Latest On Panthers TE Greg Olsen
The broken foot suffered by Panthers tight Greg Olsen will not be a season-ender, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Instead, he could be out for as little as six games. 
A stint on the injured reserve list is also possible, Rapoport hears. That would allow the Panthers to open up a roster spot while Olsen is sidelined, but it would also mean that he will have to miss a minimum of eight weeks.
As of this writing, Ed Dickson stands as the team’s top healthy tight end with Chris Manhertz as his only backup. Dickson did produce as a pass-catcher with the Ravens, but he is now several seasons removed from the 2011 campaign in which he had 54 grabs for 528 yards and five scores. Since then, he has not topped 25 receptions in any season and he has never managed more than 134 receiving yards as a member of the Panthers. It might behoove the Panthers to add another experience tight end with soft hands and that could be made possible by moving Olsen to IR.
Browns’ Corey Coleman Has Broken Hand
A broken hand in September 2016 sidetracked Corey Coleman‘s rookie season, and some eerie similarities may have the Browns receiving corps in trouble again.
Tests confirmed that Coleman has suffered another broken hand, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Coleman left Sunday’s game early in the fourth quarter after a painful collision with Ravens corner Marlon Humphrey.
A 2016 first-round pick, Coleman again serves as a key component for the rebuilding Browns. Kenny Britt has struggled to acclimate thus far for his new team, and the Browns do not possess much receiving depth beyond those two talents. Coleman caught just one pass for nine yards against the Ravens.
Last season’s broken hand, which occurred during practice, shelved Coleman for six weeks, derailing a potentially promising season after the Baylor product started strong. He returned to play and finished with a 10-game season, hauling in 33 receptions for 413 yards and three touchdowns.
The Browns did trade for Sammie Coates and claimed Seahawks preseason standout Kasen Williams on waivers. Second-year player Rashard Higgins led Cleveland in receiving on Sunday. The Browns will likely move to add another receiver to the fold, but they’ll be hard-pressed to find one with as much upside as Coleman at this stage of the year.
Dolphins’ Lawrence Timmons Wants To Resume Playing
Lawrence Timmons threw everyone for a loop on Sunday when he left the Dolphins for unknown reasons prior to their game against the Chargers. The good news is that he may be back in action for next week’s contest against the Jets. Timmons is “doing much better today and wants to resume playing immediately” with hope that he will practice this week, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) hears. 
We still don’t know what prompted Timmons to bail on the team, but he’ll meet with doctors on Monday to suss that out, Schefter hears (Twitter link). In a scheduled appearance on a local Miami station Sunday night, agent Drew Rosenhaus declined to shed light on the issue and did not say whether Timmons would be available next Sunday (Twitter link via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald).
Timmons joined the Dolphins on a two-year, $12MM deal this offseason. Last year with the Steelers, he piled up 114 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two picks and a forced fumble. For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus weren’t impressed with his work. He placed 70th in overall performance among 87 qualified linebackers.
Sunday’s absence marked Timmons’ first missed game since 2009.
5 Key Stories: 9/10/17 – 9/17/17
Bengals reshuffle staff after 0-2 start: The Bengals have scored nine points in two games and fired their offensive coordinator as a result. OC Ken Zampese is out in Cincinnati, and the team promoted quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor to its top offensive post. The son of longtime NFL assistant Ernie Zampese, Ken Zampese just began his second season as Bengals OC. But he did not appear to win over his players, who may or may not have assembled something of a mutiny to force the franchise to make a key change. Lazor’s previous OC gig ended when the Dolphins fired him from that post in November 2015. As a result of Cincy’s rampant struggles, longtime starter Andy Dalton may not be free from a demotion. Some Bengals players are also voicing support for a Colin Kaepernick signing.
Raiders re-up Donald Penn, again: Reporting late during the preseason after a lengthy holdout, the longtime left tackle received a belated extension after starting the season. The Raiders and Penn agreed to a two-year, $21MM extension. Despite Penn being 34, he’s remained one of the game’s best left tackles and is now signed through his age-35 season. Penn playing for Oakland in 2018 would mark a five-year Raiders run, and this contract leaves open the possibility of a 2019 stay as well. Penn won’t make top-10 left tackle money like he sought, but his new $10.5MM deal represents a healthy raise from his previous two-year, $14MM extension signed in 2016.
