NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Tim Patrick
- Placed on injured list: WR River Cracraft
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Adam Bighill
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: T Jake Rodgers
- Released: WR Justin Thomas
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DT Ondre Pipkins
Bucs QB Ryan Griffin Returns To Practice
Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Griffin has returned to practice this week, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Griffin is currently on injured reserve as a result of the sprained AC joint he suffered during the preseason.
Tampa Bay carried Griffin through to its initial 53-man roster before placing him on IR, which means he’s allowed to return to the field following an eight-week absence. As such, Griffin can be activated as early as October 30, the day after the Buccaneers’ Week 8 contest against the Panthers. Tampa has a three-week window during which it can place Griffin on its active roster, meaning the deadline to so is November 8.
Griffin, 27, was tendered at the original level as a restricted free agent earlier this year but subsequently agreed to a one-year extension through 2018 that reduced his base salary for the 2017 campaign. Since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane in 2013, Griffin has spent time with the Saints’ practice squad and Tampa Bay’s active roster, but has never appeared in a professional game.
If and when he’s activated, Griffin will serve as the Buccaneers’ third quarterback behind Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Speaking of Winston, he’ll start for Tampa against the Bills on Sunday despite suffering a minor AC joint sprain in Week 7, as Auman writes in a full piece.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/20/17
Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted to active roster: RB Josh Ferguson
Washington Redskins
- Promoted to active roster: DL A.J. Francis
Packers Hoping For Aaron Rodgers Return
The Packers are “holding out hope” that quarterback Aaron Rodgers can return to the field later this season, reports Rob Demovsyk of ESPN.com. Green Bay officially placed Rodgers on injured reserve earlier today, and because the NFL’s rule require an eight-week minimum absence, Rodgers wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 15.
Rodgers underwent surgery for a broken collarbone on Thursday, and is now facing a lengthy recovery process. As such, Demovsky admits the Packers’ hope for a Rodgers return is a “long shot,” but it’s not impossible. Green Bay, which currently sits in second place in the NFC North with a 4-2 record, now owns just a 28% chance of earning a postseason berth, down 41% from last week, per Football Outsiders. But if the Packers are able to remain in contention, Rodgers could conceivably guide the club through the regular season’s final two weeks and into the playoffs.
Green Bay will roll with former fifth-round pick Brett Hundley as its starter for the foreseeable future, while former practice squad signal-caller Joe Callahan will be Hundley’s backup. Head coach Mike McCarthy recently indicated the Packers have no intention of adding a veteran quarterback to the mix, but the club did sign undrafted rookie Jerod Evans to its practice squad earlier this week.
Marshawn Lynch Suspended One Game
The NFL has suspended Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch one game for making contact with an official in Thursday night’s game, the league announced. Lynch will appeal the ban, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
League spokesman Joe Lockhart said earlier today that the NFL was exploring all its options with regard to Lynch’s punishment, and they’ve now decided on a single-game ban. Lynch has three days to appeal the suspension, but if no further action is taken, he’ll miss Oakland’s Week 8 contest against the Bills. The Raiders will be granted a roster exemption, meaning they’ll be allowed to add another player to their roster in place of Lynch.
Without Lynch available, Oakland will turn to Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington to man its backfield. Richard and Washington each handled nine carries and played roughly 30% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps after Lynch was ejected last night. While Oakland doesn’t currently have a fourth running back on its 53-man roster, it could promote seventh-round rookie Elijah Hood from the practice squad to cover for Lynch’s one-game absence.
Lynch’s impending fine wouldn’t be his only financial consequence now that he’s been suspended. Lynch will lose $79,412 in weekly base salary, plus an extra $31,250 in gameday active roster bonus money, as a result of his one-game ban.
NFL Exploring Marshawn Lynch Punishment
The NFL is currently exploring its options to punish Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch for making contact with an official on Thursday night, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Lynch, of course, was ejected from last night’s contest following the incident.
“There’s a schedule for fines for offenses,” said league spokesman Joe Lockhart. “There’s physical contact with an official — which is in excess of $30K — unsportsmanlike conduct, unnecessarily entering the fight area. Each (has) a schedule of what the fine would be. In some cases, a suspension is in order. All of this is being reviewed now at the league offices.”
There’s no question Lynch will subject to hefty fines, but whether or not he earns a ban is still up in the air. If Lynch is forced to miss Oakland’s Week 8 contest against the Bills, the Raiders would turn to the same two-headed backfield they deployed last night when facing the Chiefs. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard split time to perfection on Thursday, as each played roughly 30% of Oakland’s snaps and handled nine carries.
As Gehlken notes, Lynch’s impending fine wouldn’t be his only financial consequence if he is indeed suspended. Lynch would lose $79,412 in weekly base salary, plus an extra $31,250 in gameday active roster bonus money, if he’s handed a one-game ban.
