2017 December - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Place LB John Simon On IR

December 5th, 2017 at 5:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts have placed linebacker John Simon on injured reserve and promoted defensive tackle Anthony Johnson from their practice squad, the club announced today.

Simon, who is now dealing with a shoulder injury, also missed three games earlier this season with a neck issue. Part of general manager Chris Ballard‘s initial free agent class, the 27-year-old Simon was lured away from the division-rival Texans via a three-year, $14MM contract. For that price, Indianapolis received solid — if not spectacular — production, as Simon managed three sacks while grading as the league’s No. 55 edge defender among 115 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Johnson, meanwhile, has appeared on a number of rosters since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2014, but his most significant playing time came in 2016, when he saw action in 11 total games while splitting time between the Jets and Patriots. He’ll now get a four-game audition during which the Colts can decide whether the 6’3″, 308-pounder should be part of the team’s 2018 plans on the interior.

Suspension Upheld For Gronk

December 5th, 2017 at 4:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Appeals officer Derrick Brooks has upheld the one-game suspension of Rob Gronkowski, the league announced. Gronkowski will not dress for Monday night’s game against the Dolphins.

Gronk lost his cool after Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White intercepted a pass in his direction. Apparently frustrated with the rookie’s pestering D, Gronkowski hit White after the whistle. Surprisingly, the dirty play did not earn him an ejection, but few were caught off guard by the league’s one-game ban. Gronkowski appealed in an effort to keep himself on the field and potentially save millions of dollars, but it was an uphill battle.

Now that Gronk has officially been ruled out for Monday’s game against Miami, the Patriots may promote Will Tye off of the practice squad to serve as the team’s third tight end. Conversely, they may go out-of-house if they are keen on protecting Tye. If they were to promote Tye for just one game, they’d have to expose him to waivers before re-signing him to the taxi squad.

Texans Place Fiedorowicz, Ellington On IR

December 5th, 2017 at 4:16pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have placed tight end C.J. Fiedorowicz (concussion) and wide receiver Bruce Ellington (hamstring) on injured reserve. Both players will be sidelined for the last four games of the regular season.

Fiedorowicz left Sunday’s game when he suffered his third concussion of the year. Thanks to head injuries, he appeared in only five games in 2017. He finishes out with 14 catches for 127 yards – not quite the encore he was hoping for after reeling in 54 catches for 449 yards and four touchdowns, all career highs. He’s scheduled to be back with the team in 2018 after signing a the three-year, $21.5MM extension in the offseason.

Ellington missed all of last season with the same injury. The former fourth-round pick is scheduled to reach free agency in March.

The 4-8 Texans will round out the season with games against the 49ers, Jaguars, Steelers, and Colts. The Texans’ 2018 first round pick – which would be in the top ten if the season ended today – is owned by the Browns.

Bears Place Kyle Long, Mitch Unrein On IR

December 5th, 2017 at 3:37pm CST by Zachary Links

As expected, the Bears have placed right guard Kyle Long on injured reserve. Defensive end Mitch Unrein has also been shut down for the year.

On Tuesday morning, coach John Fox indicated that this was a likely outcome for Long. It’s undoubtedly a frustrating end to the year for the veteran. Last year, he suffered a painful leg injury in the eighth game of the season. This time around, it’s a shoulder malady that will keep him from the field in the final month of the season.

Unrein was starting for the Bears at defensive end, so they’ll have to turn to reserves Jonathan Bullard and Roy Robertson-Harris for support. The Bears are also expected to add a bookend to the mix.

In 12 games this year, Unrein recorded 31 tackles and 1.5 sacks. Pro Football Focus, which has Unrein listed as an interior defender, gives him a career-high 83.9 score for his work this year. That’s good for No. 29 among all interior defenders.