David Johnson out for months: The Cardinals’ hopes at returning to the playoffs encountered a significant barrier early this week, when their All-Pro running back opted for wrist surgery. He of more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage last season, Johnson will be out for months and is now on IR. Arizona signed both D.J. Foster off the Patriots’ practice squad and re-signed Chris Johnson, bringing the latter back for a third season. CJ2K started for the Cards in 2015 but was not nearly as productive as his successor.
More Pro Bowlers go down: Week 2 brought brutal injuries to some of the NFL’s best, with Marshal Yanda and Greg Olsen‘s seasons set to be cut short. While Olsen’s broken foot looks to shelve him “for several weeks,” Yanda broke his ankle and is out for the season. This continues a vicious spate of maladies for the Ravens, who also placed Danny Woodhead on IR this week. Yanda, though, has been a vital Baltimore cog for many seasons. He signed an extension in 2015 and has made six consecutive Pro Bowl teams. Olsen’s booked Pro Bowl spots in each of the past three campaigns.
More PED-related trouble for Brian Cushing: The Texans linebacker will serve a 10-game suspension after testing positive for performance-enhancing substances. This will be the second such ban Cushing’s served in his nine-year career. The Pro Bowl ‘backer served a four-game ban for this offense in 2010. After appealing the 2010 suspension, Cushing will not fight this one and began serving it in Week 2.
Broncos Worried Garett Bolles Broke Ankle
Garett Bolles left the Broncos’ blowout win over the Cowboys because of a leg injury and used crutches to walk out of the stadium. The team is worried about a possible severe injury.
The Broncos fear their starting left tackle broke his left ankle, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). They’re hoping it’s a high-ankle sprain. The first-round pick will undergo an MRI on Monday morning, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Bolles exited the stadium in a walking boot, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post relays (Twitter link).
The X-rays weren’t conclusive, Cole notes, and Mike Klis of 9News tweets Bolles does not have an Achilles injury. Bolles has helped the Broncos out to a 2-0 start behind an offense that’s looked much better than it did for much of last season. The Utah product is already 25, despite being a rookie, so a lengthy absence would deprive him of much of a prime season.
Donald Stephenson entered the game for Bolles, but the Broncos used different combinations up front due to multiple injuries. Allen Barbre, who has seen time at tackle in recent years, lined up there as well. Denver traded Ty Sambrailo to the Falcons before the season and cut Michael Schofield, leaving its tackle corps thinner.
The Broncos allowed Russell Okung to depart in free agency after a middling year and used their first-round pick on Bolles, the first tackle they’ve taken in Round 1 in nine years.
PFR Originals: 9/10/17 – 9/17/17
This week’s original content from PFR:
- PFR, via Roster Resource’s Jason Martinez, took an in-depth look at how each team assembled its roster for the season. The Bengals and Packers lead the league in homegrown players rostered, while the Bills and Bears preferred the free agency route, each team beginning this season with 24 UFAs. The Jaguars are the only team with more than 20 UDFAs on their roster, with 23, and the Panthers boast an NFL-high 12 former first-round picks on their roster.
North Notes: Bengals, Bradford, Packers
A “near mutiny” helped induce the Bengals to fire offensive coordinator Ken Zampese after two games. Although Andy Dalton‘s job is not believed to be in jeopardy as of now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes the leash might not be especially long for the seventh-year starter. And some Cincinnati players might not all be on board with a simple A.J. McCarron succession strategy. While it would certainly be an off-the-board choice, Florio hears some Bengals players are expressing support for a Colin Kaepernick signing.
The UFA passer has been the NFL’s most discussed player this offseason despite not being affiliated with a team. McCarron’s been a Bengal since 2014 but has never threatened Dalton’s job security, only seeing relevant action after a Dalton injury in 2015. Kaepernick said recently he does want to return to the NFL, and has been training daily for a potential chance. Many players have publicly endorsed the 29-year-old quarterback receiving an opportunity. A Bengals route might be a stretch, though, considering McCarron’s status.
Dalton currently sits on a 55 percent completion percentage and a 0-to-4 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio. The Bengals have not scored a touchdown in two games and have posted just nine points.
Here’s the latest from the North divisions.
- The Vikings played without Sam Bradford on Sunday, and the Case Keenum-led team lost to the Steelers. Bradford’s knee injury has him at day-to-day for the time being, but Florio hears the quarterback’s injured knee is “structurally fine.” Mike Zimmer used “fine” to describe Bradford’s status (Twitter link), even though the coach was vague in setting a return timetable. Any further game absences would signal the eighth-year signal-caller is, in fact, not fine.
