Packers Release Ricky Jean-Francois
For the second time this season, the Packers jettisoned Ricky Jean-Francois, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports.
Green Bay released the defensive lineman after Week 1 before bringing him back later in September, and he kept a roster spot through Week 8. However, the 30-year-old interior defender will be a free agent again as of Wednesday.
Demovsky notes this clears up a roster spot that could be used for rookie linebacker Vince Biegel, who’s spent the season on the PUP list thus far after suffering a summer injury. Biegel returned to Packers practice on October 18. Biegel’s undergone two foot surgeries since his 2016 football season, but Demovsky notes he appears ready to return and make his NFL debut.
Jean-Francois has played sparingly in six Packers games this season. The ninth-year veteran has recorded just two tackles in those contests. He served as a seven-game starter for the Redskins last season and was a full-time first-unit performer with the Colts in 2013-14.
NFL Reinstates Josh Gordon
Roger Goodell reinstated Josh Gordon on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). He can rejoin the Browns on a conditional basis, being now transferred to the commissioner’s exempt list.
A potential Gordon return will be a gradual process, but counter to what’s transpired on this front for most of the past three years, the mercurial wideout has a near-future path back to the field. Gordon can attend meetings immediately while participating in individual workouts. He can begin practicing on November 20, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (on Twitter) before being eligible for activation on November 27.
This would put Gordon in position to be eligible to play from Week 13-17 for the Browns, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns can keep him on the commissioner’s exempt list for another week before deciding whether or not to activate the 26-year-old pass-catcher. Gordon has not played in an NFL game since the 2014 season, but he’s at least on track to be eligible for one come December.
Gordon met with Goodell on Wednesday in New York after being denied reinstatement in May, and the Browns — who have wavered to some degree on the talented but troubled wide receiver — are ready to take him back.
“We’ve been informed of the league’s decision to reinstate Josh,” Browns executive VP Sashi Brown said (via Schefter, on Facebook). “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.”
Gordon has been suspended indefinitely without pay since September of 2016, when he was set to return to the Browns after a four-game suspension. But a rehab stay instead followed after a relapse, and Gordon’s NFL future was in doubt. He’s been training this offseason with former Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery in hopes of receiving another chance.
A first-team All-Pro in 2013 after recording one of the greatest receiving seasons in NFL history, Gordon has been plagued by substance abuse. He was suspended for 10 games in 2014 and for the entire 2015 season. A four-game ban last season was set to precede a return for his age-25 campaign, but the relapse scuttled that.
This offseason, Brown said the team is not in a strong enough position to turn away a player like Gordon. Hue Jackson said last season the team was moving on from Gordon but changed his tune to some degree this year. While Gordon’s been dangled in trade rumors, the deadline having passed means the Browns cannot get anything for him until the offseason. This puts the 2012 supplemental draft pick in a position to play for the first time in three years.
The 0-8 Browns may have the worst wideout situation in football, with their Kenny Britt investment working out about as well as the 2015 Dwayne Bowe signing. Corey Coleman remains on IR with a broken hand, and the auxiliary-type talents the team took in the 2016 draft after Coleman have not panned out. Of course, Cleveland has received poor quarterback play.
Gordon, though, recorded nearly 1,700 receiving yards in 2013 despite the likes of Brian Hoyer and Brandon Weeden throwing passes his way.
Due to the many suspensions, Gordon still has two years remaining on his rookie contract. He’s attached to a $1.1MM base salary, which he would only receive a portion of due to the prospective late-season return. What transpires if he returns to the field in December could determine how the Browns proceed with him in the offseason.
Seahawks Waive OL Isaiah Battle
The Seahawks have waived offensive lineman Isaiah Battle, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). The move will make room on the 53-man roster for newly acquired tackle Duane Brown. 
The Seahawks acquired Battle in an early September trade with the Seahawks. Although Seattle reserved a 53-man roster spot for him at the time, he did not see live action in his seven weeks with the team.
Battle, a 6’7″ lineman out of Clemson, first entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Rams in the 2015 supplemental draft. Coming out of college, Battle drew comparisons to Alabama product D.J. Fluker, a first-round pick in the 2013 draft. At the same time, teams were worried about his off-the-field issues.
He’ll try to put it all together for another NFL team. Because he is not a vested veteran, he will be subject to the waiver wire. If he is not claimed by one of the league’s 31 other teams in the next 24 hours, he will be a free agent. If that happens, he could be a candidate for the Seahawks’ practice squad.
Panthers Only Discussed Benjamin With Bills
The Bills and Panthers stunned everyone with a buzzer-beating deal to send Kelvin Benjamin up north. Here’s another surprise: the Panthers did not discuss a potential Benjamin deal with anyone besides Buffalo, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). 
One would imagine that multiple teams had interest in acquiring a young WR1 like Benjamin. Then again, the Panthers weren’t exactly shopping him hard in the days leading up to the deadline. Before Tuesday at 4pm/3pm CT, Benjamin’s name did not surface in any trade rumors.
The Panthers only negotiated with one team, but they came away with a pretty solid deal. They’ve now added third and seventh round picks to their stockpile for the 2018 draft, and that’s more than they would have received in compensation had they allowed Benjamin to walk as a free agent following the ’18 season. The previous regime led by Dave Gettleman was intent on extending Benjamin and keeping him for the long-term, but Marty Hurney‘s front office did not see a future for the former FSU star in Carolina.
Packers Tried To Sign Brian Hoyer
Brian Hoyer is back with the Patriots. But, before he put pen to paper with New England, the Packers made a run at him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Hoyer ultimately chose to sign a three-year deal with the Pats and his familiarity with their system presumably helped. Hoyer was with the Patriots from 2009-2011, so it won’t take long for him to get acquainted with their 2017 playbook.
