Latest On Browns, Josh Gordon
We could be getting closer to the on-field return of Josh Gordon. The wide receiver is slated to report to the Browns’ facility on Tuesday to begin conditioning work, individual workouts, and attend team meetings, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. The hope is that Gordon will be ready to go for their Week 13 game against the Chargers on Dec. 3, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. 
Recently, Browns Executive Vice President Sashi Brown announced that he would be sitting down with Gordon and that day is finally near. As a whole, the organization has come a lot way since coach Hue Jackson was asked about the wide receiver in October 2016.
“I think what we need to do is just close that chapter right now,” Jackson said roughly 13 months ago. “He’s doing what he needs to do, and we need to do what we need to do, which is continue to move forward…Obviously, Josh is not here and doing what he thinks he needs to do for his life, which we support 100 percent. And I think after today, today is really the last Josh Gordon comment I want to make about that. I think what’s best for our football team is that we move forward and move on. He’s not going to be with us, and we wish him well. But we’re moving forward. We’re going to move on.”
Gordon will be allowed to practice with the Browns starting on Nov. 20, and he will be eligible for activation starting on Nov. 27. With an extra week on top of that, the Browns are hopeful that Gordon will be caught up on the playbook and in good enough shape to play.
Prior to the trade deadline, there were rumblings that the Browns would consider moving Gordon if he secured reinstatement in time. With that in mind, one has to wonder if the Browns are looking to keep Gordon for 2018 or if they are looking to showcase him for other teams over the season’s final four games.
NFC Notes: Miller, Bridgewater, Juszczyk, Seahawks
One of the scarier stories of this season was the situation regarding Bears tight end Zach Miller‘s serious leg injury. Just a week ago, doctors were performing surgery to save his leg after he dislocated his knee while playing. However, after a successful procedure, the 33 year-old is set to be released from the hospital on Monday, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. According to Mortensen, the surgery was described as “heroic” by one doctor, who relayed that the surgeons needed to repair a torn popliteal artery. The road to recovery is still ongoing as the tight end will likely need multiple surgeries before starting his way to rehab, but the outlook is much better than it was because of the many great doctors and Miller himself as Mortensen outlines in his piece.
- Speaking of amazing recoveries, Teddy Bridgewater is on track to return to the gridiron after many months of rehab and uncertainty regarding his serious knee injury. The Vikings former first round pick is expected to be activated and in uniform for the team’s Week 10 contest versus Washington, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Bridgewater was placed on the PUP list at the start of the regular season after he had been recovering from an injury he suffered back in training camp two years ago. It’s been a long road for the soon-to-be 25 year-old, but it looks like the quarterback’s resiliency will soon pay off. Although, it remains to be seen what role Bridgewater will have when he returns, especially with the recent solid play of third string QB Case Keenum. Bridgewater last played in the team’s heartbreaking playoff defeat at the hands of the Seahawks back in 2015.
- 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk will undergo an MRI on Monday after suffering a concussion in today’s defeat at the hands of the Cardinals, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. The news comes right after it was learned that safety Jaquiski Tartt would be placed on the IR with a fractured arm that he suffered in today’s game as well. Juszczyk, 26, hasn’t been as big of a factor in the 49ers offense as people may have thought after signing by far the richest contract of any fullback this past offseason. The former Raven has totaled just 23 rushing yards and 8 catches for 80 yards this year.
- The Seahawks cut tackle Isaiah Battle a few days ago after the team added the highly regarded Duane Brown prior to the trade deadline. However, it seems like Seattle would like to retain the offensive lineman as general manager John Schneider said on a pre-game show that he hopes to re-sign the 24 year-old to the team’s practice squad this week, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).
AFC Notes: Dolphins, Green, Ramsey
Just a day after activating offensive lineman Ted Larsen, the Dolphins have decided to make him inactive for their Sunday night affair versus the Raiders. Larsen, 30, was forced onto the injured reserve for the first two months of the season after suffering a torn biceps in the offseason. It remains to be seen how long it’s going to take until Larsen returns to the starting lineup, but he’s expected to replace left guard Jesse Davis at some point over the next few games.
