Latest On Martellus Bennett
Martellus Bennett did not practice in the final days of his Packers tenure and did not play against the Lions on Monday night. The Packers cut him, only for the talented tight end to return to the Patriots via waiver claim.
Bennett appeared at Patriots practice Friday, indicating he passed a physical despite reportedly having a torn rotator cuff. The 10th-year veteran addressed his status on Friday afternoon.
The 30-year-old pass-catcher said (on Instagram, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport) he did, in fact, opt for shoulder surgery earlier this season. Bennett said he asked the Packers to examine his shoulder further after the team’s Week 5 win over the Cowboys, and he added he elected to have surgery. However, Bennett says the Packers persuaded him to play through this injury — one he said was made worse this season.
Three subsequent visits to separate doctors revealed, per Bennett, the damaged shoulder needed to be repaired. And he posts that he decided to do that, only to see the Packers cut him. He alleges the Packers’ reasoning for waiving him (with a Failure to Disclose a Physical Condition designation) was bogus, writing that he circled “shoulder” weekly when he filled out a team-issued body evaluation sheet.
Bennett writes in his post he made this decision for surgery after Week 5. This comes after a report indicated the tight end wanted out of Green Bay after Aaron Rodgers‘ Week 6 injury. Bennett mentions his October declaration to retire after this season as the Packers’ reasoning for this cut. He was due a $2MM roster bonus on Day 1 of the 2018 league year. The $6.3MM guarantee in Bennett’s three-year, $21MM Packers pact was spread through 2019 via signing bonus.
While uncertain to play this week with the Patriots, Bennett is traveling to Denver, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. He’s listed as questionable to face the Broncos. Bennett now trying to play through pain for a different team, and not getting this surgery that’s been reportedly recommended, strikes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein as odd (Twitter link).
Demovsky (Twitter link) said he’s heard consistent praise for the Packers doctor Bennett’s criticized, Dr. Pat McKenzie, including rave reviews from Rodgers. Silverstein adds McKenzie has a conservative reputation when it comes to injuries, and Greg Bedard of the Boston Sports Journal (on Twitter) echoes this sentiment.
So, this might not be the last that’s discussed about Bennett’s unremarkable (but not exactly forgettable) Packers tenure. For now, though, the Packers (via Silverstein, on Twitter) aren’t responding to Bennett’s allegations.
Texans Activate C.J. Fiedorowicz, Place Ryan Griffin On IR
The Texans swapped out tight ends on their 53-man roster on Friday, activating C.J. Fiedorowicz from IR and moving Ryan Griffin to the injured list, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Fiedorowicz suffered a concussion to induce an IR stay in Week 1 but will return Sunday, and James Palmer of NFL.com tweets the Texans expect him to play a key role.
Griffin was in concussion protocol this week, being ruled out for Sunday’s Rams game, and the head injury will likely end his season. Re-signed this offseason, Griffin caught 13 passes for 158 yards this season. He played in seven of the Texans’ eight games. Griffin sustained two concussions this season, one that’s been incredibly problematic for Texans tight ends.
Fiedorowicz also suffered two concussions this season, one coming during preseason play. So his return bears monitoring.
Griffin’s shutdown will leave Fiedorowicz and Stephen Anderson as the only tight ends on the active roster. Fiedorowicz finished with 559 receiving yards and tied for the team high with four touchdowns last season.
D.J. Humphries Dislocates Kneecap
The Cardinals will be without their starting left tackle for the rest of the season after D.J. Humphries suffered a severe knee injury Thursday night.
Bruce Arians said Friday (via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, on Twitter) that Humphries did not tear his ACL but instead dislocated his kneecap. Humphries, who also has MCL damage, will miss the rest of Arizona’s season. Arians said Thursday night he thought Humphries tore his ACL. While he dodged that, an extensive rehab process will be in store for the third-year edge blocker.
