Cardinals To Sign Jim Dray
The Cardinals have agreed to sign free agent tight end Jim Dray, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports (on Twitter). The team’s in need of a body at tight end with Jermaine Gresham and Troy Niklas battling injuries, Somers notes.
This will be Dray’s second stint in Arizona. The 30-year-old began his career there in 2010 after going in the seventh round of the draft and was a member of the Cardinals for four years, catching 48 passes in 55 games (18 starts). Dray’s most successful year to date was his final season with the Cards, 2013, when he tallied personal bests in receptions (26), targets (32) and touchdowns (two). He went on to play with the Browns, Bills and 49ers from 2014-16.
While Dray was mildly successful in Cleveland from 2014-15 (32 appearances, 18 starts, 23 catches), he wasn’t a factor at all in Buffalo or San Francisco last year. Dray appeared in six games and, for the first time in his career, failed to record a catch. As a result, he didn’t draw any known interest before rejoining the Cardinals.
NFC Notes: OBJ, Sherman, Barr, Freeman
Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. returned to practice Thursday and is likely to make his season debut this week, which should be a boon to an offense that looked lost on season-opening Sunday. However, OBJ won’t be at full strength for a little while longer. The ankle injury that has bothered him since mid-August comes with a six- to eight-week recovery timeline, he revealed to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com and other reporters Thursday. The Giants’ game against the Lions on Monday will mark exactly four weeks since Beckham suffered the injury, notes Raanan, meaning Big Blue might not see him at his best until the end of this month or sometime in October.
- Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman has missed two straight practices with a hamstring issue, perhaps jeopardizing his chances of playing against San Francisco on Sunday. Watching the game in street clothes would be a first for Sherman, a seventh-year man who has played in 97 straight contests since the Seahawks added him as a fifth-round pick in 2011. Defensive coordinator Kris Richard suggested Thursday that Sherman’s streak will continue, telling reporters (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times) that he’s “not even considering” going without the corner because “it’s never happened here.”
- Like Sherman, Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr has missed back-to-back practices with a hamstring injury. He’s now at risk of sitting out a game this week for the first time since December 2015, per The Associated Press. Barr played all 62 of the Vikings’ defensive snaps in their win over New Orleans on Monday. With or without the two-time Pro Bowler, the Vikings will face a difficult road test in Pittsburgh on Sunday.
- Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman announced on Instagram on Thursday that he suffered a torn pectoral on the first play of their loss to the Falcons in Week 1, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune relays (on Twitter). Remarkably, Freeman still played roughly 95 percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps and racked up 10 tackles in their 23-17 defeat. The Bears placed Freeman on injured reserve this week and will go without him until at least November.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/14/17
Thursday’s minor NFL transactions:
- The Jets waived defensive lineman Claude Pelon, who has had an on-again, off-again relationship with the club since it signed him as an undrafted free agent in May 2016. The former USC Trojan had multiple stints on the Jets’ practice squad last year. New York re-signed Pelon to a futures contract in January, and he made his NFL debut in its Week 1 loss to Buffalo last Sunday. Pelon was on the field for 17 defensive snaps – just over 22 percent of the unit’s plays – and recorded the first two tackles of his career.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/14/17
The latest workout updates from across the NFL, courtesy of Howard Balzer (Twitter links here):
Arizona Cardinals
Detroit Lions
- CBs Aarion Penton, Marcus Sayles, Damian Swann
Kansas City Chiefs
- NT Rickey Hatley (signed to practice squad); DE Jhaustin Thomas
New York Giants
- CBs Elie Bouka, Robert Nelson
New York Jets
Texans To Work Out Audie Cole, Brian Parker
Dealing with a suspension at linebacker and injuries at tight end, the Texans will work out a couple potential reinforcements at those positions next week. The team will audition linebacker Audie Cole on Monday and tight end Brian Parker on Tuesday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links).
Nobody would mistake Cole for the accomplished Brian Cushing, who will sit until early December because of a 10-game performance-enhancing drug ban, though the former would nonetheless provide some experience at inside linebacker. The 28-year-old has appeared in 57 games, all with the Vikings, since going in the seventh round of the 2012 draft. He wasn’t much of a factor defensively in Minnesota, though, as he tallied just seven starts (five of which came in 2013) and 78 tackles. Cole played a mere 36 defensive snaps in 2016, compared to 275 on special teams.
