Giants Suspend Rodgers-Cromartie
The Giants have suspended cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, coach Ben McAdoo announced. McAdoo declined to go into specifics when addressing reporters on Wednesday.
“DRC came in yesterday, we had a conversation that was personal…He came in today and decided to leave. We will suspend him,” McAdoo said before brushing off follow-up questions.
Safety Landon Collins indicated that tensions flared between DRC and McAdoo on the sidelines on Sunday (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). He even termed the incident as an “altercation.”
The suspension is probably of the indefinite variety. At minimum, DRC probably won’t be in uniform for Sunday’s game against the Broncos. We’ll have to wait and find out whether the Giants will bring him back for games against the Seahawks (Oct. 22), Rams (Nov. 5) and beyond.
Rodgers-Cromartie came to the Giants on a five-year, $35MM free agent deal prior to the 2014 season. He has been among the league’s better corners since coming aboard and earned a Pro Bowl nod for his work in 2015. After missing only two games in a three-year span, he could miss significant time as tensions bubble in New Jersey.
The Rodgers-Cromartie suspension is just the latest setback in what has been a bizarre season for the Giants. The G-Men are 0-5 and there is little hope for a turnaround with their top two receivers out for the year and their best cornerback at odds with the organization.
The Giants have struggled as a whole, but Cromartie has been solid through five games. DRC ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 30 corner in the NFL this season with a quality 80.3 overall score. That’s down from his usual work (85.7 average over previous four seasons, including career-high 89.9 in ’16), but still casts him as starting caliber.
No Charges For Cowboys LB Damien Wilson
Cowboys linebacker Damien Wilson has been cleared of all charges stemming from a July incident in Frisco, Texas (Twitter link via L.P. Phillips of CBS DFW). A grand jury returned two “no bills,” meaning that they have declined to indict him on a second-degree felony and a misdemeanor charge for disorderly conduct. 
On July 4th, Wilson was arrested for two counts of aggravated assault with deadly weapon when he allegedly hit a woman with his truck while backing into a parking spot during an argument. The 24-year-old was facing potential jail time for what took place.
Naturally, Wilson could still face league discipline. In theory, a suspension could come down sometime this season now that the legal process on it has wrapped.
Wilson has started in two of the Cowboys’ five games thus far this year. He has just nine tackles in total and the metrics at Pro Football Focus haven’t been all that impressed with him thus far. The linebacker has a 44.3 overall score and is ranked as the No. 62 LB in the NFL out of 87 qualified players. Last year, he earned a decent 74.6 grade.
The 2-3 Cowboys are entering a bye week. They return to action on Oct. 22 to face the Niners in San Francisco.
Saints To Sign LB Gerald Hodges
The Saints are signing linebacker Gerald Hodges, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hodges worked out for the Saints earlier this month and he finally got the call he was waiting for today. 
After putting Alex Anzalone on injured reserve, the Saints were looking a little thin at linebacker. The addition of Hodges, who racked up 83 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions in 15 games with the 49ers in 2016, should help in that regard. He also graded out as the league’s No. 21 linebacker, per the metrics at Pro Football Focus.
Hodges was set to spend the season with the Bills but wound up as a surprise cut in early September. The 26-year-old had to watch the first five weeks of the season from his couch, but the good news is that he should receive a healthy amount of playing time in New Orleans.
Browns Bench QB DeShone Kizer
The Browns are giving DeShone Kizer the hook. On Sunday, Kevin Hogan will get the start at quarterback when the Browns take on the Texans. 
“I’ve made the decision to start Kevin this week,” coach Hue Jackson said in a statement released by the team. “We’ve liked what Kevin has been able to do within our offense when he’s been in there and he will start on Sunday because that’s what we feel is best for our team at this point in time. This does not change the way we feel about DeShone going forward. He has worked extremely hard and still very much has a bright future. Right now, it’s better for him and his development to back up Kevin.”
The 0-5 Browns have apparently seen enough of Kizer for now, which is understandable but also contradicts their words earlier this year. Jackson said the team would be patient with Kizer and stick with him regardless of road bumps. Desperate for their first win, the Browns have made Hogan their 28th starting quarterback since reentering the league in 1999. Going back to 2008 alone, the Browns have now gone through 19 starting QBs. As Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), that’s five more than the rest of the AFC North combined over that same period: Steelers (six), Ravens (four), and Bengals (four).
