2017 September - Pro Football Rumors

Allen Robinson Done For Season

September 11th, 2017 at 5:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Jacksonville crushed AFC South rival Houston to open the season on Sunday, but if the Jaguars are going to continue to thrive in 2017, they’ll have to do it without their top wide receiver. The team confirmed Monday that Allen Robinson suffered a torn ACL in his left knee Sunday and will miss the remainder of the season, per the Associated Press.

This seemed like the probable outcome for Robinson after he went down with a non-contact injury in the first quarter against the Texans and was quickly ruled out for the rest of the game. While the Robinson-less Jaguars still managed to coast to a 29-7 victory, having to make do without him for the remainder of the year will be a tall order.

Robinson posted at least 73 catches, 151 targets, 883 yards and six touchdowns in each of the previous two years, for one, and the Jags’ receiving corps already took a hit earlier this month when they placed rookie fourth-round pick Dede Westbrook on injured reserve. They’re now down to Marqise Lee and Allen Hurns, the latter of whom has fallen out of favor since last season, as their top options in a passing game that doesn’t inspire much confidence with Blake Bortles at the helm.

The 24-year-old Robinson, meanwhile, may have played his final game as a member of the Jaguars. The 2014 second-round pick is scheduled to hit free agency after the season and could’ve made a case for a monster contract with another big year. Instead, thanks to his knee injury, he’ll enter the offseason in a less-than-ideal position.

Rams Extend Johnny Hekker

September 11th, 2017 at 4:42pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Rams have signed punter Johnny Hekker to a record extension that will tie him to the team for the next six seasons, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports (on Twitter). It’s a two-year deal featuring $10MM in guarantees, the most ever for a punter.

Hekker was already under Rams control through 2020 on the six-year, $18MM extension he inked in 2014. That deal still stands as a record pact for a punter and included $7.38MM in guarantees. Combining that accord and his new contract, Hekker stands to rake in $21MM through 2022, according to Schefter (Twitter link).

The 27-year-old Hekker has been resoundingly successful since the Rams pulled him off the scrapheap as an undrafted free agent from Oregon State in 2012. The seventh-year man has racked up three Pro Bowl bids and first-team All-Pro nods apiece, including in each of the previous two seasons, and was a second-team All-Pro in 2014. Hekker led the NFL in average yards per punt (47.9) two years ago and paced the league in net yardage per attempt (46.0) last season, when Football Outsiders ranked him as the game’s premier punter.

While the Rams cruised to a 46-9 rout over the Colts on Sunday, they still had to deploy Hekker five times in their season opener. He averaged 43.6 yards per boot on those kicks.

Andrew Luck To Miss Week 2

September 11th, 2017 at 3:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have already ruled out Andrew Luck for Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, coach Chuck Pagano told reporters on Monday. Pagano added that he does not know if the quarterback will be able to practice this week, further casting doubt on when he will be able to take the field again.

Scott Tolzien got the start in Week 1 in place of Luck and it was not pretty. Tolzien is now 0-3-1 as a starter in his career after going 9-of-18 on passing attempts for 128 yards with two interceptions. He was also sacked four times behind the Ryan Kelly-less offensive line.

The Colts benched the veteran in favor of recently-acquired QB Jacoby Brissett in the fourth quarter and he ran a successful drive for a touchdown. Although the TD was ultimately meaningless, Brissett’s ability to lead the offense down the field versus Tolzien’s struggles cannot be overlooked. Pagano indicated that the team will consider starting Brissett over Tolzien against Arizona.

Both the Colts and Cardinals will be without their best offensive players when they meet. Arizona learned on Monday that running back David Johnson will be sidelined for an extended period due to his wrist injury.

Cardinals To Sign RB D.J. Foster

September 11th, 2017 at 3:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals need a running back and an ASU alum is on his way to help. Arizona has signed D.J. Foster off of the Patriots’ practice squad, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

On Monday morning, the Cardinals learned that star David Johnson has suffered a dislocated wrist. Right now, the Cards are operating under the assumption that he’ll be out of action for approximately 12 weeks, meaning that he won’t be back on the field until December in a best-case scenario.

Foster missed the Patriots’ initial 53-man cut this year which wasn’t a huge surprise given their depth at the position. He signed on with the practice squad that same weekend, but it didn’t take long for another club to pry him loose.

Foster appeared in three games for New England last year. He totaled 24 yards off of seven attempts and also added one reception for two yards. His pass-catching ability may be his best quality – he had 59 receptions for 584 yards as a senior at ASU.

Cardinals’ David Johnson To Miss Time

September 11th, 2017 at 2:26pm CST by Zachary Links

This is not the way the Cardinals wanted to start their season. After losing to the Lions on Sunday, the Cardinals have learned that running back David Johnson will be out for an extended period of time with a wrist injury.