Bills Place Matthews, Lawson On IR

December 5th, 2017 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are shutting down two of their starters for the rest of their seasons. Wide receiver Jordan Matthews and defensive end Shaq Lawson have been placed on injured reserve. To fill their spots, the Bills have promoted defensive end Cap Capi and wide receiver Brandon Reilly to the active roster.

Matthews was the Eagles’ leading receiver in 2016, but Philly spent much of the offseason looking to unload him. In August, they found a taker in the Bills, who shipped Sammy Watkins to the Rams on the same day. Buffalo gave up cornerback Ronald Darby to receive Matthews and a 2018 third-round pick.

Unfortunately, injuries have held Matthews back all year long. Matthews recovered from a broken thumb and fractured sternum, but he has been dealing with a knee issue in recent weeks.

In ten games, the wide receiver had just 25 catches for 282 yards and one touchdown. That pales in comparison to the 73 catches for 804 yards and three touchdowns he had in 2016 and the career-high numbers (85 grabs, 997 yards, eight touchdowns) he put up in the previous year. Matthews is scheduled for free agency in March and he was hoping for a much better platform when he arrived in Buffalo.

Lawson, meanwhile, sprained his ankle last Sunday and had to be carted off of the field. The No. 19 overall pick in the 2016 draft has appeared in just 21 games in his first two NFL seasons.

FSU’s Derwin James To Enter NFL Draft

December 5th, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here, but Florida State safety Derwin James has announced that he will go pro in 2018 rather than play out his final season. James will also skip the Independence Bowl at the end of the month.

“After a lot of prayer and plenty of conversations with my coaches and especially my teammates, I’m ready to begin preparing for my next chapter: becoming the next great Florida State DB in the NFL,” James wrote in a piece for The Players’ Tribune. “I feel extremely grateful that every person I spoke to supported my decision to begin my training immediately.”

James has been on the NFL radar for some time now. Back in September, one scout told NFL.com’s Chase Goodbread that James has the body type to play “about seven positions.” He’s widely viewed as a first round prospect and he may work himself into top ten consideration.

On the flipside, evaluators will be taking a close look at his knee following an injury in 2016. Some draft experts, including Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, have opined that James has looked timid in his return.

Giants Reinstate Eli Manning As Starter

December 5th, 2017 at 1:46pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s official – the Giants are going back to Eli Manning as their starting quarterback, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). Manning will be under center this weekend as the Giants face the Cowboys in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Mired in a lost season, the Giants made a daring move to bench Manning on Sunday in favor of Geno Smith. The decision ended Manning’s streak of 210 consecutive NFL starts and caused an uproar among Giants fans. There’s little doubt that the ensuing controversy sped up the inevitable for coach Ben McAdoo and GM Jerry Reese.

At 2-10, the Giants aren’t playing for much this year, but the outcome of these next four games will help shape the offseason. If Manning plays up to par, it’s conceivable that he could return as the starting QB in 2018, though that might require some healing between the two-time Super Bowl champ and team ownership. Manning remains under contract through next season, but the team must decide whether to keep him before his $5MM roster bonus comes due on March 18.

Manning, 37 in January, has completed 62.5% of his passes with 14 touchdowns against seven interceptions this year. He currently ranks as the 18th best quarterback in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics have not been a big fan of his work over the last five seasons. In 2011 and 2012, however, he rated as a top five passer in the NFL.

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter) first reported that Manning would be reinstated as the Giants’ starting quarterback.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Bowles, Dolphins

December 5th, 2017 at 1:35pm CST by Zachary Links

There was some talk of Todd Bowles being on the hot seat earlier this year, but it’s now time for the Jets to commit to the head coach with an extension, Manish Mehta of the Daily News argues. Bowles’ current deal expires after the 2018 season.

“His message never changed. He never wavered. He never complained. That was huge for us. That kind of steadiness for us is bearing fruit right now. It’s why we won the game [against the Chiefs on Sunday],” quarterback Josh McCown said. “Because of how he handles himself and carries himself day in and day out.”

