5 Key NFL Stories: 11/5/17 – 11/12/17
Ezekiel Elliott‘s suspension (finally) takes effect. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled against Elliott last week, meaning his six-game suspension stemming from domestic violence allegations has been restored. For the time being, Dallas will roll with Alfred Morris, Rod Smith, and Darren McFadden in its backfield, but the saga isn’t over yet. Elliott’s appeal is scheduled for December 1, meaning that while he’ll miss at least four games, he could be back on the field before his full six-game ban tolls. The former first-round pick has since left the country to “clear his head” and train.
Jerry Jones v. the NFL. Elliott isn’t the only member of the Cowboys organization fighting the NFL, as Jones — the club’s owner and general manager — has also gotten in on the action. Jones reportedly feels the league’s owners are being misled on the details of commissioner Roger Goodell‘s contract extension, and has threatened to sue the NFL over the issue. Goodell, for his part, is “furious” over the delay in negotiations and the concept of a proposed performance-based pay schedule.
Martellus Bennett is a Patriot again. What a week it’s been for Bennett — the Packers cut the veteran tight end with a “failure to disclose medical condition” designation, while Bennett claims Green Bay’s medical staff wasn’t helpful in regards to his reported torn rotator cuff. Bennett, who has flirted with a post-2017 retirement, was claimed off waivers by New England, with whom he spent the 2016 campaign, and has since passed a physical. The Packers, meanwhile, will attempt to recoup a portion of Bennett’s signing bonus.
Vontae Davis hits free agent market. Bennett wasn’t the only veteran player to go through waivers this week, as the Colts cut Davis following reports that the defensive back would be placed on injured reserve. It’s been a maddening campaign for Davis, as a groin injury has contributed to his performance struggles, while he’s also had communication disputes with head coach Chuck Pagano. Indianapolis tried to trade Davis before the league’s deadline, and while clubs such as the Bills expressed interest, no deal was made. However, contending teams are now expressing interest in Davis now that he’s a free agent.
Welcome back Teddy. The Vikings now have another quarterback on their roster, and it’s the familiar face of Teddy Bridgewater, who was activated from the PUP list approximately 15 months after suffering a devastating knee injury. Whether Bridgewater will serve as Minnesota’s starter at any point this season is an open question (especially given that Case Keenum tossed four touchdowns against the Redskins today), but he gives the club another option under center. Fellow signal-caller Sam Bradford has been placed on injured reserve.
Steelers CB Joe Haden Has Broken Fibula
Steelers cornerback Joe Haden suffered a broken fibula in today’s victory over the Colts and will be sidelined indefinitely, head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters, including Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). However, Haden only has a “slight” fracture in his leg, and should be able to return following a three-week absence, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
While the most recent news on Haden’s status is positive, his loss will be felt in the Steelers’ secondary no matter how long he’s out. Haden, who agreed to a three-year deal with Pittsburgh after being released by the Browns earlier this year, has played nearly every defensive snap for the Steelers in 2017 while grading as the league’s No. 33 cornerback among 117 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. The 28-year-old Haden has been excellent while defending mostly deep passes, as he ranks fourth in average air yards of passes against, according to Football Outsiders.
With Haden unavailable, the Steelers will likely turn to veteran William Gay to start on the outside opposite Artie Burns, with Mike Hilton remaining in the slot. Coty Sensabaugh, who has yet to play a single defensive snap, could also see more time on defense, while rookie Cameron Sutton — who is close to returning from injured reserve — may contribute down the stretch.
If Pittsburgh wants to look outside the organization for another defensive back, Vontae Davis — recently cut by the Colts — could be one option. Contending teams are reportedly interested in adding Davis for the stretch run, and while the Steelers aren’t known to have contacted Davis, they’d make sense as a potential suitor. Of course, Davis’ injury status and poor play could dissuade general manager Kevin Colbert from inking the veteran.
PFR Originals: 11/5/17 – 11/12/17
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- With the NFL now past the halfway point of the 2017 campaign, many teams are already peeking ahead to the 2018 offseason, so PFR published our master list of 2018 NFL Free Agents. We’ve included restricted free agents, and will also add franchise- and transition-tagged players as those designations are made available. The list will be constantly updated through next season, so make sure to bookmark 2018 NFL Free Agents to keep track of next year’s player movement.
