Titans Did Not Consider Colin Kaepernick
With Marcus Mariota dealing with a hamstring injury, the Titans signed veteran quarterback Brandon Weeden. The move raised some eyebrows around the football world since Weeden is the latest middle-of-the-road signal caller to get an opportunity ahead of Colin Kaepernick. Apparently, Kaepernick wasn’t even considered. 
[RELATED: Raiders Have Not Considering Kaepernick Either]
Coach Mike Mularkey told reporters on Wednesday that he wasn’t aware of any conversations about signing Kaepernick (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe). The justification is in line with what we’ve heard before from other teams, both on and off the record. Kaepernick, he said, is not familiar with the Titans’ type of offense while Weeden offers familiarity with a similar system thanks to his time in Houston and Dallas.
Weeden auditioned alongside Matt Barkley, Matt McGloin, and T.J. Yates on Tuesday and turned in the best performance of the quartet. He has not appeared in a real NFL game since 2015.
The Raiders, who will be without Derek Carr for some time, also did not consider Kaepernick.
Mariota practiced for the Titans on Wednesday, but he was limited. He is considered day-to-day as the Titans prepare for their Week 5 contest against the Dolphins.
NFC East Notes: Redskins, Norman, Giants
Today’s look at the NFC East:
- Redskins cornerback Josh Norman has a rib fracture and some minor damage to the lining of one of his lungs as a result, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, he has not been ruled out for Washington’s post-bye game against San Francisco on Oct. 15. Norman has a 79.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus so far this season, down from his best work in 2015 (87.7) and 2016 (81). Still, Norman ranks as one of the league’s most talented corners and the Redskins badly want him in action for Week 6.
- So far, the Giants‘ high-profile signing of Brandon Marshall is not working out, as ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan writes. Marshall, who has a history of drops, has allowed at least four balls to go through his hands in the first month of the season. It’s possible that the 33-year-old is simply over the hill. He could also still be plagued by the shoulder injury he suffered in the preseason. Through four games, the ex-Jet has just 16 catches off of 30 targets for 139 yards. Marshall has indicated that he wants to retire after the 2018 season when his two-year deal expires, but he might not see Year Two with the G-Men at this rate.
- New Browns wide receiver Bryce Treggs says the Eagles offered to match the salary offered by Cleveland if he was willing to stay on the practice squad (Twitter link via Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram). However, he chose the Browns because he wanted to play. Treggs, a 6’0″ receiver out of Cal, first broke out in 2013 as a sophomore when he caught 77 passes for 751 yards and one score. In his final year on campus (2015), he had 45 grabs for 956 yards and a career-high seven TDs.
AFC East Notes: Bills, Gilmore, Jets, Glennon
The Bills managed to build a winning secondary after losing Stephon Gilmore in free agency, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. The Bills have allowed a league-low 13.5 points per game and lead the division with a 3-1 record. Meanwhile, the Patriots are off to a disappointing 2-2 start after adding Gilmore on a five-year, $65MM contract.
The Bills took some heat when they didn’t use the $14MM tag on Gilmore or sign him to a lucrative extension, but they instead spread that cash out to add free agent safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. They also snagged corner Tre’Davious White in the first round and landed E.J. Gaines in the Sammy Watkins deal with the Rams. That quartet counts for about $10MM against the team’s salary cap this year, which is only slightly higher than the $8.568MM hit New England has for Gilmore.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- The Jets took a beating for their offseason moves, but Brian Costello of the New York Post gives them credit for passing on quarterback Mike Glennon in free agency. The veteran signed a three-year, $45MM deal with Chicago but now finds himself riding the pine behind rookie Mitch Trubisky. Josh McCown may not be a superstar, but the Jets avoided a costly blunder by passing on Glennon and they currently find themselves at 2-2.
- One month into the season, the Bills‘ signing of Stephen Hauschka has proven to be one of the team’s most impactful offseason moves, Sal Maiorana of The Democrat and Chronicle writes. This week, Hauschka was named the AFC’s special teams defensive player of the week for the second time in a row. The kicker currently stands fourth on the NFL’s all-time list for field goal accuracy at 87.3%, putting him behind only Dan Bailey, Stephen Gostkowski, and Justin Tucker. So far this year, Hauschka has connected on eight of nine FG attempts and made all seven of his extra points tries.