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians tells reporters Johnson’s initial prognosis is the same as T.J. Logan. That’s a bad sign since the rookie was ruled out for approximately 12 weeks after suffering a wrist injury in early August.

The early word is that Johnson will require surgery, but he’ll get a second opinion this week to determine the best course of action. If he recovers within the expected timeframe, he could be a candidate to return from IR later this year.

Arians says that the Cardinals will consider re-signing running back Chris Johnson to help fill in the gap. Johnson was released by the team just prior to the 53-man deadline. Fortunately for them, CJ2K is still available. The 31-year-old rushed for 814 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to D. Johnson as the club’s starting running back in 2015. He missed the bulk of last year due to injury.

Broncos, Brandon McManus Agree To Extension

September 11th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos and Brandon McManus have reached agreement on a new deal. It’s a three-year extension that will take him through 2020.

“Brandon [has] made a lot of big kicks and is an important weapon for our team,” general manager John Elway tweeted on Monday morning.

McManus was tendered at the second round level this offseason. He waited a while to put pen to paper in hopes that he would get a long-term deal instead. It took a little while longer than he wanted, but McManus got his extension.

The new pact will start in the 2018 season. The new money portion is worth $11.254MM, including $6MM guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. McManus now stands as one of the highest-paid kickers in the NFL. In terms of yearly average, Stephen Gostkowski of the Patriots is the league’s highest-paid kicker with $4.3MM per season. Justin Tucker of the Ravens leads the way in terms of total guarantees with $10.8MM and isn’t far behind in average annual value at $4.2MM/year.

McManus has connected on 68-of-82 field goal tries his three seasons with Denver.

Bears To Place Kevin White On IR

September 11th, 2017 at 1:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Bears coach John Fox confirmed to reporters on Monday morning that Kevin White has suffered a fractured scapula. White will be placed on injured reserve, though it’s currently unclear whether he’ll be a candidate to return later in the year.

Fox says that surgery is a possibility for White. An operation, presumably, would knock him out for the year. If White can avoid surgery, then he may be able to take advantage of the league’s newly modified IR-DTR rules. Teams can bring two players off of IR during the season each year, though players must spend a minimum of eight weeks on the sidelines.

This is yet another frustrating setback for White, who has played in just five games in three seasons thus far. White, a West Virginia product, was selected with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2015 draft. Although he is immensely talented, it’s not clear if he’ll ever be able to stay healthy.

With White sidelined, the Bears are hoping that Markus Wheaton will be ready to go in Week 2. The former Steeler was not able to go in the season opener as he recovers from finger surgery. Another free agent addition, Kendall Wright, could be in line for additional targets while White is out.

Eagles K Caleb Sturgis Suffers Injury

September 11th, 2017 at 12:41pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are on the lookout for a kicker. Caleb Sturgis suffered a hip flexor strain on Sunday, as Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The injury will rule him out for four weeks, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets, and the team is already making plans to look at replacements.

We don’t know who will be working out for the Eagles just yet, but Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) suggests that free agent Mike Nugent could get a look. Bengals practice squad kicker Jake Elliott could also get a call, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Sturgis, 28, made all three of his field goal tries on Sunday, including a 50-yard attempt, but missed one of his two extra point tries. Last year, he sank a career-high 85.4% of his field goals and went 30-for-31 on XPs.

Good News For Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt

September 11th, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Defensive end Stephon Tuitt is week-to-week with a biceps injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. It’s not ideal, but the Steelers are breathing a sigh of relief after they initially feared a complete tear of the muscle.

Tuitt exited the Steelers’ season opener against the Browns in the first quarter. He could miss next week’s game against the Vikings and Week 3 against the Bears, but the Steelers should get the starting bookend back in the lineup before long.

The 25-year-old recorded 37 tackles, four sacks, 20.5 pressures, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles in 2016. The advanced metrics told a similar story – he finished out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 20 ranked interior defender.

The Steelers rewarded him ths offseason a five-year $60MM extension that includes $14MM in full guarantees. The former second-round pick was scheduled to earn a base salary of just over $1MM for the upcoming season.

Lions P Kasey Redfern Suffers Torn ACL

September 11th, 2017 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Lions punter Kasey Redfern is done for the year. Redfern suffered a torn ACL, MCL, and partial tear of the patellar tendon in Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Redfern will be placed on injured reserve, likely later today or tomorrow.

The injury took place after Redfern bobbled a snap in the Lions’ end zone and ran with the ball. He was hit hard around the ten-yard line – shy of the first down marker – causing his leg to hit the ground at an awkward angle.

Redfern was signed to serve as the team’s punter while Sam Martin is on the non-football injury list. The Lions will now have to look into a Plan C. Kicker Matt Prater took over punting duties on Sunday, but the Lions will almost certainly sign a full-time punter this week.