Seahawks Place RB Chris Carson On IR
The Seahawks have officially placed Chris Carson on injured reserve. The move was expected after the running back suffered a broken leg in Sunday’s game. 
Carson was carter off the field in the fourth quarter and had an air cast applied to his left leg, an indication that the injury was serious. In theory, Carson will be eligible to return from IR after eight weeks on the sidelines, but his timetable for recovery is not yet clear. While he’s out, it’s expected that Thomas Rawls will be Seattle’s lead running back with Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, and J.D. McKissic in support.
Carson seized the starting gig two games into his the season, leapfrogging both Rawls and Lacy. Prior to the injury, he was averaging a solid 4.2 yards per carry.
In other Seahawks news, left tackle Rees Odhiambo has been hospitalized with a bruised heart.
Bills Release WR Walt Powell
The Bills announced that they have release wide receiver Walt Powell. Powell was set to come back from suspension after serving a four-game ban to start the year. 
[RELATED: Bills’ Jordan Matthews To Have Thumb Surgery]
The release is not a great endorsement of Powell’s skill set, particularly since Jordan Matthews is dealing with a thumb injury that will keep him sidelined for at least one month. With Powell out of the picture, Buffalo may look to bump either Malachi Dupre or Brandon Reilly from the taxi squad to fill the void.
Powell first entered the league as a sixth round pick of the Cardinals in 2014. Since then, he has bounced around the league quite a bit including stints with the Jets, Raiders, and Bills (twice). Powell was hoping to bounce back in 2017 after last year’s campaign was cut short by a November ankle injury. He’ll have try and make that happen somewhere else, however.
Cardinals To Promote LB Scooby Wright
In the wake of Markus Golden‘s ACL tear, the Cardinals are calling up fellow edge rusher Scooby Wright from the practice squad, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). In related moves, the Cardinals have signed guard/tackle Earl Watford, released guard/tackle Vinston Painter, and released wide receiver Aaron Dobson, linebacker Alani Fua, and defensive end Ed Stinson from IR. 
[RELATED: Markus Golden Done For Year]
Wright, 23, missed the Cardinals’ final cut in September but signed on with the practice squad the following day. Since then, he has been cycled through the NFL’s usual process for fringe players (promoted, cut, re-signed to practice squad, repeat). Through four weeks, he has dressed for three games.
Wright has yet to make a major impact at the NFL level, but he is well known in the area for his work at the University of Arizona. In 2014, Wright tallied an eye-popping 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Unfortunately, he was slowed by injuries in 2015 and his draft stock suffered as a result. The Browns took him with one of the final picks in the draft, but he found his way to the Cardinals late last year.
Titans QB Marcus Mariota Day-To-Day
An MRI revealed that Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota has a strained hamstring and is now day-to-day, head coach Mike Mularkey told reporters, including Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com (Twitter links) and veteran NFL reporter Paul Kuharsky (Twitter links).
Mariota returned to Sunday’s contest following the initial hit that led to injury, and 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, Mularkey decided not to risk further injury to Mariota.
If Mariota can’t play against the Dolphins in Week 5, the Titans would turn to veteran Matt Cassel, who completed only four of 10 attempts for 21 yards yesterday while tossing two interceptions. Per Mularkey, Tennessee’s passing attack will remain similar if Cassel is forced to start, but changes will be made to the run game. A decision on Mariota’s status may not be made until next Sunday morning.
The Titans only have two quarterbacks on their current roster, so Mularkey admitted the club could look to add a third signal-caller. Practice squader Tyler Ferguson would be an obvious candidate for promotion, but the 2017 undrafted free agent doesn’t have any NFL experience.
Lions LB Paul Worrilow To Miss 2-4 Weeks
Lions linebacker Paul Worrilow suffered a MCL strain on Sunday and is expected to miss two-to-four weeks, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Worrilow, signed away from the Falcons this spring, has started two games for Detroit in 2017 and served as a full-time player in base packages. That means he’s playing on roughly a third of the club’s defensive snaps, and he’s managed six tackles in that capacity. Perhaps Worrilow’s most critical role has come on special teams, however, where he’s seen action on nearly 80% of the Lions’ plays. Detroit is typically excellent on special teams under general manager Bob Quinn and head coach Jim Caldwell, and this year is no different, as the team ranks first in ST DVOA.
