Eagles’ Jason Peters Done For Season
Jason Peters‘ season is over. Tests revealed that the Eagles left tackle has suffered a torn ACL and MCL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
After Peters went down in Monday night’s win over the Redskins, the Eagles hoped that the veteran had only an MCL injury. Because it’s an ACL tear, there is zero hope for a return in 2017.
Peters is still among the best at his position and losing him is a major blow for Philly. This year, Pro Football Focus has Peters ranked as the third-best tackle in the entire NFL with a strong 86.4 overall grade. The highly decorated lineman has nine career Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro selections to his credit. This season, he appeared to be a lock for Orlando, at the very least.
It remains to be seen how the Eagles will adjust with the 14-year vet out of action. In theory, Lane Johnson could be moved over from right tackle, but they could also bump backup Halapoulivaati Vaitai into the starting job on the left side. There are also some notable names on the free agent market, including Branden Albert now that he has declined an offer from the Seahawks.
Jaguars Sign LB Jonathan Freeny
The Jaguars have signed linebacker Jonathan Freeny, according to a team announcement. To make room, the team released defensive back Lafayette Pitts. 
Freeny started five games for the Patriots over the last two seasons and signed a two-year extension with the team prior to the start of the 2016 season. Despite that, he was cut during final cutdowns this September. He hooked on with the Ravens soon after, but was released in October. In three games with Baltimore, he did not record an official statistic.
Freeny, a five-year NFL veteran, started his career as a special teams player in Miami. With the Pats, he made himself more of a known quantity with 18 appearances and eleven starts.
The Jaguars are on their bye this week. They’ll look to improve on their 4-3 record when they face the Bengals on Nov. 5.
Falcons Sign LB Sean Weatherspoon
The Falcons are reuniting with linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Weatherspoon will help fill in at linebacker now that rookie Duke Riley is set to undergo knee surgery. 
Weatherspoon, 29, was a first-round pick of the Falcons in 2010. Unfortunately, his career has been marred by injuries in recent years. In the last four years, he has made only 25 appearances – he missed the bulk of last season, rouhgly half of 2013, and the entire 2014 campaign.
In 2011, his only full season, he showed what he is capable of as he racked up 125 tackles and four sacks. If his knee and foot problems are behind him, he could perhaps be a quality contributor once again. The Falcons probably aren’t expecting that kind of stat line, but he could perhaps help the Falcons pivot out of their current three-game rut.
Assuming he dresses, Weatherspoon’s first game of 2017 will be a road contest against the scrappy Jets.
Dolphins Release CB Byron Maxwell
The Dolphins have released cornerback Byron Maxwell, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. To take his place, the team has signed quarterback David Fales. 
Maxwell has been demoted from the roster at various points this season. It appears that the cornerback is in decline, but coaches say that he is also refusing to play the defenses called from the sidelines. In cases where the Dolphins have called for press-man coverage, Maxwell has gone rogue and played far off of receivers. Although coaches were direct with Maxwell about the reasons behind his benching, he did not take accountability for it when talking to the media.
“ …In no way, shape, did I think my play [warranted] that,” Maxwell said earlier this month. “It’s a coach’s decision. Sometimes you have to deal with it. I’m a team player. Suck it up. Obviously, you think you’re the best man to do the job. You can’t control it. Everyone is trying to support your family trying to do the job.”
By releasing him now, the Fins are still on the hook for a significant portion of his $8.5MM cap number in 2017. However, they have freed themselves of his contract well before his $10MM cap number would have hit in 2018. They’ve also taken a potentially toxic player out of the locker room.
The Dolphins acquired Maxwell from the Eagles in the summer of 2016, just two days after they cut Brent Grimes. They were hoping that the cornerback could bounce back from a down year in 2015, but he was never able to get things going in Miami. On the plus side, linebacker Kiko Alonso remains a fixture on defense, so the Dolphins didn’t totally lose out when they moved down from the No. 8 pick to No. 13 that year.
Seahawks To Host DE Dwight Freeney
Hours after it was reported that the Seahawks may have interest in veteran defensive end Dwight Freeney, the team will now bring in the former All-pro for a team visit tomorrow, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
While the Seahawks already have a talented defensive line made up of Michael Bennett, Sheldon Richardson and Frank Clark, the team’s interest in the 37 year-old probably stems from the injury that talented pass rusher Cliff Avril suffered at the beginning of the month. It’s highly unlikely that Freeney would play the majority of the snaps if he were signed, but he would provide another option to get after the quarterback on passing downs.
The defensive lineman is nowhere near the player he once was, although the veteran did post a combined 11 sacks in his previous two seasons as a member of the Cardinals and Falcons.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/23/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
Signed: QB Mike Bercovici
NFL Workout Updates: 10/23/17
Today’s workout updates:
Jacksonville Jaguars
LBs Sean Spence and Jonathan Freeny (Twitter link via Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union)
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/23/17
Suspension Notes: Lynch, Sendejo
After being suspended for one game for contact with a referee, Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch made his case during his appeal of the punishment to league officials. The 32-year-old former All-star reportedly had Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters testify in his defense during the appeal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Schefter further pointed out that Lynch made his entire argument and will likely hear whether or not the suspension has been lifted at some point tomorrow.
- Schefter also reported an interesting argument that Lynch made to the NFL today regarding his situation. The insider tweets that the Raiders back and his reps made the point that, “9 players, including Aaron Donald and Taylor Lewan last season, made contact with an official; none suspended.” While it appears that Lynch makes a pretty solid case, it still remains to be seen whether the league will ease his punishment and allow him to play next week vs. the Bills.
- In other suspension news, today we learned that Vikings safety Andrew Sendejo has been suspended for one game because of his hit on Ravens receiver Mike Wallace, NFL Vice President of Football Communications Michael Signora announced on Twitter. The Ravens starting wideout went onto miss the rest of the game with a concussion, despite pleading with coaches to let him continue. The Minnesota defensive back was penalized for a personal foul on the play and will now have to miss their upcoming game against the Browns. The team has backup safeties Anthony Harris and Jayron Kearse to help replace the veteran for the contest.
49ers Sign DE Datone Jones
It’s been a hectic season so far for defensive end Datone Jones as he’s now signed with his third team this season after agreeing to terms with the 49ers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Nevertheless, Jones brings much needed depth to a position that has already seen the losses of Arik Armstead and Tank Carradine for the season.
It’s been quite a ride over the past few months for the defensive lineman. The former first round pick was cut by Vikings during the preseason and was just released by the Lions so that the team could bring in young quarterback Brad Kaaya.
At 27 years old, Jones has just not been able to find his footing in the NFL. Since entering the league in 2013, the most sacks he’s recorded in a single-season was the 3.5 that he collected during rookie campaign. The Packers decided to move on from Jones this past spring after the defensive end produced just 22 tackles and one sack in 15 games last year. San Francisco represents Jones’ latest chance to turn around his career, though he’ll have to battle to even get playing time with the likes of Aaron Lynch, Solomon Thomas and Elvis Dumervil ahead of him on the depth chart.