Arizona will move Jared Veldheer back to left tackle, Kent Somers of AZCentral.com tweets. Veldheer and Humphries switched positions going into this season. Veldheer played left tackle throughout his career coming into this season. John Wetzel, who stepped in for Humphries at left tackle against the Seahawks, will move to the right side going forward.
Arians said Humphries faces a three-month recovery timetable but will be ready for OTAs, and the fifth-year Cardinals coach believes the new left tackle’s chronic MCL troubles can be fixed.
The Cardinals will soon have two of their starting offensive linemen on IR. Mike Iupati remains on the injured list due to an elbow ailment.
Ja’Wuan James Facing Season-Ending Injury?
Ja’Wuan James won’t play in the Dolphins’ Week 10 game against the Panthers on Monday night, and it’s possible the right tackle will miss the rest of the season.
Adam Gase said Friday (via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald) the fourth-year blocker could miss the rest of the season due to a hamstring injury. Ian Rapoport (Twitter link) said James is out indefinitely. Salguero notes the Dolphins are seeking out opinions from multiple doctors.
James has played in each of Miami’s eight games, and Gase described his play as being good in some of them. This injury is significant because of James’ contract status. The 2014 first-round pick has a fifth-year option of $9.341MM, but the Dolphins can cut bait on that amount before the start of the 2018 league year.
These options are guaranteed for injury only, so James would have to pass a physical for the team to jettison him free of charge. With that deadline nearly five months away, it would stand to reason James could recover from a hamstring malady by decision time.
Of course, the Dolphins don’t have a next-in-line right tackle to potentially replace James, and UFA solutions aren’t cheap. Dolphins OC Clyde Christensen said (via the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson) the cap has limited the Dolphins’ ability to bring in a reliable backup to James; Miami holds barely $1MM in cap room. Former UDFA Jesse Davis will make his first start at right tackle on Monday. Davis has started two games at guard but will move to take James’ spot after Ted Larsen returned off IR.
James started 16 games in both 2014 and ’16 but played in only seven in 2015. A toe injury ended James’ sophomore NFL season.
Martellus Bennett Passes Patriots Physical
Martellus Bennett‘s status has been one of the more intriguing stories in recent days, and Friday’s brought new chapters to it.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Bennett has a torn rotator cuff, but he showed up for Patriots practice on Friday to indicate he’s passed a physical for his new team, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
The Patriots were the only team to claim Bennett, whom they didn’t re-sign this offseason to lead to the Packers making a rare venture into non-street free agency in adding him. Varying degrees of rotator cuff tears exist, and Bennett — who played in seven Packers games before missing Monday’s — looks to have avoided a serious tear.
Bennett has 24 receptions for 233 yards this season after being the top tight end on the Patriots’ latest Super Bowl team. This time around, the injured player joins Dwayne Allen — who has no catches this season despite playing in each of New England’s eight games — as a supplementary cog behind Rob Gronkowski. While Gronkowski is one of the NFL’s more injury-prone players, he’s healthy right now.
Two years remain on the Bennett deal the Patriots are now responsible for, but the 30-year-old tight end said he plans to retire after this season. He may be attempting to play hurt in an environment that clearly worked for him last season.
Cardinals S Tyvon Branch Has Torn ACL
The Cardinals lost more than a game on Thursday night. Cardinals safety Tyvon Branch suffered a torn ACL in the defeat, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll be placed on season-ending injured reserve.
Bruce Arians confirmed this diagnosis Friday afternoon and added Branch will undergo surgery.
Branch started in all nine of the Cardinals’ games this season, giving himself a larger-than-anticipated role following the addition of Antoine Bethea in free agency. His season ends with 66 total tackles, six passes defensed, and one forced fumble.
Branch, 31 in December, was initially slated to earn $4MM on the backend of a two-year, $8MM contract. Instead, he agreed to cut his salary in half. He’ll be a free agent after the season so it’s possible that he has played his final game for the Cardinals.
Between 2009 and 2011, Branch was considered one of the top safeties in the game. He’s no longer an elite player, but he has shown that he can still play at a high level.