- The Patriots would be wise to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com opines.
- Dolphins lineman Mike Pouncey says that hip replacement surgery is inevitable, but it sounds like he can stave it off until his career is through.
Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/17
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OLB Vontarrius Dora
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Anthony Fabiano
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Freddie Bishop
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Rashard Davis
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB LeShun Daniels
- Released: DE Whitney Richardson
Browns’ Myles Garrett To Debut On Sunday
Browns defensive end Myles Garrett sent Twitter into a frenzy on Wednesday morning with one word: “Regresé.” That’s Spanish for “I am back” and the No. 1 overall pick is indeed expected to take the field on Sunday against the Jets, executive Sashi Brown told reporters via conference call.
Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, has yet to play a down of regular season action thanks to a high ankle sprain. It’s possible that he could have returned a little sooner, but the Browns have opted to take the cautious approach with the Texas A&M product given his history of ankle issues.
“He’s a huge piece of our organization, our future, so we want to be cautious but smart as we go through it,” coach Hue Jackson said in late September.
Garrett was limited to just ten games as a junior at Texas A&M thanks to this same injury. He registered 8.5 sacks, which were a career low, and 4.5 of those came against Texas-San Antonio.
Expectations are high for what Garrett can do now that he is healthy. Cleveland used the top pick on him after placing an “astronomical grade” on him during the 2016 season. At the combine, he weighed in at 272 pounds but managed to run the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds.
Without Garrett, the 0-4 Browns have ranked 30th in defensive DVOA and just 21st in adjusted sack rate.
Extra Points: May 16 Rule, Patriots, Gray
With social activism on the rise across the NFL, the league and the players’ union came together this week to hold a “productive conversation,” the two sides announced in a joint press release. Representing the NFL were commissioner Roger Goodell, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Giants owner John Mara, and Steelers owner Art Rooney. NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith and president Eric Winston were in attendance, along with Giants linebacker Mark Herzlich, Redskins cornerback Josh Norman, quarterback Kirk Cousins, and Jets linebacker Demario Davis.
Many players have engaged in protests during the national anthem, but Colin Kaepernick‘s unemployment still looms large over the NFL. At this point, it’s hard to see Kaepernick getting an NFL opportunity this year, but teams could be more receptive to signing him next offseason.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The NFL is working to change the so-called “May 16 rule” which prevents rookies from participating in football activities if their schools are in session, regardless of whether they are still enrolled (link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). No vote is required to pass the change, but the plan is still being finalized. Historically, we have seen this rule affect Pac-12 players. This year, that included Stanford products Solomon Thomas (49ers) and Christian McCaffrey (Panthers). Washington, Northwestern, Oregon, Oregon State and UCLA also had exams after June 1.
- Former Patriots running back Jonas Gray was arrested on Wednesday for failure to pay child support, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Less than 24 hours after turning himself in, Gray was released. Gray ran for 201 yards and four touchdowns against Indianapolis in November 2014 and seemed to have a bright future in New England. However, he has not been on the field since games with the Dolphins and Jaguars in 2015 and has not been in the league since final cuts during the preseason of 2016. His last mention on the pages of PFR came in December 2016 when he auditioned for Seattle.
Jets Sign DL Ed Stinson, LB Obum Gwacham
The Jets have signed defensive lineman Ed Stinson and plucked linebacker Obum Gwacham from the Cardinals’ practice squad. To help make room, the team placed rookie outside linebacker Dylan Donahue on IR. 
The Jets have the option of bringing Jalin Marshall back from suspension this week, but they’ll need to make another roster move if they want to do that. By adding the two defenders and placing Donahue on IR, the Jets are back up to the 53-man max.
Stinson, a fifth-round pick of the Cardinals in 2014, appeared in 29 games for Arizona over a three-year period. He was hampered by injuries this summer and he wound up being cut from IR last month.
Gwacham made ten appearances for the Saints over the last two years. He missed New Orleans’ final cut, but hooked on with the Cardinals’ taxi squad. He now has an opportunity to make a mark on the main roster in New York along with a fellow ex-Cardinal.
Donahue injured his elbow during Sunday’s win over the Jaguars. He’ll technically be eligible to return in December, if he recovers in time and the Jets want to go that route.
