Eagles LB Nigel Bradham Arrested
Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham was arrested for bringing a loaded gun to Miami International Airport, according to a report from TMZ. Bradham, 27, says that he forgot to remove his firearm from his backpack. Officials say “it was clear that there was no criminal intent” in Bradham’s actions, but they had to arrest him given his assault case from over the summer. 
Bradham has a concealed weapons permit and it sounds like he made an absent-minded move by bringing his gun with him to the airport. On the other hand, this marks Bradham’s second run-in with the law in recent months. Today’s news has to be concerning to the Eagles and it could get him in more hot water with the league office. Bradham told reporters that he has a hearing related to his July incident this week.
Bradham signed a two-year, $7MM deal with the Eagles this offseason. In three games this season, he has ten tackles and one interception.
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Bears To Start Brian Hoyer Over Jay Cutler?
Could this be the end of the Jay Cutler era in Chicago? The Bears have have enjoyed some success with Brian Hoyer under center and coach John Fox indicated today that he will remain the starter if he continues to play well. “Anybody’s that performing well, I don’t think we’re going to be likely to change,” Fox said (Twitter link via Chris Emma of 670 The Score). 
Cutler has been sidelined with a sprained thumb, leaving Hoyer to start the Bears’ last two games. The Bears lost to the Cowboys in Week 3, but they bounced back with a 17-14 victory over the Lions yesterday. Hoyer obviously isn’t the long-term answer for Chicago under center, but it’s fair to speculate that the team might not want to continue with Cutler either. Cutler is set to count for $16MM against the Bears cap in 2017 but the team could release him and be on the hook for just $2MM in dead money.
In three games (two starts), Hoyer has completed more than 69% of his passes while throwing four touchdowns against zero interceptions.
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Patriots To Release TE Clay Harbor
The Patriots are releasing tight end Clay Harbor, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
The news comes as a bit of a surprise.
While Harbor was not a central player for New England, there were other players on the chopping block who could have been let go instead of the tight end. Harbor’s release will clear one of two spots to make room for Tom Brady and Rob Ninkovich.
After averaging 25 receptions per season from 2012 to 2014, Harbor caught 14 balls for 149 yards and a touchdown in 2015 for the Jaguars, primarily serving as a blocker. This offseason, the Pats signed Harbor with the intent of using him as a fullback/tight end hybrid. Harbor had played in three of Patriots’ first four games. He logged 25 snaps on offense and 39 on special teams but not register an official statistic, as ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter) notes.
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Bears To Waive RB/KR Raheem Mostert
The Bears are set to waive running back/kick returner Raheem Mostert, according to agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Tessler, with some gentle agent spin, indicates that Chicago is cutting Mostert due to “other needs.” He’ll be re-signed to Chicago’s practice squad if he clears waivers, according to Tessler. 
Mostert was signed to the Bears’ taxi squad on September 13th and was bumped up to the 53-man roster one week later after injuries to Jeremy Langford and Ka’Deem Carey. Despite being on the roster for two games, Mostert did not log a rushing attempt or return on special teams.
Mostert, a Purdue product, has traveled all over the league in his short career. He has signed deals with the Eagles, Dolphins, Ravens, Browns, Jets, and Bears since entering the league as a UDFA in 2015.
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Buccaneers Sign DT John Hughes
The Buccaneers have signed defensive tackle John Hughes, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Hughes has been a free agent since being released by the Patriots earlier this month. 
Hughes was cut loose by the Browns in September, a surprising move since he had several years to go on the lucrative extension he inked in 2015. Days later, he signed with New England, but his stay with the Pats lasted less than a week.
Hughes, a 2012 draftee, started just seven games in his first three seasons with the Browns and landed on IR in 2014 after suffering an MCL injury. The former third-round pick appeared in all 16 regular season games in 2015 and made three starts, totaling 24 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble.
After Gerald McCoy suffered a calf injury over the weekend, Hughes will provide Tampa Bay with some much-needed depth. As Auman notes, Bucs director of player personnel John Spytek was in Cleveland the year Hughes was drafted.
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Browns C Austin Reiter Done For Year
Browns center Austin Reiter is believed to have suffered a torn ACL, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com tweets. He will be placed on IR. 
Reiter played well in his first career start at center but, unfortunately, his season is already over. The Browns plucked Reiter from the Redskins’ practice squad late last month, giving them some depth after losing starter Cameron Erving for an extended period of time. Now, they’ll be without Erving until his bruised lung is better and they’ll be without Reiter for the season.
When Reiter went down on Sunday, the Browns moved guard John Greco to the middle and used rookie Spencer Drango at right guard. They could go with that O-Line makeup going forward, but it stands to reason that they will also add a lineman to the 53-man roster.