Steve Longa is Worrilow’s direct backup, so he could be in for increased snaps (he’d played just two heading into Week 4). Veteran Nick Bellore and rookie Jalen Reeves-Maybin are also on Detroit’s roster and could see more usage.
Buccaneers Activate RB Doug Martin
The Buccaneers have activated running back Doug Martin from suspension, the club announced today. In a related move, Tampa Bay waived tight end Alan Cross.
Martin, 28, was handed a four-game PED suspension near the tail end of the 2016 season, so he was able to serve one game of that ban last year. Because the Buccaneers’ Week 1 game was postponed due to weather concerns, Martin is just now finishing up his stay on the suspended list. The ban voided the remaining guarantees on Martin’s contract, and Tampa Bay hasn’t promised that Martin will reclaim his starting job when he returns.
But the Buccaneers’ rushing offense has faltered enough through three games that it’s difficult to imagine Martin not taking the bulk of the carries immediately. Jacquizz Rodgers, Peyton Barber, and Charles Sims have handled the ball for Tampa Bay so far, but the club ranks just 22nd in rushing DVOA and is averaging only 3.8 yards per carry.
Through five NFL seasons, Martin has posted only two campaigns that can be considered successful — 2012 and 2015, when he topped 1,400 yards rushing and scored 17 combined touchdowns. The rest of his pro years have been lackluster, as Martin wasn’t able to top even 500 yards in either 2013, 2014, or 2016. He’s signed through 2020, but the Buccaneers can get out of Martin’s contract at any time.
Falcons WR Mohamed Sanu To Miss Time
Falcons wide receiver Mohamed Sanu is expected to miss two-to-three weeks with a hamstring injury, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, while defensive lineman Jack Crawford has a biceps issue which “doesn’t look good,” a source tells McClure. Atlanta is “planning on moving forward” without Crawford, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, an indication Crawford could be done for the season.
Sanu’s injury is doubly concerning given that Falcons No. 1 wideout Julio Jones left the club’s Week 4 loss with a hip flexor. Jones is not expected to miss any games, but his health history isn’t exactly promising. Without Sanu, Atlanta will turn to Taylor Gabriel, Justin Hardy, Andre Roberts, and Nick Williams to play more snaps. Through four games, Sanu had managed 16 receptions for 163 yards and one touchdown.
Atlanta’s defensive line hardly withstand another loss, as Vic Beasley will be sidelined for another three weeks or so while Courtney Upshaw is also dealing with injury. Crawford, who signed as a free agent this offseason, has played on roughly 40% of the Falcons’ defensive snaps, but graded as just the No. 82 interior defender among 120 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Head coach Dan Quinn will meet with Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff about adding defensive line reinforcements, per McClure (Twitter link). The obvious free agent solution could speculatively be Dwight Freeney, who appeared in 15 games for Atlanta in 2016. Quinn said last month that the Falcons are still in contact with Freeney, but the club had no interest in signing him at that time.
Cards LB Markus Golden Tears ACL
Cardinals edge rusher Markus Golden is believed to have suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Although an initial report said Golden may miss merely a month with an MCL injury, the franchise feared this scenario. This malady stands to sideline the third-year edge defender for the rest of the season.
Golden, 26, erupted with 12.5 sacks a season ago while playing on nearly 90% of Arizona’s defensive snaps. He hadn’t been quite as productive on 231 snaps in 2017, however, as the former second-round pick had yet to register a quarterback takedown and graded as a bottom-10 edge defender, per Pro Football Focus. Golden, a Missouri product, is signed through the 2018 campaign.