Browns Don’t Intend To Trade Joe Thomas
The Browns have “no intention” of trading left tackle Joe Thomas, according to Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com. While that’s not an outright declaration that Thomas won’t be dealt, it’s a signal that Cleveland plans to hang onto its All Pro blindside protector.
Thomas, of course, is no stranger to trade rumors, and with the NFL’s trade deadline only two weeks away, it’s no surprise that the 32-year-old is once again the subject of league gossip. The Broncos have long been mentioned as potential suitors — Denver reportedly offered edge rusher Shane Ray plus draft picks for Thomas in 2015, and inquired on Thomas again earlier this year before drafting Garett Bolles.
Thomas, who once again ranks as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 1 tackle, would make sense for a number of contending clubs that are in need of offensive line help. The Texans, Jaguars, and Seahawks are among the clubs that could speculatively be interested in a Thomas acquisition. Seattle, specifically, has met with free agent offensive tackle Branden Albert in recent days and is reportedly interested in Houston holdout Duane Brown.
Given his excellent production, Thomas is eminently affordable. He’s signed through the 2018 campaign, and an acquiring club would be responsible for only the remainder of Thomas’ $8.8MM base salary this year and a $10MM cap hit next season. In a league where the highest-paid offensive tackles are earning $13MM+ annually, Thomas is a bargain.
Cleveland has declined to trade Thomas in past seasons, but the club is now 0-6 and 1-21 since its new regime took over prior to the 2016 season. One recent report indicated the Browns are targeting front office personnel, so any voices in the team’s decision-making hierarchy could theoretically change Cleveland’s view on a Thomas deal.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/20/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
Baltimore Ravens
- QB Alek Torgersen; WRs Philly Brown, Marlon Brown, Cyril Grayson, Jordan Payton; TE Gavin Escobar; (link)
Chicago Bears
- P Brock Miller (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- G Brandon Thomas; DT Josh Augusta (link)
Los Angeles Chargers
- T Michael Ola (link)
Packers Place Aaron Rodgers On IR
The Packers announced they’ve placed Aaron Rodgers on IR. The franchise quarterback is shelved until at least mid-December, although considering the collarbone surgery he had this week, he’s a good bet to miss the remainder of the season.
From an NFL procedure perspective, Rodgers is out at least eight weeks. The Packers are going with Brett Hundley as their starter, and they promoted Joe Callahan from the practice squad.
Rodgers suffered a broken collarbone against the Vikings. While the 33-year-old passer returned from this injury in 2013 in time for a Week 17 do-or-die game, one the Packers won to book a playoff berth. But that malady did not require surgery. This one did, making Rodgers’ chances of returning later this season in a special circumstance remote.
The Packers have not fared especially well in Rodgers’ absence, understandably, and Hundley came into the Vikings game with 11 career passes. In two games this season, he’s completed only 55.9-percent of his passes for 157 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. This is predictably worse than Rodgers, who had completed 66.3-percent of his passes for 1,385 yards, 13 touchdowns and three interceptions before suffering the injury.
Earlier this week, coach Mike McCarthy indicated that the organization wouldn’t pursue a quarterback until they received clarity on Rodgers’ surgery. With the veteran on the IR for the next two months, it’s conceivable that the team could now seek reinforcement at the position.
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Friday
The next Ezekiel Elliott legal barrier to clear, as of now, is scheduled for Oct. 30 in New York. But the NFL is making a push to have that hearing date expedited before the Cowboys-Redskins game in Week 8, Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter). Elliott’s legal team and the NFLPA are set to plead their case to New York Southern District judge Katherine Failla beginning at 10 a.m. October 30, unless the NFL gets its way and sees this date moved up.
As of Friday, Elliott will be eligible to play in Week 7 and Week 8 for the Cowboys, but the league is attempting to intervene regarding the running back’s possible Week 8 eligibility. The NFLPA, per Hairopoulos (on Twitter), is arguing unavailability for a rescheduled hearing on either Thursday or Friday of next week. The NFL, conversely, said the union rushed into its emergency hearing request in the Southern District on Tuesday — one that resulted in Elliott receiving a TRO.
- Stephen Jones expects to know by the end of this month, coinciding with the above hearing, if his team’s starting running back will be in the clear for the rest of this season or not. “Sure sounds like it,” Jones said regarding a resolution on Elliott’s 2017 status coming by the end of this month (via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News). “Now, you never know with the way things are going, but it’s our understanding it’s going to be a couple of weeks.” Elliott’s latest effort being struck down would at least make missing games likely, even if further legal action could be on tap, since the NFL would reinstate the six-game suspension while his side ponders the next move. Had the Cowboys not had a Week 6 bye, Elliott would have missed that weekend’s game because of the timing in between the Fifth Circuit’s ruling in the NFL’s favor and the Southern District-issued TRO.
- We heard earlier today the NFL is not interested in a settlement in this case, this news coming after previous talks of a settlement surfaced earlier this week.