- Just as a key starter is returning in Larsen, Miami said goodbye to lead running back Jay Ajayi when they dealt him to the Eagles for a fourth round pick on the day of the trade deadline. The move came as a surprise to many Dolphins fans given the importance of the 24 year-old to the team’s offense. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald opines that the deal was just another in a series of questionable decisions that the franchise has made over the last few years. Salguero points out the team’s moves to get rid of Vontae Davis, Brandon Marshall, Mike Wallace and Karlos Dansby as points in time where the team gave up too early on talent. The trade does open up more playing time for the likes of Kenyan Drake and Damien Williams, but the Dolphins’ offense will certainly look a lot different without Ajayi in the backfield.
- One of the many brawls as a part pf today’s slate of games came from an incident between Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Green. After Ramsey pushed one of the league’s best receivers after the whistle, Green unleashed a flurry of punches onto the Jaguars second-year defensive back, which prompted both sidelines into a shoving match. Both Green and Ramsey were ejected after the scuffle. However, Green was apologetic about the incident after the loss, as Michael DiRocco and Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com pass along. “I shouldn’t have reacted that way. I apologize to my teammates, [Bengals owner Mike] Brown, and everybody, because that’s not who I am. It just got the best of me today.” We’ll see how the league reacts to the situation as a suspension could be in order given the severity of Green’s reaction.
- While both players were forced to leave the contest, many around the league pointed out that Ramsey did not actually throw a punch. However, there was some clarity given out on that front after the game. Apparently, the officials said that Ramsey was ejected because they thought he did throw a punch, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport reports that the Jags cornerback was informed by league officials after the team’s win that he was sent to the locker room because they thought he engaged Green too, even though it appears that Ramsey did not punch back. We’ll have to see how the Jacksonville players and coaches react to the apparent officiating mistake.
49ers’ Jaquiski Tartt Out For The Season
The 49ers are still winless on the year after dropping their ninth game in the row to the Cardinals on Sunday afternoon. However, that’s not the only bad news that came from today’s defeat. San Francisco has learned that safety Jaquiski Tartt would be out for the year after suffering a fractured arm in the contest, reports Cam Inman of the Mercury News (Twitter link). The team will be forced to place the 25 year-old defensive back onto the injured reserve because of the injury.
This is the second season ending injury the 49ers have seen to their safety corps in as many weeks, with Jimmie Ward hitting the IR with the same ailment after last week’s game versus the Eagles.
Tartt, 25, played opposite of Ward for most of the season, which eventually forced Eric Reid to make a position switch to linebacker. The former 2015 third round pick had accumulated 52 tackles and one interception on the season, but was rated very highly by Pro Football Focus, registering as the site’s 11th best safety in the league through eight weeks.
The news acts as just another blow to what has been a trying season for the 49ers, but the team will have no choice but to soldier on without their their young defensive back. Head coach Kyle Shanahan has just one backup safety on the roster in Dexter McCoil, so it seems likely that the team will look to add some depth to the position before the team plays the Giants next Sunday.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/5/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Green Bay Packers
- LS’s Nolan Frese, Colin Holba, Zach Triner; CB Raysean Pringle (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com) (Twitter link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- P Brock Miller (Twitter link)
San Francisco 49ers
- T’s Will Beatty, Cameron Jefferson, Andrew Lauderdale, Max Rich; Ss K.J. Dillon, Deron Washington (Twitter links)
5 Key NFL Stories: 10/29/17 – 11/5/17
Deshaun Watson tears ACL. On a rate basis, Watson was in the midst of one of the more successful rookie campaigns in NFL history. Among first-year signal-callers since the merger, Watson ranked first in touchdown percentage and second in quarterback rating while tossing a league-leading touchdowns and scoring twice more on the ground. An ACL tear (suffered in practice) means the Texans will turn to Tom Savage as their starter, while the club also added veterans Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates.
Trades, trades, trades! The NFL’s trade deadline hit last Tuesday, and five deals were made in advance of 4pm ET. The 49ers surprisingly picked up quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots, the Seahawks fortified their offensive line by acquiring left tackle Duane Brown from the Texans, the Bills got wideout Kelvin Benjamin from the Panthers, running back Jay Ajayi was shipped from the Dolphins to the Eagles, and the Jets received cornerback Rashard Robinson from the 49ers. Perhaps most notable, however, was the non-trade of quarterback A.J. McCarron from the Bengals to the Browns.
Ezekiel Elliott saga continues. Elliott’s six-game suspension was once again restored last week, but after another appeal, an administrative stay allowed the Cowboys running back to play against the Chiefs today. A three-judge panel is scheduled to rule on Elliott, and after that decision, his six-game suspension may finally be put in place for good. New reports have indicated Elliott and his legal team are open to a settlement, but the NFL isn’t interested in any sort of agreement.