- One-year deals can often work out for both teams and players (although they typically favor clubs), and I examined the 10 best one-year deals in the league this season. Veteran quarterbacks Josh McCown and Case Keenum have been excellent stop-gaps for the Jets and Vikings, respectively, while lesser-known players such as defensive end Alex Okafor (Saints) and cornerback Nickell-Robey-Coleman (Rams) have also played well on single-season pacts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/17
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Placed on injured reserve: TE Ifeanyi Momah
New York Giants
- Waived from injured reserve: DE Nordly Capi
AFC Notes: Osweiler, Cousins, Jim Harbaugh
The Broncos have tried to tinker their playbook a bit to suit Brock Osweiler‘s strengths, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). However, Rapoport calls tonight’s matchup with New England Osweiler’s final audition, and if he should continue to struggle, Paxton Lynch — who is reportedly getting healthier — will be given the chance to show what he can do.
Now for more rumors from the AFC (we rounded up some NFC nuggets earlier today):
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes that the Jets‘ chances to acquire Kirk Cousins in the offseason improved after Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to San Francisco, thereby (presumably) taking the 49ers out of contention for Cousins’ services. Of course, it all depends on what Washington does, but Cimini thinks New York will make a major QB acquisition one way or another. He thinks the club will either pursue Cousins or another quality veteran (like Alex Smith, should he become available) or else trade up for one of the top signal-callers in the draft.
- Browns LT Joe Thomas is battling an injured triceps that has knocked him out for the remainder of the season, and he remains undecided about his future, even though Cleveland gave him a pay raise for the 2018 season. As Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com writes, however, the Browns’ outlook could play a role in his decision. Thomas said, “Is it going to be for trying to pursue a championship or are we trying to pursue a playoff berth or are we trying to pursue a first pick overall? Those are all things that could play into that decision.”
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says that, when the 49ers were considering trading former head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Browns offered San Francisco two third-round picks and offered Harbaugh a five-year, $40MM contract. Harbaugh, though, did not want to go to Cleveland, but sources close to the current University of Michigan head coach say his eventual return to the league is “inevitable.”
- Rookie Gareon Conley might be the Raiders‘ most talented corner, but he has only been able to appear in two games in 2017 due to a shin injury that has taken longer than expected to heal. Per Scott Bair of NBCSports.com, Conley’s prospects for the remainder of the year will become clearer this week. If he is able to return to practice, he could work his way back into the mix. If not, Oakland will place him on injured reserve, thereby ending his first professional season.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/12/17
Today’s workout updates:
Green Bay Packers
- Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN,com, the Packers worked out TE Devon Cajuste, who was on the club’s practice squad last season before getting injured.
NFC Notes: R. Wilson, Gruden, Eli, Bennett
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, citing a source close to the situation, reports that the Seahawks violated the league’s concussion protocol by allowing quarterback Russell Wilson to reenter Thursday night’s game against Arizona without going to the locker room and being cleared by a team doctor and an independent physician. However, a league spokesman told ESPN that the NFL has not conducted any interviews yet, so it has not reached any conclusions. The NFL and NFLPA will jointly review the situation over the coming weeks.
If Seattle is determined to have violated the protocol, it could be fined up to $150K.
Now for more from the NFC:
- Every year, it seems, we hear rumors concerning Jon Gruden‘s potential return to the sidelines as a head coach. With his former team, the Buccaneers, sputtering in 2017, and with Dirk Koetter looking less likely to return in 2018, Gruden-to-Tampa Bay rumors will only continue to pick up steam, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Gruden has mended his relationship with Bucs ownership and still lives about 10 minutes from the team facility, and a source close to him indicated it is possible that Gruden returns to the Bucs.
- The Giants have no plans to bench Eli Manning, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes. Although their long-time signal-caller does not figure to be a part of any long-term rebuild, Rapoport says it would take a catastrophe for Big Blue to sit Manning down this season.
- The Packers released Martellus Bennett with a Failure to Disclose a Physical Condition designation, alleging that Bennett failed to tell the team that he had a torn rotator cuff before he signed with the team this offseason. Bennett, of course, refutes that notion, but Green Bay intends to recoup the signing bonus it paid to Bennett, per Rapoport. Whether the Packers will seek the full $6.3MM bonus or the $4.2MM prorated portion is unclear, but they have over a month in which to file their grievance.
- Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott, whose suspension was reinstated earlier this week, is leaving the country to clear his head and train in an undisclosed location, per Rapoport (via Twitter).
Latest On Roger Goodell’s Contract, Jerry Jones’ Opposition
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the league’s Compensation Committee will hold a conference call tomorrow to discuss commissioner Roger Goodell‘s contract extension and Goodell’s latest counterproposal requesting a $50MM salary as well as the lifetime use of a private jet and lifetime health insurance for his family. This comes on the heels of a story from Peter King of TheMMQB that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to “overthrow” Goodell.