Many believed that the Jets were doomed to be cellar-dwellers in 2017, but they are 5-7 including competitive losses against the Patriots and Panthers. Giving Bowles an extension – even a one-year add-on – could give the Jets a sense of stability going forward.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Julius Thomas is unlikely to be back with the Dolphins at his scheduled salary cap hit of $6.6MM, but it seems possible that he could be back with the team at a reduced salary, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Thomas hasn’t put up the monster numbers that were once expected of him, but the tight end has been quietly productive. “I see it different than it seems everyone else does,” coach Adam Gase said. “He’s done everything I’ve asked him to do. I wish there’s been situations we’ve called plays for him and haven’t been able to get the ball to him either by coverage or the ball didn’t go there for whatever reason. When we’ve asked him to do things in the running game he’s given me max effort. He’s been there every day for us in practice and at games. Yeah, would I love him to have 12 touchdowns? Sure. We haven’t been able to have that many snaps until the last five games. That’s where he’s made his money. I think he’s had the third-most touchdown catches in the NFL since 2013 or something like that. He’s done exactly what we’ve asked. [Sunday] was a good example. That’s a big play. We wanted to get up. That’s the first guy I went to.”
Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski has been hit with a one-game ban for his after-the-whistle hit on Bills cornerback TreDavious White.

NFL Suspends Steelers’ Smith-Schuster, Bengals’ Iloka

December 5th, 2017 at 1:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster and Bengals safety George Iloka have each been suspended one game for violations of safety-related playing rules on Monday night. The league announced the suspensions in a press release on Tuesday, and has already denied an appeal by Smith-Schuster.

In his letter to Smith-Schuster notifying him of the suspension, NFL Vice President of Football Operations Jon Runyan slammed his unsportsmanlike conduct in his illegal hit on Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict. Runyan also noted of Smith-Schuster’s taunting:

“You are suspended for the dangerous and unsportsmanlike acts you committed during the fourth quarter of last night’s game. Specifically, with 7:10 remaining, on a passing play to a running back, you lined up a defender and delivered a violent and unnecessary blindside shot to his head and neck area. You then “celebrated” the play by standing over him and taunting him. The contact you made with your opponent placed the opposing player at risk of serious injury and could have been avoided. Your conduct following the hit fell far below the high standards of sportsmanship expected of an NFL player.”

Smith-Schuster is appealing his one-game suspension, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Per the collective bargaining agreement, his appeal will be heard by either Hall of Fame linebacker Derrick Brooks or former NFL receiver James Thrash.

Meanwhile, Iloka will serve a one-game ban for his helmet to helmet hit on Antonio Brown with 3:55 left in the game. He’ll miss Sunday’s game against the Bears while Smith-Schuster will be forced out of Sunday’s primetime matchup against the Ravens.

Latest On Jerry Jones, Roger Goodell

December 5th, 2017 at 12:15pm CST by Zachary Links

League owners may have found a way to give Roger Goodell a new contract while placating Jerry Jones. The solution may be to slash other high salaries at the league office and reduce the money spent on NFL investigations and lawsuits, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears.

Other owners share Jones’ sentiments about the spending at the league’s Park Ave. headquarters, so this could easily be ratified at the next owner’s meeting on Dec. 13 at Texas. Jones would be less-than-thrilled about Goodell getting his lucrative new extension, but he doesn’t have much say in the matter. Although he still wields a great deal of influence, the league says that the decision on Goodell’s contract will be made solely by the Compensation Committee, a group comprised of six other owners.

There was some talk about an informal meeting taking place in December that could effectively solidify Goodell’s contract. In comments made to 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Tuesday, Jones sounded confident that nothing would be agreed upon until the full meeting.

“We’re going to have a meeting here in Dallas in about 10 days on the 13th,” Jones said (transcript via PFT) . “We should have a real good airing out of some of the things that we’ve been reading about, and in the meantime I’ve been having a lot of conversations with a lot of owners.”