NFL Workout Updates: 10/19/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Buffalo Bills
- S Trey Caldwell; CBs Brian Dixon, Deji Olatoye, Trovon Reed (link)
Detroit Lions
- DBs Robert Blanton, Ed Reynolds (link)
New York Giants
- LSs Andrew East, Derek Hart, Colin Holba (link)
New York Jets
- TE Jason Croom; WR Patrick Owusu (link)
Philadelphia Eagles
- CB Marqueston Huff; S Robenson Therezie (link)
Washington Redskins
Colts To Place Robert Turbin On IR
The Colts are shutting down Bobby Turbo and firing up Marlon Mack. Robert Turbin is headed to injured reserve with a dislocated elbow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This was the feared, but expected outcome after he suffered the injury on Monday night. 
Turbin has been playing behind Frank Gore and getting a decent number of snaps. That has been a source of frustration for Colts fans and fantasy owners who have been waiting for Mack to get an opportunity to shine. We’ll now find out of Mack can keep his production up with a heavier workload. He has 4.8 yards per carry this year off of 27 attempts, plus two touchdowns.
Turbin’s season ends with 53 yards on the ground and 56 yards through the air. Last year, he enjoyed one of his most productive NFL seasons, running for 164 yards and seven touchdowns.
The veteran has one more year to go on the two-year deal he signed in March, but it’s not a lock that he’ll be back in Indianapolis in 2018.
49ers Cut CB Leon Hall
Well, that was fast. The 49ers have released cornerback Leon Hall, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Hall signed with the Niners on October 10 and the hope was that he would help turn around their lackluster secondary. Just over one week later, the 49ers have decided they are not pleased with what they’ve seen.
Hall could catch on with another team, but it seems his best days are behind him as he has yet to replicate his best work from a couple years back with the Bengals. After nine seasons with the Bengals, Hall joined up with the Giants last year. The corner appeared in 12 games (two starts), totaling 20 tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception.
Hall leaves SF after receiving two game checks totaling roughly $118K, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. The cornerback participated in four practices, but did not suit up for a game. For those of you keeping score at home, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) adds that Hall did not set the record for the shortest stint in franchise history. That distinction may belong to quarterback John Skelton who signed with the club on Oct. 2, 2013 and was released on Oct. 9, 2013.
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Thursday
Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game ban was set to go into effect immediately…until it wasn’t. On Tuesday, the Cowboys running back was granted a temporary restraining order against the NFL, putting his suspension on hold for at least the next two games.
Then, on Wednesday night, it was reported that there have been settlement talks between Elliott’s camp and the NFL. After months of ugliness, could the two sides conceivably meet in the middle with a ban of, say, three games? Here’s the latest on that:
- Claims of settlement talks between the NFLPA/Elliott’s camp and the NFL are untrue, a person familiar with the situation tells Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter).
- Meanwhile, sources close to Elliott and the NFLPA tell Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (Twitter links) that they have no knowledge of settlement talks or interest in a compromise. Elliott, as we’ve heard before, is out to clear his name from accusations that he says are without merit. If there have been talks, then a source surmises that they have taken place between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell themselves.
- With all of that in mind, there is very little chance of a settlement taking place, multiple sources tell Mark Maske of The Washington Post (on Twitter).
Ravens Sign WR Griff Whalen
The Ravens announced that they have signed wide receiver Griff Whalen. In related moves, the team cut offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom and released cornerback Sheldon Price from injured reserve. 
Whalen, 27, spent the first four years of his career with the Colts before taking a mini-tour around the league in 2016. The bulk of his action last year came in eight games with the Chargers. He spent this past summer with the Ravens, but he missed the final cut in early September. He has now been called back at a time when Baltimore is in desperate need of wide receiver depth. Breshad Perriman is in concussion protocol while Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace have not been able to practice fully.
The Ravens traded a conditional draft pick to the Cardinals in September to acquire Bergstrom. After the offensive lineman played in just 32 snaps on offense and 13 on special teams, the conditions for the pick transfer might not have been met.
Falcons To Sign DL Ahtyba Rubin
The Falcons have signed defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rubin became a free agent on Tuesday when he was released by Denver. 
Rubin was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $12MM deal with the Seahawks this year. Instead, he was cut in early September. The Broncos signed him later on that month, but he was cut loose after dressing just twice.
In his first Seahawks season (2015), Rubin amassed 36 tackles, two sacks, and finished fourth among the team’s defensive linemen in snaps. Last year, he once again had a perfect attendance record in the regular season as he racked up 39 tackles, one sack, and three forced fumbles. However, he wasn’t quite living up to the standards of his deal in Seattle.
With the Falcons, Rubin will help provide depth in the wake of injuries to starting defensive end Courtney Upshaw and reserve defensive tackle Jack Crawford. Upshaw did return to practice this week, so there is hope for him to play on Sunday against the Patriots. Crawford, however, is on IR.
Redskins’ Jonathan Allen To Return This Year?