Lions Waived/Injured OT Greg Robinson
The Lions have waived-injured offensive tackle Greg Robinson. After dropping the former No. 2 overall pick in the draft, the Lions are left with an open spot on the 53-man roster. 
[RELATED: Lions Waive Tim Lelito]
The Lions acquired Robinson via trade with the Rams in June after Taylor Decker suffered a torn labrum. Fortunately, Decker is on the verge of returning from the injury, so Robinson is now expendable.
Robinson, 25, appeared in six games for Detroit and started in each contest. However, he missed the last two games due to an ankle injury and his status for Sunday’s game against the Browns was up in the air prior to his release.
Before joining up with the Lions, Robinson started in 42 of 46 appearances with the Rams. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus rated him among the league’s worst tackles in each of his first three seasons.
Robinson was due a $3.3MM salary in 2017, the final year of his contract.
Martellus Bennett Has Torn Rotator Cuff
The Packers waived tight end Martellus Bennett because he had a torn rotator cuff, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). He may or may not try to play through the injury. If he can’t, the Patriots could simply place him on injured reserve. 
[RELATED: Patriots Claim TE Martellus Bennett]
There are varying degrees to rotator cuff tears and, presumably, Bennett is not dealing with a complete tear. A partial tear could help to explain his mediocre production in 2017. In seven games for the Packers, Bennett had just 24 grabs for 233 yards and zero touchdowns.
Bennett has indicated that he will retire after the 2017 season, so he might be willing to play through the pain without fear of the additional damage he might do to his shoulder. If he can gut it out, he might just have a chance at winning a second consecutive Super Bowl ring with the Patriots. This time around, he won’t have to be on the field as much thanks to Rob Gronkowski being healthy and the presence of Dwayne Allen.
Seahawks’ Richard Sherman Done For Year
Richard Sherman‘s season is over. Seahawks coach Pete Carroll confirmed to reporters after Thursday night’s game that Sherman has suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times). The cornerback will be placed on injured reserve in the coming days. 
Sherman told reporters, including Gregg Bell of The News Tribune (Twitter link) that his Achilles has been bothering him since the Rams game back on Oct. 8. He figured it would rupture eventually, but he wanted to keep playing for his teammates. Tonight, he heard a pop and his worst fears were confirmed by doctors in the locker room.
The Seahawks’ options for out-of-house reinforcements are somewhat limited now that the trade deadline has passed. Vontae Davis will be a free agent once he formally clears waivers on Friday, but he is said to be considering season-ending groin surgery. For now, the Seahawks seem likely to fill from within using Justin Coleman, Neiko Thorpe, and Jeremy Lane alongside Shaquill Griffin. It’s also possible that DeShawn Shead will be able to return from IR at some point this year.
Sherman is in the third year of a four-year, $56MM contract extension he inked with the Seahawks back in 2014. The deal calls for a cap number of $13.6MM this year followed by $13.2MM in 2018. In theory, if the Seahawks wanted to put their resources in another direction, they could release Sherman and save $11MM against the cap while carrying just $2.2MM in dead money.
Sherman is still among the league’s best cornerbacks, but it’s a situation to keep an eye on if he does not regain all of his explosiveness after surgery. The Seahawks may seek to tamp down his 2018 cap number, perhaps via a pay cut or a more team-friendly extension.
This marks Sherman’s first incomplete season since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in the 2011 draft. In his six previous seasons, he had perfect regular season attendance while earning five Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro selections.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/9/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
New England Patriots
- LB Zach Vigil (link)
Los Angeles Rams
- LB Zach Vigil (Friday) (link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)
San Francisco 49ers
- WRs Cyril Grayson, Chris Harper, Francis Owusu, Jordan Payton, Domonique Young; CBs Trovon Reed, Damian Swann; S John Boyett (Twitter links)
Washington Redskins
- RBs Kapri Bibbs, Dare Ogunbowale, Denard Robinson, Jahad Thomas; WRs Keyarris Garrett, Francis Owusu; DL Stefan Charles, Caraun Reid, Will Sutton (Twitter links)