Odell Beckham Jr. Has Fractured Ankle
Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. suffered a fractured ankle in today’s loss to the Chargers, the club announced today. Beckham will require surgery, which will take place later this week, and his 2017 campaign is over. Video of the injury can be viewed here, but it’s not easy to watch.
Beckham, of course, missed New York’s season opener after spraining his ankle during the preseason. But he’s been mostly healthy since entering the league in 2014 — after a four-game absence to begin his NFL career, Beckham played in 31 of a possible 32 games from 2015-16. His production speaks for itself, as he’s topped 1,300 yards receiving and managed at least 10 touchdowns in each of the past three seasons.
Even if Beckham can return later this season following surgery, the Giants may choose to hold him out for the remainder of the year. Big Blue is now 0-5 after losing a nail-biter to Los Angeles, and most projection models gave New York fewer than a 1% chance to earn a postseason berth even before today’s defeat. Given that reality, the Giants might not want to rush their best player back in a lost campaign.
Beckham’s injury will almost assuredly affect contract negotiations between he and the Giants, as the uncertainty regarding his health will have to give general manager Jerry Reese pause. OBJ had reportedly been open to an in-season extension, but a new contract is unlikely to be hammered out while Beckham is sidelined. He’s under team control through 2018 thanks to his $8.459MM fifth-year option.
Buccaneers To Meet With K Cairo Santos
The Buccaneers plan to meet with free agent kicker Cairo Santos and give him a physical, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Santos, whom the Chiefs waived with an injury designation at the end of last month, is roughly two weeks away from full health, per Schefter.
Tampa Bay is unsurprisingly auditioned kickers following incumbent Nick Folk‘s dreadful performance against the Patriots on Thursday night. Folk missed three field goals in a game the Buccaneers ultimately lost by five points, so Tampa Bay will take a look at Andrew Franks, Josh Lambo, and Mike Nugent on Monday.
Santos, 25, is arguably a better kicker than any of those three options, as he holds the highest career conversion rate at 84.8%. Last season, Santos posted the best season of his three-plus year NFL tenure, as he made 88.6% of his field goals, including two from 50+ yards. He did miss three extra point attempts, however.
It’s not out of the question that the Buccaneers stick with Folk for the time being, and that could be especially true if they’re specifically eyeing Santos. Tampa Bay could wait for Santos to get healthy, and then reevaluate Folk’s performance and its kicking situation as a whole.
PFR Originals: 10/1/17 – 10/8/17
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- While it’s only Week 5, we wanted to look back at the offseason and determine which free agent signings have worked out the best in both the AFC and NFC. Defensive lineman Calais Campbell, who has been outstanding for the Jaguars after inking a four-year deal, took the top spot in the AFC according to PFR readers. Rams offensive tackle Andrew Whitworth, meanwhile, earned that honor in the NFC given that he’s been a massive improvement on former blindside protector Greg Robinson.
- The Patriots discussed trading restricted free agent cornerback Malcolm Butler earlier this year, and Ben Levine asked PFR readers if a deal involving Butler still makes sense. The NFL’s trade deadline is October 41, so New England has roughly three weeks to decide on Butler’s fate. The poll voting was tight, as about 58% of respondents believe the Pats will move Butler before month’s end.
Colin Kaepernick Reached Out To Titans
Free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick and his representatives contacted the Titans following an injury to signal-caller Marcus Mariota, but Tennessee expressed no interest in meeting with Kaepernick or working him out, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
Mariota is sidelined for today’s contest against the Dolphins, and could potentially miss more time as he deals with a hamstring issue. The Titans, however, are rolling with Matt Cassel as their starting quarterback for the time being, and signed veteran Brandon Weeden to serve as Cassel’s backup.
Kaepernick, meanwhile, has continued to work out and has been “diligent” about getting in touch with clubs who have witnessed quarterback injuries. However, no team has entered into contract negotiations or even been willing to meet with Kaepernick aside from the Seahawks, who visited with Kaepernick earlier this year.
While Kaepernick is clearly the best quarterback available on the open market, his social activism is thought to be responsible for his lack of work. But the former 49ers passer is apparently willing to audition for any team at any time, as La Canfora tweets.
Cliff Avril’s Career In Doubt
We heard several days ago that Seahawks DE Cliff Avril is dealing with a serious stinger, numbness in his arm, and is expected to miss an indefinite period of time. Unfortunately, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), Avril’s career could be over.
Per Glazer, the injury is far more serious than expected, and Avril will have to determine whether it is worth jeopardizing his long-term health to try and get back on the field.