The Browns are saying all of the right things about Kizer, but their search for a franchise QB seems likely to continue this spring.
Lions Place Haloti Ngata On IR
The Lions announced that they have placed Haloti Ngata on injured reserve. Ngata suffered a bicep injury last week against Carolina that will keep him off the field for the rest of the season. 
Players can return from IR after eight weeks and bicep injuries aren’t always season enders, but this tear is significant enough to rule the defensive tackle out for the rest of the year. Ngata has never played in less than 12 games in any given season, so this is largely new territory for the veteran.
Ngata’s 2017 campaign ends after five games with seven tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. It’s possible that this will mark the end of his career as well.
Ngata will turn 34 in January and his contract will expire at the end of the season. Earlier this year, he was giving real thought to retirement and coaches weren’t sure whether he’d actually suit up until March.
Ngata has earned many millions throughout the years and has a career resume that few can match. He’s been a starter since entering the league as a first-round pick of the Ravens in 2006 and has been playing at a high level for all 12 years. He was – and still is – among the league’s most talented interior linemen and earned five straight Pro Bowl nods from 2009 through 2013. He also picked up a pair of First-Team All-Pro selections (2010, 2011) during that stretch. With a Super Bowl ring on his finger, Ngata can walk away from the game knowing that he met all of his goals and then some.
Cowboys Release CB Nolan Carroll
The Cowboys are releasing cornerback Nolan Carroll, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Carroll has been out with a concussion as of late. 
The Cowboys signed Carroll to a three-year, $10MM deal with $4MM guaranteed this offseason, meaning that he’s walking away with lots of money for just two games played. The former Eagles corner suffered a head injury against the Broncos in Week 2 and has not been on the field since.
Carroll, 30, was brought on board to help beef up a Cowboys secondary that ranked 18th in DVOA last season and lost key members in the offseason. The eight-year veteran started in all 16 games for the first time in his career last year and managed one interception, ten passes defensed, and a forced fumble. However, Pro Football Focus graded him as the NFL’s No. 92 cornerback among 112 qualifiers.
The Cowboys’ decision to release Carroll is a sign that they have tremendous faith in rookie Jourdan Lewis. The third-round pick – who has filled in for Carroll – has probably been Dallas’ best cornerback thus far in 2017.
NFC Notes: Packers, Vikings, Bucs, Cardinals
Davante Adams remarkably scored two touchdowns for the Packers just 10 days after taking a violent hit from Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan, and it’s clear that Adams is in line to become Green Bay’s No. 1 wideout at some point, opines Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Of course, that would first entail the Packers extending the 24-year-old Adams, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next spring. While Green Bay could hypothetically deploy the franchise tag on Adams, the club is unlikely to invest $16MM+ on a single pass-catcher given the investment it already has is Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb. A new deal for Adams, who managed 997 yards and 12 touchdowns a season ago, could potentially top $10MM annually.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- The Vikings‘ head trainer says quarterback Sam Bradford is not dealing with a new injury to his knee, but does have “wear and tear” on his left knee, which has undergone two ACL operations, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Bradford returned Monday night following a three-week absence, but couldn’t make it through the first half before experiencing an issue with his knee. Minnesota didn’t offer any timeline on Bradford’s return, meaning Case Keenum (and possibly the returning Teddy Bridgewater) will be under center for the time being.
- Stevan Ridley, who spent four days on the Vikings‘ roster last week, is staying in the Minneapolis area as there is a possibility he’ll be re-signed to the club’s active roster, Tomasson reports in a separate piece. The Vikings are currently carrying only Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon at running back, although fullback C.J. Ham can also handle tailback duties. Ridley, 28, handled only three carries during the 2016 campaign.
- The Buccaneers selected Patrick Murray as their new kicker on Monday, but the club reportedly prefers former Chief Cairo Santos among the available free agents, according to Roy Cummings of FanRag Sports (Twitter link). Santos was in Tampa Bay yesterday to take a physical, but he’s roughly two weeks away from full health. The Buccaneers, then, could theoretically give Murray something of a two-week tryout before circling back to Santos if Murray fails. Murray, Santos, Andrew Franks, Josh Lambo, and Mike Nugent were all in consideration to replace the struggling Nick Folk as Tampa’s kicker.