Jones has done his best to hold up an extension for Goodell, which was supposed to be finalized in August. While the general assumption is that Jones became angry with Goodell for the commissioner’s suspension of Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott, Jones himself has said that is not the case, and that his problems with Goodell’s contract extension as currently constructed has less to do with the commissioner and more with the power of the position he holds.
King’s report is largely in accord with Jones’ assertions. King says Jones is right in that Goodell’s current contract, which pays him around $35MM annually with no performance aspect to it, is “excessive bordering on avaricious.” Furthermore, Jones contends that even if the current proposed contract for Goodell is approved — a contract that will make 88% of Goodell’s compensation incentive-based — the vague parameters of the incentives will allow Goodell to earn the same salary he has been earning anyway, regardless of the overall performance of the league. So, while Elliott’s suspension may have plenty to do with Jones’ discontent, it is not the only basis for it (Jones is also displeased with the fact that Goodell seems generally “suspension-happy”).
As such, Jones threatened to sue the league in a November 2 conference call, a threat that understandably rankled his fellow owners. King points out that Jones has taken unpopular stances before, and has ultimately prevailed, but this time, he does not have many partners in his struggle to overthrow the current way of doing business in the NFL. Indeed, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, Jones is losing credibility with, and influence over, other owners. Although Schefter’s report indicates that other owners are displeased with the outlandishness of Goodell’s most recent demands, it does not sound as if Goodell will walk away on his own, and it is similarly unlikely that there will be enough owners to force him out.
Interestingly, La Canfora notes in a separate piece that Goodell’s confidants and advisers are urging him to simply sign the proposed contract now and put the matter behind him, but King says there is not presently a contract to sign. King reports that the Compensation Committee and Goodell are still cleaning up a few points that go beyond mere formalities — like the private jet, for instance? — and that it could be a couple of weeks before Goodell can put pen to paper.
Presumably, tomorrow’s conference call will lend a little more clarity to this story. As of right now, though, it still seems as if Jones is waging a war that he is unlikely to win, and that Goodell will remain the league’s commissioner for the long haul (while being handsomely compensated for his efforts, even if a jet is not a part of the package).
Contending Teams Interested In Vontae Davis
A number of teams, including two who are in playoff contention, have reached out to former Colts cornerback Vontae Davis to express interest in bringing him aboard for a playoff run, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
After a strange couple of weeks for the veteran defensive back, he was released by Indianapolis a few days ago due to a lingering groin issue and has elected to undergo surgery that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. Davis is reportedly unsure as to how quickly he will be ready to suit up after the surgery, though he does remain open to the possibility of playing again this season for a playoff club.
The interested teams clearly think that the groin issue, moreso than age or general decline, is to blame for Davis’ mediocre performance over the past season-and-a-half. He currently rates as the NFL’s No. 94 cornerback out of 117 qualifiers, according to Pro Football Focus, and last year, PFF had Davis as one of the ten worst qualified corners in the league. That represents a major drop for a player who earned an excellent 95.1 overall score in 2014 and followed it up with a strong 81.9 mark in ’15.
Nonetheless, if the surgery can help him return to something close to his former self, he could be a strong addition to a playoff team. Although Schefter did not name the clubs that have reached out to Davis, the Seahawks, who recently lost Richard Sherman for the year, would be a logical destination.
Drew Brees’ Future With Saints Uncertain
The Saints have been a pleasant surprise this season, jumping out to a 6-2 record on the strength of a largely young and talented roster that should continue to grow together for the next few years. Future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees, however, may not be in New Orleans beyond this season.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) says the Saints are unsure as to whether Brees, who will be a free agent at season’s end, will be back in 2018. There have been no contract talks this season, and those talks will not commence until the season is over. Brees, of course, will want to be paid well, but Rapoport says he is missing some throws that he usually makes and that the team has noticed a slight decline in the 38-year-old’s overall performance.
That decline, however, is not manifesting itself in Brees’ statistics. His 71.6% completion rate is the best in the league, and while he is averaging under 300 passing yards per game for the first time since 2010, his quarterback rating of 105.0 is the highest it has been since 2011. He has also thrown 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions and has generally looked like the same great player he has always been for the Saints.
Rapoport says that Brees does not want to play for anyone other than the Saints, so if the two sides cannot agree to a new deal in 2018, it will be interesting to see whether No. 9 simply elects to call it a career. Speculatively, however, it seems that New Orleans will not squander all of the young talent it has at other positions by discarding the best player the franchise has ever had — and who is still pretty darn good — in favor of a less talented and/or more unproven signal-caller. But until the ink is dry on a new contract, this will be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow when the calendar flips to 2018.