Avril, 31, has been a stalwart for the Seahawks in recent years, as he appeared in 63 of 64 games from 2013-16 and racked up 33.5 sacks during that time. Although he’d been on the field for 68% of Seattle’s plays thus far, Pro Football Focus hasn’t been enamored with his work — Avril has graded as a bottom-five edge defender and earned horrible marks as a pass-rusher, per PFF.
Avril does have a Super Bowl ring, which he earned with Seattle at the end of the 2013 season. He is in his tenth season, his fifth with Seattle, after spending the first five years of his career with Detroit. The Lions selected him out of Purdue in the third round of the 2008 draft, and he quickly established himself as a capable pass rusher, racking up five sacks in his rookie season. He has compiled a total of 74 sacks in his career, and though Seattle has the horses to help make up for his production, his absence will still be felt (PFF’s evaluation of his 2017 work notwithstanding).
AFC Rumors: Chargers, D. Harris, Flacco
A league spokesperson, Joe Lockhart, said earlier this week there have been no discussions about the Chargers returning to San Diego, and a team source confirmed as much to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The source said simply, “We’re not going back.”
Of course, the Chargers are losing the battle for Los Angeles at the moment, leading some to speculate that the league could choose to reverse course and ship the Bolts back from whence they came. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also suggests that Lockhart’s quote is not as unequivocal as it could be; Lockhart said there have been no discussions about a return to San Diego, not that a return will not happen. Plus, Florio points out that the Chargers source who spoke with Rapoport did so anonymously, which creates the impression that there’s something sensitive about the notion that the Chargers aren’t looking back.
That may be a bit of a reach, particularly since San Diego still does not have a stadium option, which prompted the move in the first place. Anything can happen, of course, but as of right now, it does not look as if the Chargers will be leaving LA.
Now for more from the AFC. We took a swing around the NFC earlier today:
- Patriots linebacker David Harris, whom the team signed to a two-year, $5MM deal ($1.25MM guaranteed) in June, has been active for four of New England’s five games but has played in only seven defensive snaps. He is behind four other players on the LB depth chart, leading Mike Reiss of ESPN.com to speculate that, without a significant injury to another player, Harris’ job could be in jeopardy. Reiss cites Harris’ lack of speed as the primary reason for his lack of playing time.
- After starting the season 2-0, the Ravens have looked awful in their following two games against the Jaguars and Steelers, making today’s matchup the Raiders almost a must-win. As usual, quarterback Joe Flacco has been a popular whipping boy for the team’s struggles, despite the rash of crippling injuries to the O-line, the lack of a running game, and the lack of imagination in play-calling. But it is clear that something has to give, though if Baltimore were inclined to release Flacco — and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun suggests that thought is not on anyone’s mind at the moment — it would likely not happen until 2019 at the earliest. At that point, if Baltimore continues to struggle, the Ravens could have a whole new coaching staff. It is worth noting, as Zrebiec does, that the one time in Flacco’s career that he has worked with an accomplished offensive coordinator (Gary Kubiak in 2014), he enjoyed the best season of his career, even though the talent around him was not much better than it usually is.
- Although Browns fans may not like to hear it, Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plainer Dealer believes that Cleveland’s front office is going about building the team the right way. It is stockpiling picks, limiting free agent spending, and some young players are developing as hoped. There have, of course, been some missteps in terms of personnel evaluation, but Pluto suggests the coaching staff is as much to blame for the team’s 1-19 record over the last 20 games as the front office. He says the only thing to do is to stay the course and continue to focus on the draft, though the team will likely need to spend more in free agency than it originally expected. It may also need to reevaluate DeShone Kizer sooner than it hoped.
NFC Rumors: Bradford, Seahawks, McAdoo
Vikings quarterback Sam Bradford took the majority of first-team reps with the offense this week, according to Stacey Dales of the NFL Network (via Twitter), and her colleague, Ian Rapoport, tweets that Bradford looks increasingly likely to suit up for Minnesota’s matchup against the Bears tomorrow night. Bradford, of course, has missed the team’s last three games with a knee injury after a brilliant Week 1 performance, and the Vikes have gone 1-2 in that time. His return will be most welcome.
Now for more from around the NFC:
- Seahawks RB Eddie Lacy looked sharp in last week’s win over the Colts, and Rapoport tweets that, with fellow running back Chris Carson likely to miss the rest of the season, Seattle is treating Lacy like the starter. However, the team may still elect to use a committee approach rather than devote a lion’s share of the carries to Lacy.
- Seahawks G Luke Joeckel is expected to play against the division-rival Rams today and then undergo knee surgery during the team’s bye next week, according to Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Joeckel has performed reasonably well in his first year in Seattle, and it is unclear whether his surgery will force him to miss the team’s next game, which will take place on October 22.