- Before signing Justin Drescher to replace the injured Aaron Brewer, the Cardinals worked out four other long snappers, tweets veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer. Andrew East, Colin Holba, Jeff Overbaugh, and Drew Williams all auditioned for Arizona before the Cardinals went with Drescher. General manager Steve Keim & Co. appear to have gone with experience, as Drescher was the only member of the group who had appeared in an NFL game. Drescher, 29, played in 16 games per season for the Saints from 2011-16.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/10/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- DT Mike Purcell; CBs Trevin Wade, B.W. Webb (link)
Buffalo Bills
- DBs Lonnie Ballentine, Antone Exum (link via Adam Caplan)
Detroit Lions
- DT Will Sutton (link via Caplan)
Green Bay Packers
- WR Tevaun Smith; G Cameron Hunt; DL Sean Daniels; DBs Charlie Miller, Ahmad Thomas (link via Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com)
Houston Texans
- QB Connor Shaw; WRs Rivers Cracraft, Paul Turner; T Steven Moore; DBs J.R. Nelson, Marcus Sayles (link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
- RB Lamar Atkins; FB Glenn Gronkowski; C Taylor Boggs; DBs Anthony Cioffi, K.J. Dillon (link)
Oakland Raiders
- DEs Sterling Bailey, Patrick Gamble, Jaye Howard; DT Toby Johnson (link)
Seattle Seahawks
- T Andrew Lauderdale; LB Josh Forrest (link)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- LBs Johnathan Calvin, Jayrone Elliott; DE Cashaud Lyons (link)
Texans To Sign DE/LB Lamarr Houston
The Texans didn’t stop after reaching an agreement with free agent defensive lineman Kendall Langford earlier tonight — they’re also planning to sign linebacker/defensive end Lamarr Houston, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26.
Although the Texans lost two of their best defenders — J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus — to season-ending injuries on Sunday night, they’re still firmly in the AFC South race. They sit alongside the Colts and Titans at 2-3, and all those clubs are one game behind the division-leading Jaguars. With one fell swoop, the Texans have now added two veteran defensive players who between them offer 225 games of NFL experience.
Houston, 30, was never able to stay fully healthy after inking a five-year, $35MM contract with Chicago prior to the 2014 campaign. In three seasons with the Bears, the 30-year-old Houston appeared in just 26 of a possible 48 games and made only 10 starts. He managed nine total sacks in Chicago, but eight of those came in 2015, his only healthy year with the Bears.
Houston, who was in town today to work out for the Texans, has been busy since being released by Chicago last month. In addition to the Texans, he’d met with or auditioned for the Patriots, Saints, and Buccaneers.
Texans To Sign DL Kendall Langford
The Texans are in agreement with free agent defensive lineman Kendall Langford, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link).
After losing both J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus to season-ending injuries in Week 5, Houston had widened its search for defensive front reinforcements in recent days. Veteran edge defenders Lamarr Houston and Tyson Jackson were in town for workouts today, while the Texans also looked at linebacker Jayrone Elliott, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
No freely available player — including Langford — is going to replace Watt or Mercilus, who are arguably Houston’s best pass rushers. But Langford, who at 6’5″, 275 pounds should be able to play at both end and tackle in the Texans’ 3-4 scheme, will be able to add depth and experience to a defensive unit that ranked fourth in DVOA heading into Week 5.
Langford, 31, offers a wealth of NFL history, as he’s appeared in 135 games (113 starts) during his nine-year pro career. In 2016, Langford lasted just seven games before the Colts placed him on injured reserve with a knee injury that had bothered him since a 2015 arthroscopic operation. All told, Langford played 301 snaps and tallied 10 tackles. Notably, he failed to register a sack for just the second time in his and the first time since 2011.
Along with the Colts, Langford has also suited up for Miami (2008-11) and St. Louis (2012-14). He’s been employed this season, as well, as he bounced on-and-off the Saints’ roster but never actually appeared in a game for New Orleans.