Josh Gordon granted reinstatement. At long last, Gordon is now on to track to appear in an NFL game for the first time since 2014. Still only 26 years old, Gordon led the league in receiving in that 2013, managing 1,646 yards in only 14 games. He’s been suspended for much of the three-plus seasons since, but will now likely be eligible to play in Week 13. Cleveland management is set to meet with Gordon soon.
Andrew Luck finally shelved. The Colts finally capitulated and placed Luck on injured reserve after the starting quarterback had not played a down for the club in 2017. Still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, Luck is expected to be fully healthy in time for the 2018 season, but with Indianapolis going nowhere fast this year, it didn’t make sense for Luck to come back. The Colts “won’t ignore” the 2018 quarterback draft class, although they now boast another competent signal-caller — Jacoby Brissett — in addition to Luck.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eagles, Redskins
While the NFL and NFLPA haven’t shown any inclination to pursue a settlement in Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s suspension case, Elliott and his attorneys have indeed been pushing for some sort of settlement, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports. While it’s unclear how many banned games Elliott and his team have offered to the league, the NFL is not interested in any agreement. Elliott will play against the Chiefs this week after being granted an administrative stay, and could potentially be available for several months if he wins an injunction from the Second Circuit Court of Appeals, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- While the Eagles didn’t acquire a left tackle in advance of last week’s trade deadline, they did engage in talks for both Cordy Glenn (Bills) and Duane Brown (Texans), according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com and Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). However, Philadelphia quickly realized no fit existed in regards to a possible Glenn deal, while the trade of Brown to Seattle — which netted the Texans second- and third-round picks — drove up the price for left tackles across the board, per La Canfora. The Eagles, who eventually picked up only running back Jay Ajayi before the deadline, were on the lookout for a blindside protector after losing stalwart Jason Peters for the season.
- The Redskins worked out running backs Marcus Murphy, Dare Ogunbowale, Jhurell Pressley, Josh Rounds, and Trey Williams last week, per Howard Balzer of Sports on Earth (Twitter link). Of the group, Murphy is by far the most experienced, as he’s 16 games since entering the league in 2015. He’s mostly served as a return man (just two career touches on offense), and that’s likely the role he’d hold in Washington if signed.
- Already fielding one of the league’s worst offensive lines, the Giants‘ front five was further weakened last week when center Weston Richburg was placed on injured reserve with a concussion. Richburg, 26, is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent in the spring.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/5/17
Today’s minor moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted to active roster: CB Donatello Brown
- Placed on injured reserve: S Kentrell Brice
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted to active roster: S Isaiah Johnson
Oakland Raiders
- Activated from injured reserve: S Obi Melifonwu
- Waived/injured: CB Demetrius McCray
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/5/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OL Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Emanuel Byrd
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Jason Vander Laan
Gary Kubiak Open To Offensive Coordinator Position
Former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who currently serves as a senior personnel executive for the Broncos, is open to a return to the sidelines as an offensive coordinator, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Kubiak, who guided the Broncos to their third championship in Super Bowl 50, stepped down as the team’s head coach in January due to mounting health concerns.
While those health concerns preclude Kubiak from returning to the stress and rigors of a head coaching position, sources close to him say he would welcome the opportunity to work with a quality quarterback on a contending team as an OC. It would likely not be difficult for him to land such a position, as his abilities as a coordinator and play-caller are held in high regard throughout the league. Indeed, some of Kubiak’s longtime assistants like Rick Dennison are having success implementing his offense, and Denver’s offense has regressed considerably since Kubiak’s departure from the sidelines.
As an NFL head coach, Kubiak compiled an 82-75 regular season record and a 5-2 postseason mark, including his one Super Bowl win. He also worked as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014, which was easily Joe Flacco‘s best season of his career. Although La Canfora does not mention any specific teams that could be in the market for Kubiak’s services, Baltimore could be a speculative fit, as current OC Marty Mornhinweg has been a disappointment, and the Ravens do have a decent talent base. Kubiak, Flacco, and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh worked well together in 2014, as Baltimore advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs and came agonizingly close to moving on to the AFC Championship Game. That was the last time the Ravens have qualified for the postseason.
Kubiak is apparently prepared to accept an offensive coordinator position as soon as 2018, so there could be another big name to keep an eye on during the next hiring season.