Browns Place WR Jordan Leslie On IR
The Browns waived wide receiver Jordan Leslie with an injury designation. As reported yesterday, the Browns have filled his spot by signing wide receiver Bryce Treggs off of the Eagles’ practice squad. 
Leslie went down with a hamstring injury in Sunday’s game against the Bengals. He was a preseason standout for Cleveland who missed the initial 53-man cut, but he was brought back into the fold weeks later. It’s not immediately clear whether Leslie might be able to return after eight weeks on the sidelines, as permitted by the league’s rules.
Leslie was a featured player at UTEP for three seasons before transferring to Brigham Young in 2014. As a senior there, he posted a career-high 55 catches to go with 779 yards and six touchdowns.
Treggs, a second-year pro out of Cal, first entered the league as a UDFA with the Niners in 2016. He later hooked on with the Eagles and had three catches for 80 yards in nine games.
NFC North Notes: Pack, Adams, Bears, Lions
Even after absorbing a violent hit from Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan last week, Packers wide receiver Davante Adams may be in line to play in Week 5, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Adams was taken to the hospital following the hit — which resulted in a two-game suspension for Trevathan — and thankfully escaped with only a concussion. If available, the 24-year-old Adams would be a boon to Green Bay’s offense against the Cowboys on Sunday, as he’s recorded 16 receptions, 219 yards, and two scores thus far in 2017.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- The Bears‘ decision to start rookie Mitch Trubisky over Mike Glennon speaks to the No. 2 overall selection’s development this year, opines Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. Trubisky, who started only 13 collegiate games before entering the NFL draft, was so raw that had to be taught how to take snaps under center in the spring, per Breer. But Trubisky has displayed so much improvement in the months since that Chicago formulated a plan to have the North Carolina product take starter’s practice reps in the fall. Of course, Glennon’s sub-par performance also made the Bears’ call a simple one, as the former Buccaneers ranks near the bottom of the league in nearly every quarterback metric.
- The Lions took a look at tight ends Jace Amaro, Gavin Escobar, Cory Harkey, and David Johnson and linebackers Akeem Ayers, Andrew Gachkar, and Spencer Paysinger, today, reports veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link). Detroit’s linebacker auditions are particularly notable, as the club just lost base package starter Paul Worrilow to an MCL strain. All three of Ayers, Gachkar, and Paysinger appeared in at least 15 games a season ago, but were mostly relegated to special teams duty.
- Offensive tackles Andrew Wylie, Stephen Evans, and Storm Norton, plus running back Joel Bouagnon, worked out for the Packers on Tuesday, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wylie went undrafted out of Eastern Michigan earlier this year, but signed with the Colts shortly thereafter. He took a spot on Indy’s practice squad until being waived in September. Bouagnon, too, is a rookie UDFA (Northern Illinois) who spent eight weeks with the Bears this summer.
- The Bears auditioned safety Jordan Moore yesterday, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Moore, a rookie undrafted free agent out of the University of Texas at San Antonio, signed with the Falcons earlier this year but has been on the workout circuit since August.
Cardinals Not Pursuing Dwight Freeney
Despite losing outside linebacker Markus Golden to a torn ACL, the Cardinals don’t intend to target free agent edge rusher Dwight Freeney at this time, according to Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
Freeney, now 37 years old, spent the 2015 campaign in Arizona and managed eight sacks down the stretch after signing with the club midseason. Last year, Freeney didn’t have to wait quite as long to land a contract, and put up three sacks and 26.5 pressures for the Falcons while playing roughly a third of Atlanta’s defensive snaps.
Despite that performance, Freeney has yet to draw any interest on the free agent market. He still plans to continue his career, and there’s an argument to be made that waiting until, say, Week 6 to sign a deal could actually help a pass rusher of Freeney’s age by limiting his overall usage. The Falcons, who are dealing with injuries to Vic Beasley, Jack Crawford, and Courtney Upshaw along their defensive line, have been in contact with Freeney but seemingly have no plans to sign him.
In lieu of adding an edge defender, the Cardinals will shift rookie Haason Reddick from inside to outside linebacker, head coach Bruce Arians tells SiriusXM (Twitter link). Deone Bucannon is nearing a return and should be able to take over at inside ‘backer, while the recently promoted Scooby Wright could also see action.