This week, it was reported that Jonathan Allen‘s Lisfranc injury would be a season-ender. Turns out that might not be the case. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the defensive lineman will go on injured reserve with a “designation to return.” 
Schefter’s phrasing is a bit puzzling since teams are no longer obligated to designate players for return from IR at the time of injury. But, it sounds as though there is at least some possibility for a mid-season return for the rookie. If that’s the case, then the rules dictate that Allen could rejoin the roster in as little as eight weeks, allowing him to rejoin the squad for the end of the regular season and – if the Redskins qualify – the postseason.
Allen’s injury typically requires 6-8 weeks of rest followed by rehab, as John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes, so Allen will have to be a fast healer in order to get back on the field this year. To his credit, the first-round pick has battled through some tough injuries in the past, including arthritis in both shoulders.
In five games this year, Allen registered ten total tackles and one sack.
Eagles Place S Chris Maragos On IR
The Eagles are placing safety Chris Maragos on injured reserve, the team announced. The knee injury is a season-ender, so we will not see him back on the field in eight weeks. To fill his roster spot, the team has signed fifth-round rookie Nate Gerry off of the practice squad. 
“It’s hard. Not only a great football player, but a great person, great man,” head coach Doug Pederson said (via NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks). “Great leader on the team in the locker room…next man has to step up and fill that role.”
Maragos – the Eagles’ special teams captain – contributed primarily in the third facet of the game. Without him, Pederson says the team will have to rely on others in the special teams mix to step it up. That group includes safety Corey Graham, running back Corey Clement, and safety Jaylen Watkins, according to the coach. The Eagles can also be expected to sign someone to fill his spot on the roster.
Maragos is under contract in 2018 for $2MM, but the team can save $1.5MM in cap space by cutting him. Though he is a vital special teamer, the injury could put his Philly future in flux.
NFL, Ezekiel Elliott Discussing Settlement
It’s not just fans that are growing weary of the back-and-forth between Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL. In the midst of a protracted legal battle, the two sides have discussed the possibility of a settlement, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes. 
Elliott is adamant about clearing his name and, of course, not serving the six-game ban handed to him by the league. The NFL, meanwhile, doesn’t want its disciplinary powers to be weakened. To save time, money, and energy, the answer could be to shake hands on an agreement that has the Cowboys running back serve a shorter suspension effective immediately.
The settlement talks have been going on for a while, with dialogue happening behind the scenes after each court ruling along the way, one source tells Moore. At previous stops, the league may have felt that it had the upper hand and shied away from a compromise. But, currently, things feel pretty neutral thanks to the temporary restraining order that Elliott has been granted.
For now, all we know is that the TRO should allow Elliott to suit up against the Niners this weekend and against the Redskins the following week. Beyond that, his status remains murky.
Extra Points: IR-DTR, Goodell, Hogan, Pack
This week marks the first time players who were placed on the IR-Designated to Return list can start practicing again. Under league rules, players must sit out at least six weeks on the injured reserve and then practice for another two weeks in order to be placed on the active roster again. That would mean that players who just started to practice on Monday are on track to return to game action in Week 9. Teams have three weeks to decide if certain designated players will return once they get back on the practice field.
Patriots LB Shea McClellin headlines the list of IR-DTD players who started practicing this week, which comes courtesy of Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter Link). McClellin has been recovering from an undisclosed injury he suffered during training camp. It’s an encouraging development for Bill Belichick as the Pats are heavily in need of capable pass rushers. The three other players who returned to practice were Chargers LB Denzel Perryman, Ravens CB Maurice Canady and Falcons LB LaRoy Reynolds.
- In other league news, Roger Goodell‘s new contract, which was reportedly hung up over his prospective severance package, is now back on track to being completed sooner than later, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport relays a quote from Falcons owner Arthur Blank that states: “Making good progress. Shouldn’t be too long.” We don’t know exactly why the talks are in a better place, but with this news, it seems that the major hurdles are now in the rearview mirror.
- The Browns named DeShone Kizer their starter once again today, but the other surprise announcement was that former starter Kevin Hogan had slipped behind Cody Kessler on the depth chart. Despite a poor game in his first start of the year, the move was rather unexpected, but new information sheds more light on the situation. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Hogan is now the third QB because of bruised ribs he suffered last week. Head coach Hue Jackson addressed the injury in a media session today. “They’re pretty bruised in my opinion. … I’m not going to put (an injured) guy out there or let him go through the week,” Jackson said. Jackson went onto say that Hogan would be the backup if healthy, so it looks like this development is more of a non-story at this point.
- In other QB news, Mike McCarthy expressed some caution about an upcoming roster move regarding the injured Aaron Rodgers, reports Ryan Wood and Michael Cohen of Packers News. The Packers head coach told a number of reporters today: “Our focus clearly is just to get through the surgery, and just see where he is. I’m not personally looking in that direction. My focus is on Aaron’s health right now.” The team already elevated QB Joe Callahan from the practice squad this week, so it looks like there won’t be any further changes in regards to the Packers’ signal-callers until Rodgers’ surgery take place.