The banged up Browns are now 0-4 heading into this Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
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Falcons LB Weatherspoon Suffers Torn Achilles
Falcons linebacker Sean Weatherspoon has suffered a torn Achilles tendon, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Weatherspoon will presumably be shut down for the season and placed on IR. 
Sadly, this marks the second time that Weatherspoon has suffered an Achilles tear in his career. The 28-year-old (29 in October) missed the entire 2014 season thanks to that injury. In 2015, he left Atlanta for the Cardinals and saw just 159 defensive snaps. This offseason, he returned to the Falcons with the hope of earning more playing time. He started three of Atlanta’s four games this season, tallying 27 total tackles.
Weatherspoon originally entered the NFL as a Falcons first-round draft pick, joining the team as the 19th player selected in the 2010 draft. In 2011, his only full season, he showed what he is capable of as he racked up 125 tackles and four sacks. Unfortunately, he has since been held back by his Achilles issues plus knee and foot problems.
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Dolphins Sign TE Dominique Jones
The Dolphins have signed tight end Dominique Jones, according to his reps at Reign Sports (on Twitter). Jones returns to Miami as starting tight end Jordan Cameron deals with his latest concussion. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Not Considering Jay Cutler Move]
Jones, 29, just missed the Dolphins’ final cut earlier this month. In addition to spending the offseason with the Dolphins, he has previous experience with coach Adam Gase thanks to his time in Denver. For his career, Jones has appeared in 13 games with a whopping three catches for 42 yards. He may get a chance to add to those numbers now if Cameron is forced to miss time. Without Cameron, Dion Sims and MarQueis Gray will be bumped up a spot with Jones serving as the No. 3 tight end.
The Dolphins already had an open roster spot, so they won’t have to cut anyone to add Jones.
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Browns Release DT Armonty Bryant
The Browns are releasing Armonty Bryant, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The defensive tackle was slated to come off of suspension today. 
Bryant and former Browns defensive back De’Ante Saunders were arrested early on Christmas morning 2015. Bryant, who had Adderall in his possession, was ultimately indicted on two counts of felony drug possession when he could not produce a prescription for the medication. The NFL subsequently hit him with a four-game suspension.
Bryant, 26, enjoyed something of a breakout season in 2015, racking up career-highs in sacks (5.5), tackles (40), and forced fumbles (two). However, after a solid year on the field, the linebacker ran into some trouble off of it. Hue Jackson has talked about prioritizing character when it comes to filling out the team’s 53-man roster and it appears that he is sticking to his word by cutting Bryant. The Browns, now 0-4, probably could have used Bryant from a talent perspective.
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AFC Notes: Siemian, Watt, Cutler, Bengals
The Broncos tabbed Trevor Siemian as their emergency quarterback after he left Sunday’s game. Denver’s first-year starter suffered what an AC joint sprain on his non-throwing shoulder, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Siemian will undergo additional tests before the team determines the course of action.
Gary Kubiak categorized Siemian as day-to-day, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (via Twitter). The Broncos, who received 170 passing yards and one touchdown from Paxton Lynch in relief, host the Falcons in Week 5.
Here’s more from the AFC as its signature game of Week 4 continues its one-sided course.
- J.J. Watt underwent surgery on the same disk he injured during the spring, Rapoport reports. The Texans defensive end herniated the disk again this season despite passing the tests needed to play. Per Rapoport, Watt felt like he’d regressed back to where he was before the first back surgery this summer. He will stay in Los Angeles to rehab and be able to resume training in two months. However, the 27-year-old perennial All-Pro will still be out for the season despite the call to resume workouts during it. Rapoport adds the Texans don’t have any long-term concerns about Watt.
- While Ryan Tannehill hasn’t impressed in Adam Gase‘s system, the last quarterback who did is not a target for the Dolphins. Any Jay Cutler-to-Miami talk “has never come up,” with a source close familiar with the Dolphins’ thinking telling Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that scenario is “never happening.”
- Former Dolphins DC Kevin Coyle did not draw rave reviews from his Bengals secondary charges, according to a report earlier this week. However, the Bengals — who beat the Dolphins 22-7 on Thursday night — refute the report the new Cincinnati defensive backs coach is unpopular among his players, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The Bengals “blew off” that contention, instead pointing to the usual adjustment period associated with new coaches. The Dolphins fired Coyle midway through last season.
- Titans nose tackle Al Woods will miss at least a month of action after pulling his calf muscle on Sunday, Mike Mularkey told media, including Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com. Woods is in his third season with the Titans but the first of a three-year, $10.5MM deal he signed to stay in Tennessee this offseason.