Had he signed with the Packers, Hoyer presumably would have had an easier path to the field. It’s not clear if Hoyer would have displaced 24-year-old Brett Hundley as the starter, but it’s not hard to see a scenario in which Hundley would falter and give way to the veteran.
For now, Hundley will continue as the Packers’ sub for Aaron Rodgers in the wake of his broken collarbone. Joe Callahan, also 24, is the backup. In Hundley’s first start, the Packers lost 26-17 to the Saints.
Lions’ Taylor Decker Returns To Practice
Lions left tackle Taylor Decker will begin practicing on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears. It’s a big step forward for Decker, who began the season the PUP list. 
When Decker takes the practice field, it will trigger a three-week window for the Lions to activate him. If, for some reason, he is not activated within those 21 days, the Lions will be unable to use him for the remainder of the year.
Decker was said to have a four-to-six month timeline when he suffered his shoulder injury in June and he has progressed well in his recovery. The Lions are eager to get the 23-year-old back on the field, particularly given the way fill-in Greg Robinson has performed. Robinson currently ranks as the fourth-worst qualified tackle in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. To make matters worse, both Robinson and reserve Emmett Cleary missed Sunday’s game with ankle injuries and their status is uncertain for Monday night against Green Bay.
As a rookie, Decker was rated as the 23rd-highest tackle out of 78 qualified players, per PFF.
Bills GM: We Will Not Release Anquan Boldin
Leading up to the deadline, Anquan Boldin expressed interest in returning to football for a team other than the Bills. Buffalo allowed him to seek a trade, but nothing came to fruition before Tuesday’s 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline. Now that the deadline has come and gone, GM Brandon Beane reiterated that the team will not grant him his release. 
“We made a commitment to Anquan, and he made a commitment to us back in [training] camp,” Beane told SiriusXM (transcript via ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak). “He left for the reasons he mentioned back in August. We invested in him — invested time and committed to him — and we wouldn’t want to just put him out on the market to see him go sign with the Patriots or the Dolphins or anybody that can get in our way or work against us.”
The Bills have surprised everyone by getting off to a 5-2 start and one would think that Boldin would be eager to play for a playoff contender. However, it sounds like Boldin is hoping to play closer to his family in Florida. Meanwhile, Beane is not expecting the 37-year-old to have a change of heart about suiting up for Buffalo.
Last year, Boldin had perfect attendance for the Lions in the regular season and hauled in 67 catches for 584 yards and eight touchdowns. He still has some football left in the tank, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll show his stuff in 2017.
Brock Osweiler To Start For Broncos
As expected, the Broncos are making a change under center. Brock Osweiler will take over for Trevor Siemian as the team’s new starting quarterback. 
“It’s my job to do what’s best for the football team,” Joseph said Tuesday. “… If you try to go the same way and it doesn’t get better, that’s on me. Again, we have players and coaches putting a lot of time and effort in to get ready for these football games and guys are playing hard. I think it’s fair to examine [the quarterback] position and all positions.”
This, of course, marks Osweiler’s second stint as the Broncos’ starting quarterback. In 2015, he was the No. 1 QB in place of the injured Peyton Manning. In that stretch, he threw for 1,589 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions over six games. Manning took the reins later in the year and was the signal caller for the team’s Super Bowl 50 win, but Osweiler was able to parlay his success into a fat free agent contract with the Texans.
Things didn’t go as planned in Houston (and he never took a real snap in Cleveland), but things have worked out just fine for Osweiler. He has his old job back and, this time around, he has way more money in the bank account.
Mired in a three-game losing streak, Osweiler will look to get the Broncos back to .500 with a win over the red-hot Eagles on Sunday. If he looks sharp the rest of the way, Osweiler might be able to position himself as the team’s QB solution in 2018.
A.J. McCarron Fighting For Unrestricted Free Agent Status
Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron found himself in the news this week when an oversight from the Browns prevented him from getting traded to Cleveland. But, he may have an opportunity to leave Cincinnati and join up with any team he chooses this spring. The NFLPA is fighting to change his status from restricted free agent to unrestricted free agent after the season, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Browns Botched A.J. McCarron Trade With Bengals]
Because he spent most of his rookie year on the non-football injury list, the Bengals say that he is an RFA. However, the union says that due to the nature and timing of the injury, he should not have been on the NFI list and should have four accrued seasons at the end of 2017 instead of only three.
If McCarron earns UFA status, he’ll be in for a much larger payday. The Bengals are already committed to Andy Dalton under center and it would be nearly impossible for them to commit top-20 QB money to McCarron, so he would almost certainly wind up somewhere else. Potentially, this could be Cleveland’s second chance to land the Alabama product, though McCarron might have some reservations about the Browns organization after Tuesday’s debacle.
Patriots To Sign QB Brian Hoyer
The Patriots have found their replacement for Jimmy Garoppolo in Brian Hoyer. The Pats met with Hoyer on Wednesday morning and inked him to a three-year deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Hoyer was not included in the Garoppolo trade, presumably because New England did not want to take on his two-year, $12MM deal. Hoyer is entitled to termination pay, so he’ll continue to collect on a good chunk of that deal while earning the minimum – or something close to it – in New England. Meanwhile, he goes from the 0-8 Niners to the defending champs.
Hoyer, 32, started six games for the Niners before getting benched in favor of C.J. Beathard. He threw four touchdowns against four interceptions and ranked near the bottom of just about every statistical category for quarterbacks.
He’s not a star, but the Patriots feel that he can be a capable backup in the event that Tom Brady suffers an injury. He also has familiarity with the team thanks to his time with the Pats from 2009-2011. Of course, they’ll also be keeping their fingers crossed extra tight for Brady’s health since they converted a much better safety net into a second-round pick.