East Notes: Dolphins, Suh, Cousins
The Dolphins strongly denied a report indicating that they are ready to move on from defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. The Fins are telling the truth, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes, but they were fed up with his behavior in years past. Since then, Suh has celebrated his 30th birthday and he seems to have turned over a new leaf in the locker room. Suh is in better standing with coaches, but there’s still the matter of his onerous contract. Suh counts for $19.1MM against the cap this season and that will climb to $26.1MM in 2018. The Dolphins could save up to $17MM in cap space by designating him a post-June 1 cut, but Salguero expects the two sides to discuss some kind of restructured deal to keep the union going.
Here’s more from the East divisions:
- The 49ers’ trade for Jimmy Garoppolo doesn’t alter Kirk Cousins‘ future with the Redskins, John Keim of ESPN.com opines. Even with the Niners out of the Cousins equation, the Redskins will still probably have to tag Cousins for a third consecutive year. However, the Redskins could get bold and use the less expensive transition tag on Cousins now that the cash-flush Niners are (ostensibly) out of the picture. With the transition tag, the Redskins would receive no compensation if they decline to match another team’s offer. The Cardinals, Jets, Jaguars, Ravens, Browns, and Broncos are among the clubs that could be in search of a QB this spring.
- Brian Hoyer‘s three-year deal with the Patriots calls for him to earn $476K in 2017, $915K in 2018, and a $2.85MM base salary ($1.5MM of which is guaranteed) in 2019, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). He could also earn a $200K roster bonus in ’19, bringing the total value of the deal to $4.44MM. The fifth day of the 2019 league year – the date the bonus is due – will be pivotal in determining whether Hoyer finishes out the full three-year pact, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. Per the terms of his previous deal with the Niners, Hoyer is eligible for termination pay from SF through 2018.
49ers’ Pierre Garcon Done For Year
Pierre Garcon‘s season is over. 49ers GM John Lynch says the wide receiver will be placed on IR with no chance of a late-season return after suffering a neck injury (Twitter link via John Lund of KNBR 680). 
Garcon, 31, joined the Niners in March on a three-year, $23MM free agent deal. In order to preserve their cap space for the 2018 season, the Niners gave the veteran a jaw-dropping $17MM in effective guarantees. When Garcon returns, he’ll go from one of the league’s highest-paid receivers this season to one of the league’s better values at the position.
In what turned out to be a half-season, Garcon had a team-leading 40 catches and 500 yards receiving. For the first time since his rookie season, he did not find the end zone.
Garcon posted 1,000-yard seasons in 2013 and 2016 and surpassed 700 in both 2014 and ’15. In ’16, Kirk Cousins‘ near-5,000-yard season included 79 Garcon receptions and three scores.
Browns To Meet With Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon has been reinstated by the NFL. However, it remains to be seen whether the Browns want him back. In a statement released on Thursday, top exec Sashi Brown announced that the team will meet with the wide receiver. 
“We’ve been informed of the league’s decision to reinstate Josh,” said Brown, the team’s executive vice president of football operations. “The personal well-being of all our players is of the utmost importance to us. We respect and commend Josh for taking the steps necessary to have the opportunity to return to the league. Josh will be in our building in the coming days and we look forward to having him back and sitting with him to discuss his future on our team.”
The Browns aren’t committing to anything just yet, but it sounds like they’re at least open to the possibility of allowing Gordon to rejoin the team. The wide receiver has been a pain to deal with – to say the least – but the 0-8 Browns are not in a position to turn away a player of his caliber.
If he is to be allowed back in the building, Gordon will have to demonstrate that his days of drug abuse are behind him. It was once believed that Gordon was dealing with only a proclivity for marijuana. We now know that he has been battling much more serious demons.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/17
Today’s practice squad moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Trey Williams
- Cut: DE Stansly Maponga
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Hunter Sharp
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: C Cornelius Edison
- Released: S Jack Tocho
New York Giants
- Signed: WR Kalif Raymond
Texans Have No Plans To Work Out Colin Kaepernick
Texans owner Bob McNair has not given coaches the green light to audition Colin Kaepernick, despite a report from Howard Balzer of Sports On Earth (Twitter link) indicating otherwise. Balzer now indicates that his tweet was intended to be a joke. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has confirmed that McNair has not signed off on a Kaepernick workout.
[RELATED: Deshaun Watson Done For Season]
The Texans have managed to stay afloat at 3-4 despite injuries to key defenders J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. Asking them to keep their playoffs alive with Tom Savage under center, however, might be too much to ask. Kaepernick stands as the most polarizing figure in the football world today, so it stands to reason that the Texans may want to see what he can offer. But, for now, there are no plans to kick the tires on the former Niners signal caller.
Last week, McNair found himself in the middle of a major controversy when he likened the player-led anthem protests to “inmates running the prison.” He has since apologized for those remarks.
For now, the Texans will forge ahead with Savage as their starter against the Colts. The newly-signed Matt McGloin will be his backup.