Kareem Martin replaced Golden in the Cardinals’ overtime victory against the 49ers on Sunday, but Arizona will likely need to add another outside linebacker going forward. The club has three candidates — Bryson Albright, Obum Gwacham, and Earl Okine — for promotion on its practice squad, and the Cards could also look to the free agent market. Mario Williams, Trent Cole, and Akeem Ayers are among the best available edge rushers, while Arizona has experience with fellow unsigned veterans Dwight Freeney and Sio Moore.
Alternatively, the Cardinals could sign an inside ‘backer such as Philip Wheeler (who has bounced on and off the Arizona roster this season), and play first-round rookie Haason Reddick on the edge, as Jurecki tweets. Deone Bucannon‘s impending return also gives the Cards more options at linebacker.
Panthers S Kurt Coleman Sprains MCL
The Panthers are probably going to have to get by without their top safety for the time being. Kurt Coleman is set to miss time after spraining an MCL in Sunday’s victory over the Patriots, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
The team confirmed the injury Monday and said the eighth-year veteran could be out as long as a month, Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. The Panthers will face the Lions on Sunday in a matchup of 3-1 teams before a Thursday-night game against the Eagles. Coleman will almost certainly miss both of those games, regardless of his recovery speed.
Carolina is suddenly hurting for depth on its defensive back line. The team signed 36-year-old Mike Adams to play alongside Coleman but doesn’t have much starting experience behind its top duo. Longtime special-teamer Colin Jones replaced Coleman on Sunday. Rookie UDFA Demetrious Cox is the only other safety on the roster. Jones did start six games for the Panthers from 2014-16, however.
Last year, Coleman signed an extension with the Panthers that runs through the 2019 season. He hasn’t missed more than a game in a season since joining the team in 2015, playing in 15 regular-season contests in each of the past two years.
RB Notes: Charles, Abdullah, Collins, Texans
Two starting running backs received some unfortunate news Monday, with Dalvin Cook having suffered a confirmed ACL tear and Chris Carson suffering multiple lower-leg injuries that will shelve him for an extended time period — if not the rest of his season. These setbacks stand to weaken Vikings and Seahawks’ rushing attacks, although both teams have veteran insurance. However, prior to these rookies’ arrivals, each team struggled to gain ground yards last season. Latavius Murray and Eddie Lacy — two fifth-year backs who relocated this offseason, one that featured a slow market for running backs — figure to play more prominent roles with their new teams now.
Here’s the latest from NFL backfields, continuing to another player who spent extensive time in free agency this year.
- A bruised knee limited Jamaal Charles to just one series in the second half of the Broncos‘ Week 4 win over the Raiders, Mike Klis of 9 News tweets. That’s a bit scary given Charles’ injury history, but the good news is that it is not serious. It also helps that the Broncos are on bye and will not play again until Oct. 15.
- Lions running back Ameer Abdullah rolled his ankle early in the fourth quarter on Sunday, but he says he feels “good” and has been cleared by doctors (link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). Abdullah, who missed the majority of the 2016 season with a foot injury, finished the day against Minnesota with a career-high 94 yards on 20 carries. If not for the ankle, he might have become the first Lion to have a 100-yard rushing game since Reggie Bush. The Lions have now gone 58 games since Bush gained 117 yards in a Thanksgiving win over Green Bay in 2013.
- Alex Collins broke off two long runs on Sunday, but the new Ravens starter is already on a short leash because of ball-security issues. Collins has now fumbled twice since debuting with the Ravens in Week 2. “He won’t get any more opportunities [if the fumbling continues] — the leash isn’t going to be long on that,” John Harbaugh said, via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. “When you come in here and drop the ball however many times he has dropped, I’m not going to tolerate it. I like him. He’s a good kid, and he makes plays, but he has to hold onto the football.” Collins fumbled twice as a rookie last season in limited Seahawks action and 17 times while at Arkansas.
- Fellow second-year runner Tyler Ervin won’t have a chance to contribute on the field again this season. The Texans back suffered a torn patellar tendon, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. Ervin was operating as a depth piece in a Lamar Miller– and D’Onta Foreman-fronted backfield. Ervin’s expected to have surgery Monday and land on IR, Wilson reports.
Zach Links contributed to this report.