- Giants head coach Ben McAdoo is not on the hot seat despite his team’s horrific 0-4 start, according to Rapoport (video link). Rapoport spoke with a team source this week who pointed out that the club does not have a quick trigger when it comes to major decisions, and New York still believes McAdoo will be a successful head coach in the NFL.
- Rapoport tweets that the Buccaneers‘ kicker audition, which is expected to take place tomorrow, will include Josh Lambo in addition to Mike Nugent and Andrew Franks, whose names were previously reported. Incumbent kicker Nick Folk‘s future with the team will become clear after that audition, though it is possible Tampa Bay retains Folk.
- We learned earlier today that the 49ers have commenced efforts to extend running back Carlos Hyde.
Chargers WR Mike Williams To Debut In Week 6
Chargers rookie wide receiver Mike Williams is set to make his NFL debut against the division-rival Raiders next week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Williams, whom Los Angeles selected with the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, missed the team’s first four contests with a back injury, and he will miss today’s matchup with the Giants. However, barring any setbacks, he will finally take the field in Week 6.
The back problems, of course, not only forced Williams to miss the first few games of the regular season, but it kept him on the sidelines for the entirety of training camp as well. But he has been practicing in pads since Week 2, as Schefter writes, so he may be ready to make an impact right away.
Williams, a Clemson product, caught 98 passes for 1,361 yards and 13 touchdowns for the national champion Tigers last year. It was believed at one point that his back could require season-ending surgery, but since that time, surgery was taken off the table and Los Angeles removed Williams from the PUP list so that he would not be forced to miss the first eight weeks of the regular season.
All reports for the past several months have been positive, which is welcome news for a Chargers club that has stumbled to an 0-4 record. While the playoffs are likely out of reach for the Bolts at this point, a significant contribution from Williams in 2017 would be a nice silver lining.
49ers Trying To Extend Carlos Hyde
The 49ers are attempting to extend running back Carlos Hyde, who will be a free agent at the end of the season, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Hyde, who has missed time due to injury in each of his first four seasons in the league (including two of San Francisco’s first four games this year), has been excellent during the two games he has been on the field in 2017, piling up 169 yards on just 24 carries for a whopping seven yards per rush.
The 49ers’ decision to try and extend Hyde’s contract represents quite a reversal from earlier this year, when it was reported that the team’s new regime was not sold on Hyde and was perhaps looking for his replacement. As late as August, we heard that the 49ers were not really considering an extension for the Ohio State product, but his performance in head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s offense has compelled the team to reconsider.
As La Canfora notes, however, Hyde might not be interested in an extension. Although his injury history suggests he could be open to a multi-year deal now in the hopes of obtaining some financial security, he could be selling himself short if we were to accept such a deal. After all, the 2018 free agent class of running backs is quite weak outside of Steelers’ star Le’Veon Bell, and it is almost impossible to envision Pittsburgh allowing Bell to get away. As such, Hyde could hit the market at a perfect time for him to cash in, as there would surely be a handful of teams willing to take a big gamble on someone with his ability (he has averaged 4.5 yards per carry in his career).
49ers GM John Lynch is apparently now sold on Hyde and may be trying to buy low. Whether Hyde is willing to seriously entertain extension contract negotiations with the rebuilding 49ers at this time remains to be seen.
Marcus Mariota To Miss Week 5
Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota is not expected to suit up for today’s matchup against the Dolphins, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Backup Matt Cassel will start in Mariota’s stead.
An MRI earlier this week revealed that Mariota suffered a strained hamstring in last Sunday’s blowout loss to the Texans. Mariota returned to the game following the initial hit that led to injury, and he warmed up before the second half as if he planned to re-enter the game. But following discussions with the Titans’ staff, Mariota went to the locker room and didn’t re-appear on Tennessee’s sideline until the fourth quarter. With the Titans already down 30-14 at halftime, the team decided not to risk further injury to its star QB.
After entering the game, Cassel went just 4-10 for 21 yards and two interceptions, and given his recent track record, it might be asking too much for him to keep the team afloat if Mariota were to miss a significant amount of time. The same is true of Brandon Weeden, whom the Titans recently signed in the wake of Mariota’s injury. At 2-2, Tennessee is in a three-way tie in the wide open AFC South, and it needs Mariota back on the field as soon as possible.
As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, even though Mariota was considered day-to-day this week and had a chance of suiting up today, his recovery time from the date of the injury was two to four weeks, so he may not be ready for next week’s game against the Colts.