.” At the same time, he understands Bowles’ choice.

“I haven’t played well. I think that’s the bottom line,” admitted Fitzpatrick. “I’ve been around and been at it long enough to know that when you’re 1-5, usually good things aren’t happening, and it’s not all smiles in the building. So I don’t want to say that I expected it, but it’s not shocking to me that they wanted to change things up.”

With Fitzpatrick on the sidelines, the Smith-led Jets will attempt to begin turning their season around Sunday against the Ravens.