NFC West Notes: Cardinals QB’s, Seahawks DE’s, Foster
Despite initial reports that Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer will undergo surgery on his broken arm and be out for eight weeks, the veteran signal caller may think he can return sooner than that. The 37 year-old reportedly told head coach Bruce Arians that he “may be able to return in 4-6 weeks”, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. This news conflicts with the original prognosis, and Arians didn’t seem to doubt his QB’s feeling. “That’d be great…it depends on what the surgeon says. He is a fast healer. He’s had it broken before and basically said he was back in five.” Drew Stanton will still have to hold down the fort for the time being as the team looks to regain its footing after a 33-0 beatdown at the hands of the Rams.
- Even with the Palmer injury, it seems like the Cardinals won’t be bringing in free agent quarterback, Colin Kaepernick. Arians told Weinfuss when asked about signing the former 49ers quarterback, “We’ve never had more than two on our roster since I’ve been here. We liked Blaine Gabbert so much that we kept him this year. So, we’re really where we always are.” Although, the coach did express potential interest in “a practice squad arm”.
- With defensive end Cliff Avril out for at least seven games, the Seahawks may be looking to bring a free agent into the fold, tweets Bon Condotta of the Seattle Times. Condotta adds in another tweet that he hears the team could look into 37 year-old Dwight Freeney. The longtime Colts star remains on the open market after suiting up for the Falcons last season.
- Reuben Foster was rather noncommittal about when he would return from an injury he suffered this past Sunday. Now it appears that the rookie linebacker is “good to go” after tests on his ribs, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. After being removed on two separate occasions in a loss to the Cowboys, it would seem that the 49ers linebacker has avoided his second long-term injury of his first professional season.
Saints’ Larry Warford Out For Several Weeks
One of the Saints bigger free agents signings from this past offseason will be out for an extended period of time. Guard Larry Warford is expected to miss several weeks with an abdominal injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
There was no exact timetable given for when New Orleans should expect their big ticket guard back, but it will be a rather large loss for a team that has won their last four games after dropping the first two. Warford was expected to be an anchor to the Saints offensive line when he signed a four year, $34 MM in the offseason, which gave him the seventh most guaranteed dollars ($17 MM) of any guard in the NFL. The former second round pick started every game at right guard this season, after starting a combined 57 contests in his four years with the Lions.
Backup lineman Senio Kelemente stood in for Warford when he exited and looks to be the primary fill-in as Warford works to get back on the field. The Saints will look to extend their winning streak when they take on the Bears this Sunday.
Chargers’ Matt Slauson Out For Season
The Chargers already lost one starting offensive lineman when rookie Forrest Lamp suffered a torn ACL before the season even started, now they can add another name to that list. According to the Chargers official Twitter account, offensive lineman Matt Slauson will miss the remainder of the season with a biceps injury. The tweet was a direct quote from head coach Anthony Lynn, confirming the news.
Slauson, 31, started at left guard in each of the Chargers first seven games. The veteran lineman originally signed with the team after the 2015-16 season for two years, $4 MM. Slauson was the starter at center last year before shifting over to guard for the 2017-18 season.
The news is a bit of downer for the Chargers considering that the team has won three games in a row after an 0-4 start. Los Angeles will now have to turn to rookie third round pick Dan Feeney to start in place of the nine-year veteran. The Chargers team may also decide to add another offensive lineman to the active roster with now only three backup lineman on the depth chart.
Lions Activate Khyri Thornton
Khyri Thornton is back in action. The Lions are welcoming the defensive tackle back to the roster following his multi-game suspension. To make room, quarterback Brad Kaaya has been cut. Kaaya is a likely candidate for the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Over the summer, Thornton was handed a six game suspension by the NFL for violating the league’s policy and program for substance abuse. Assuming he’s active, he’ll make his 2017 debut on Sunday against Pittsburgh.
Thornton, 28 next month, entered the league as a third-round pick of the Packers in 2014. However, it wasn’t until the next year when he finally saw live NFL action with the Lions. Last year, Thornton made 13 appearances for Detroit, including six starts. Thornton registered his first career sack and racked up 19 tackles, leading the Lions to re-sign him to a two-year, $3.3MM deal.
After appearing in 29.9 percent of the Lions’ defensive snaps last year, Thornton was being counted upon as depth for Detroit on the D-Line. His ban was a source of frustration in Detroit, but on the plus side Thornton will have fresh legs as he offers support for the front four.
In the wake of Haloti Ngata‘s biceps injury, the Lions are starting A’Shawn Robinson and Akeem Spence at defensive tackle.
AFC Notes: Browns, Thomas, Colts
Here’s a look at the AFC:
- Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas, who has been ruled out for the year, says he’ll wait until the offseason to determine whether he wants to continue playing. However, he did say that he is happy playing in Cleveland for coach Hue Jackson (Twitter link via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “Love Hue, loved playing for him. Playing for him was awesome and I’d definitely love to continue playing for him,” Thomas said.
- There has been speculation about the job security of Colts coach Chuck Pagano, but Stephen Holder of the Indy Star hasn’t seen any signs of an immediate change. He notes that the team’s Monday media schedule includes Pagano’s standard news conference at its usual time. If Pagano was being shown the door today, the Colts probably would have held off of releasing the schedule. Meanwhile, team sources indicated to Holder that the team is taking a patient, long-term approach to 2017. Of course, that won’t satisfy Colts fans who are frustrated after the team’s 27-0 loss to Jacksonville on Sunday.
- Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker will run and test out his injured ankle on Tuesday, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) hears. If it responds well, he is hopeful to play on Thursday against Baltimore. So far this year, Parker has 19 receptions for 236 yards and a touchdown.