Parker, whose sole NFL experience to this post came during a nine-game, one-catch 2015 with the Chiefs, would add a body at tight end for a Houston team whose top options – C.J. Fiedorowicz, Ryan Griffin and Stephen Anderson – are battling concussions. Notably, the Texans will meet with Gary Barnidge, a far more established tight end than Parker, on Friday.
Panthers Claim John Theus From 49ers
The Panthers announced that they’ve claimed offensive tackle John Theus off waivers from the 49ers. Carolina also placed undrafted rookie cornerback Cole Luke on injured reserve with an ankle problem.
The 49ers waived Theus on Wednesday, ending a union that lasted just over a season. Theus joined the team in 2016 as a fifth-round pick out of Georgia and went on to appear in four of San Francisco’s game last season, starting one. He totaled just 88 snaps in a 49ers uniform a year ago and wasn’t active for their season-opening loss to his new team, the Panthers, last Sunday.
Theus will serve as depth in Carolina, which starts Matt Kalil and Daryl Williams at the tackle positions. Amini Silatolu and Taylor Moton make up the other Panthers bookends.
Practice Squad Updates: 9/14/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OT Ulrick John, OT Vinston Painter
- Cut: OT T Givens Price
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: CB Greg Mabin
- Cut: TE MyCole Pruitt
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: K Harrison Butker
- Cut: DT Eric Crume
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT Christian Ringo
- Cut: DT Daniel Ross
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: DL Quinton Jefferson
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Adam Bighill
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DL Channing Ward
- Cut: DE Sterling Bailey
Jets’ Lorenzo Mauldin Likely Done For Year
Lorenzo Mauldin‘s season has likely ended before it could even start. The linebacker was informed today that he will likely need back surgery, coach Todd Bowles told reporters. 
Mauldin was placed on injured reserve before the season opener and, at the time, there was some hope that he could return from IR. Unfortunately, that won’t be possible after he undergoes a major operation.
The Jets selected Mauldin in the third round of the 2015 draft. Although he has been a regular on defense, nagging injuries limited his production over the last two seasons. He was on the field for 34% of the Jets’ defensive plays last year, a step up from his playing time as a rookie, but he missed five games and appeared to regress. He drew subpar ranking from Pro Football Focus for the second straight year, as the outlet placed him 80th in performance among 110 qualified edge defenders.
When Mauldin returns to action in 2018, he may face league discipline for an off-the-field incident.
Browns, Rams Have NFL’s Youngest Teams
There’s definitely a youth movement in Cleveland and Los Angeles. According to data released by the NFL on Thursday, the Browns had an average age of 24.17 on their Week 1 roster, making them the league’s youngest team. The Rams – who are directed by the league’s youngest head coach – were not far behind with an average age of 25.11. 
As a whole, the game is younger than ever. This year, there a total of nine teams started the season with an average age less than 26. A few clubs are bucking the trend, however. The Cardinals had the “oldest” roster in the NFL with an average age of 27.47. Arizona had 14 players at the age of 30 or over, tying them for the league lead with the Ravens.
The league also compiled data on the colleges with the most players in the NFL. This year, Alabama and LSU tied for the lead with 39 each. LSU had sole leadership atop the perch from 2014-2016, but they now have the company of another SEC school.
A complete breakdown of every NFL team’s depth chart can be found at RosterResource.com.
Ravens Place RB Danny Woodhead On IR
The Ravens have placed running back Danny Woodhead on injured reserve with a hamstring) injury. To take his place on the 53-man roster, the Ravens have promoted Jeremy Langford from the practice squad. 
The Ravens initially thought they would be without Woodhead for 4-6 weeks. Unfortunately, further tests showed that his condition was worse than initially thought. He’s now facing a 6-8 week timetable, meaning that the Ravens were essentially forced to clear out his roster spot. Per league rules, Woodhead can become one of two players to return from IR for the Ravens, but he’ll first have to sit out for a full eight weeks.
Woodhead joined the Ravens on a three-year, $8.8MM deal with $4.25MM guaranteed back in March. It was a surprisingly large investment considering Woodhead’s age, injury troubles in 2016, and how weak the RB market has been.
A former fourth-round pick, Langford rushed for 537 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie with the Bears. At one point it looked like his future was bright in Chicago, but he was displaced from the roster altogether in early September. The Bears cut Langford in favor of UDFA Taquan Mizzell, who ironically was released by the Ravens. In 2016, he had only 62 carries in 12 games.