- Green Bay will be playing without both starting tackles tonight in Atlanta. Longtime Packers starters David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga will miss the Falcons tilt, the team announced. Bulaga missed last week’s game due to an ankle injury suffered during preseason play. A hamstring malady will shelve Bakhtiari. Kyle Murphy and Justin McCray will start, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. A fourth-year UDFA, McCray has yet to play in an NFL game.
- The Bears will not deviate at quarterback despite Mike Glennon‘s struggles, John Fox said today. Fox shot down the idea Mitch Trubisky would start in Week 3 for the 0-2 team. Glennon threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in a blowout against his former team in Week 2.
- The Ravens received the toughest blow of any North-division team Sunday, losing Marshal Yanda for the season.
Brandin Cooks’ Discontent Led To Saints Trading WR
Brandin Cooks faced his former team today, in a Patriots rout in New Orleans, but some additional details emerged on why he spent time in the visitors’ locker room.
The Saints dealt the fourth-year wide receiver for a first-round pick because of Cooks’ issues with his role in New Orleans’ offense and his doubts about the team’s future, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.
Cooks expressed doubt Drew Brees, who is now in his age-38 season, could continue to get him the ball deep, per Rapoport. And the Saints were skeptical of the 23-year-old’s status as a No. 1 wide receiver. Rapoport notes Cooks was going to want to be paid like a No. 1 receiver, and the Saints were not prepared to authorize that kind of contract for the deep threat despite his back-to-back 1,100-yard seasons.
A late-season meeting between Cooks and Sean Payton did little to clear the air, Rapoport reports, and the organization did not like what it perceived to be a self-over-team mindset from the talented pass-catcher. Payton told Cooks, who voiced frustration (the “closed mouths don’t get fed” comment) after going catchless in a 49-21 win over the Rams last November, he would see a target increase. Nevertheless, Cooks voicing his frustrations about his stat line following a blowout win rubbed some with the Saints the wrong way, per Rapoport.
And the wideout tied a season-high with seven receptions the following week. Despite Michael Thomas‘ emergence, Cooks saw at least eight targets in 10 games last season and at least six in 14 contests.
While Cooks was pro-Brees in terms of his relationship with the quarterback, the future Hall of Fame passer’s arm strength was not something the receiver felt he could address on any level, Rapoport adds. Cooks had discussions along these lines with Payton, OC Pete Carmichael, then-wideouts coach John Morton and GM Mickey Loomis.
Interestingly, the soon-to-be 24-year-old performer is now playing with a 40-year-old quarterback and for a team notoriously stingy regarding big contracts. Cooks caught two passes for 37 yards in New England’s win in New Orleans.
Ravens Lose Marshal Yanda For Season
Marshal Yanda‘s season is over. The guard fractured his leg in Sunday’s win over the Browns, as Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. He’ll be placed on IR with no hope of returning in 2017.
The Ravens have been plagued by injuries for months, particularly on the offensive line. Tony Bergstrom was plugged in at the right guard spot after Yanda exited and that’s where he could remain for the rest of the season, unless the Ravens add a better interior lineman to the mix.
Yanda missed three games in 2016 due to a nagging shoulder injury. Despite the ailment, the 33-year-old graded out as the NFL’s best guard.
“There’s not a word in English dictionary to describe what Yanda is to us,” one player said to Zrebiec (Twitter link).
The Ravens have also lost linebacker Bam Bradley for the season thanks to a torn ACL.
Panthers’ Greg Olsen Suffers Broken Foot
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen broke his foot on Sunday. There is no timetable for Olsen’s recovery, but he already admits that he’s going to miss “a lot of games.” 
The Panthers beat the Bills by a score of 9-3 on Sunday and it’ll be even harder to come by points without one of Cam Newton‘s favorite targets on the field. For now, Ed Dickson profiles as the team’s new No. 1 tight end with Chris Manhertz as the backup. At minimum, the Panthers can be expected to sign another tight end for depth. If the Panthers want to sign an experienced TE with a history of offensive production, they could call on Gary Barnidge now that the Texans have passed on him.
Olsen hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season in 2007, so this is unfamiliar territory for him. In his previous six seasons with Carolina, Olsen has averaged 71 catches, 897 yards, and five touchdowns per campaign.
The 32-year-old has two seasons to go on the three-year, $22.5MM pact he inked before the 2015 season.