NFC Notes: Vikings, Bridgewater, Redskins
The Vikings are wary of exposing Teddy Bridgewater to the slippery turf in London next week, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The QB says he’s ready to go, but Minnesota is taking the cautious approach and waiting until the post-bye game in Week 10 to put Bridgewater on the roster. Of course, the Vikings may still have a tough choice to make when it comes to whether they will actually put him on the field. Case Keenum has looked sharp since stepping in for Sam Bradford, so the team could opt to continue with him as the starter.
- Now that Duane Brown is back with the Texans, the best available left tackle is now Will Beatty, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines (Twitter link). He notes that Beatty “recently” worked out for the Saints, but it’s not clear if that is in reference to his mid-September workout or if he had a more recent audition for New Orleans. Rapoport notes that the Saints had some offensive line injuries on Sunday, so he could be a fit for them now.
- Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland, who has been dealing with a knee injury, is pushing to play against Philly on Monday night (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Washington is hoping that Breeland will be somewhat close to 100% as Josh Norman is sidelined with a rib injury.
- Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if Leon Hall is back with the 49ers in the wake of K’Waun Williams‘ quad injury. The veteran was released by SF last week after earning two game checks, though he appeared in zero games.
Chiefs Cut C.J. Spiller
The Chiefs have released running back C.J. Spiller again, sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links). Andy Reid says that Charcandrick West will probably be ready to go against Denver next week, so that would help to explain why Spiller is being put back on the curb. 
Pro Football Rumors readers are familiar with Spiller’s saga by now. Spiller caught on with Kansas City in February after spending time with multiple times in 2016. The former first-round pick missed the Chiefs’ initial cut in early September, but he has since been yo-yo’d on and off of the roster in almost unprecedented fashion. The veteran has now been released by the Chiefs four times in the last seven weeks. But, if history is any indication, he could be back with the team around Halloween.
Spiller totaled 1,244 rushing yards back in 2012, but he ran for just 1,363 total yards in the next four seasons. This year, he has a grant total of two carries for zero net yards.
Panthers Working Out K Andrew Franks
The Panthers are working out a group of kickers that includes free agent Andrew Franks on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
While incumbent kicker Graham Gano has not been ruled out for next week’s game against the Buccaneers, he is dealing with a knee injury. Gano appeared on Carolina’s injury report late last week, and subsequently had ice on his knee following the Panthers’ 17-3 loss to the Bears on Sunday, tweets Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. Gano converted his lone field goal attempt yesterday, a 36-yarder that represented Carolina’s only points on the day.
The Panthers began the season with rookie kicker Harrison Butker on their practice squad, but he’s since been snatched up the Chiefs (and performed rather well). Franks, meanwhile, was the Dolphins’ kicker for each of the past two seasons, but he converted just 78.4% of his field goal attempts during that time. He’s auditioned for the Redskins, Buccaneers, and Jaguars since being released by Miami, but has yet to land a contract.
Latest On Steelers WR Martavis Bryant
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant — the subject of recent trade rumors — took to social media and responded to an Instagram user who claimed fellow Pittsburgh pass-catcher JuJu Smith-Schuster is the superior wideout, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. Bryant, who has since deleted the post, “wants out” of Pittsburgh, a source tells Fowler.
“JuJu is no where near better than me, fool,” Bryant wrote. “All they need to do is give me what I want and y’all can have JuJu and whoever else.”
Bryant, who is back in the NFL after being suspended for the entirety of the 2016 campaign, reportedly requested a trade last week, although he has since denied that ask. Either way, the Steelers don’t intend to deal Bryant, although he has struggled this season and is being phased out of the club’s offense in favor of Smith-Schuster. Bryant has manged only 234 yards and one touchdown in seven games, and he essentially rotated with Smith-Schuster in Sunday’s victory. Bryant finished with 36 offensive snaps, while Smith-Schuster — a second-round rookie — played 32.
“JuJu is the future and got great talent and is going to be one of the best to play this game,” Bryant wrote after deleting the original post. “I want him to get his. I just want mines, period, point-blank. Ain’t nobody did nothing to get me back. I worked my a– off to get myself back with no help and little support, period. In due time the process will show.”
Bryant didn’t show up for required team meetings Monday, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and one teammate said Bryant “called in sick.” Whether or not Bryant’s absence today is related to his ongoing situation within the offense is unclear, but the timing would certainly hint that the two are interconnected. Bryant’s agent says the wideout did in fact see a doctor today, however, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The Steelers don’t plan on disciplining Bryant for either today’s meeting or his comments on Smith-Schuster, as Bouchette writes in a full piece. And — reiterating previous reports to this effect — Pittsburgh “certainly” doesn’t intend to ship Bryant out of town via trade.
Cowboys Working Out Kickers
The Cowboys had to resort to using defensive back Jeff Heath as their placekicker on Sunday after incumbent Dan Bailey went down with a groin injury, but the club won’t ask Heath to play the role of kicker any longer. Dallas is working out free agent kickers Mike Nugent, Jason Myers, Sam Irwin-Hill, and Younghoe Koo, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Bailey is expected to miss several weeks after sustaining a groin strain, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Replacing the 29-year-old certainly won’t be easy, as Bailey owns a 89.9% field goal success rate for his career, and hasn’t missed a field goal or an extra point this season. The Cowboys have garnered 4.1 points of field position from Bailey’s work on field goals and extra points, good for seventh in the NFL per Football Outsiders.
Nugent is — by far — the most experienced of the kickers Dallas is working out, as he’s appeared in 153 games during his 12-year NFL career. He lost out to Aldrick Rosas in the Giants’ kicking battle this summer. Myers and Koo, meanwhile, were released this season after struggling with the Jaguars and Chargers, respectively. Irwin-Hill has never appeared in an NFL game, but he did spend the summer in Cowboys’ camp.