Texans To Sign QB Matt McGloin
After losing Deshaun Watson to a torn ACL on Thursday, the Texans did not wait long to get reinforcements at quarterback. Houston is signing Matt McGloin, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Texans’ Deshaun Watson Tears ACL]
McGloin spent the offseason with the Eagles but did not make the final cut in September. Since then, “Moxy” has auditioned for the Patriots, Titans, Bengals, and Colts. Finally, he has an NFL deal for the 2017 season.
McGloin offers NFL experience thanks to his time in Oakland, but he obviously does not offer the kind of dynamic playmaking ability of a player like Watson. He will hold the clipboard for Tom Savage this weekend against the Colts while he tries to impress coaches in practice.
The QB has some history with Texans coach Bill O’Brien thanks to their time together at Penn State.
Texans’ Deshaun Watson Tears ACL
Deshaun Watson may have encountered a brutal setback amid a dynamic start to his career. The Texans believe their rookie quarterback suffered a torn ACL during practice Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). He’s already set for season-ending surgery, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Without Watson, the Texans will turn to Tom Savage as their starter on Sunday against the Colts. Savage, of course, began the year as Houston’s starter before getting the hook in favor of Watson. Given Savage’s iffy start to the year, Houston might want to at least consider some outside options.
The trade deadline has come and gone, but there are still experienced QBs on the free agent market. Of course, Colin Kaepernick is among those without work and many are already calling on the Texans to consider him. There will be increased pressure on Houston to at least audition him in the wake of owner Bob McNair‘s controversial comments.
Already down J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, losing Watson is a damaging blow considering the promise he’s shown and the franchise’s recent history with quarterback struggles. Watson was on the verge of putting together one of the best seasons ever from a rookie passer. He’d thrown 19 touchdown passes this season, with 18 of those coming in a dominant stretch over the past five Houston games. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 draft went 3-3 as the Texans’ starting QB while completing 61.8% of his passes.
Watson tore his left ACL at Clemson in 2014 but returned to become a Heisman Trophy finalist a year later. He’ll look to make a similar turnaround for Houston in 2018.
Lions Work Out CB Sterling Moore
Sterling Moore‘s drawn interest from multiple teams this week despite being released by the Saints last week.
The veteran cornerback made a second visit during this work week on Thursday, trekking to Detroit to work out for the Lions, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Moore spent time in Houston on Tuesday working out for the Texans. With the Lions, the seventh-year corner has some familiarity. GM Bob Quinn was with the Patriots when Moore began his career in New England six seasons ago.
Moore played in two games for the Saints this season after starting in 12 a year ago. The ex-UDFA has bounced around the league since his 2011-12 stay in New England but has been deployed as a starter by each of the three other teams with which he landed. He would likely be a depth addition for Detroit at this point, however.
A pectoral injury slowed Moore this season, but Pro Football Focus rated him as the Saints’ best corner in 2016.
Chiefs Activate Tamba Hali From PUP List
Tamba Hali looks to begin his 12th NFL season soon. The outside linebacker returned to Chiefs practice on Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and will be activated off the PUP list, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
Hali has spent the first eight weeks of the season on the PUP list, being placed there because of injuries and partly in an effort to be conserved for the stretch run in what will be his age-34 season. The longtime Chiefs edge rusher missed all of training camp because of knee pain, however, and may be eased into action. But judging by this activation, his debut figures to come Sunday against the Cowboys.
The Chiefs also saw Dee Ford aggravate a back injury that sidelined him for multiple games earlier this season. Ford left midway through Monday night’s game and has missed two practices this week.
Under optimal conditions, Ford would be Justin Houston‘s complementary pass rusher with Hali rotating in off the bench. But if Ford misses time, Hali should be expected to see more action than anticipated.
Hali has started 157 games for the Chiefs but opened with the first unit in just two games last season despite Houston’s knee injury. He also played just seven snaps in Kansas City’s divisional-round loss and voiced his frustration about his usage over the summer.
Packers To Bring T Jason Spriggs Off IR
The Packers have the most interesting IR-DTR possibility in football, but while Aaron Rodgers‘ recovery continues, the team made the decision to use one of its injury-return spots on Thursday.
Jason Spriggs returned to practice and is in line to come off IR, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports. Spriggs went down in Week 1 with a hamstring malady and was placed on IR after Week 2. This is the first such move Green Bay’s committed to, with the Rodgers decision likely preventing any other Packer from joining Spriggs.
Demovsky adds this will likely be the Packers’ last IR-boomerang move until they can get a full read on Rodgers, for whom they will presumably save their second IR-return spot. The Packers are holding out hope Rodgers can return from his broken collarbone, although the team will need to be in the playoff race for that to happen. Conflicting reports emerged out of Green Bay about a possible Rodgers re-emergence this season.
Spriggs can return later this month for a Packers team that’s seen its tackle situation stabilize since the last time Spriggs was healthy. Both David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga are healthy now, but the Packers’ situation is obviously far worse now that Rodgers is out.
Green Bay drafted Spriggs in the second round out of Indiana in 2016. He started two games last season and played in Week 1 of his second campaign.