Patriots Place Sony Michel On IR, Activate Damien Harris
The Patriots are doing some major shuffling with their backfield. New England is placing running back Sony Michel on injured reserve and activating fellow running back Damien Harris off IR, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The team also activated receiver Gunner Olszewski and placed safety Cody Davis on injured reserve.
With the new rules this year, Michel will have to miss at least three games before returning. It’s a bummer for Michel since he was coming off by far his best game of the season, when he rushed for 117 yards on only nine carries against the Raiders. He had been a disappointment through the first couple of weeks, and will now be hitting the shelf. Fortunately, Rapoport noted in a follow-up tweet that he was told Michel could be activated relatively quickly and it’s not a season-ending injury.
A third-round pick last year, Harris barely played as a rookie and was a healthy scratch most weeks. He reportedly had a strong summer though, and was looking like he might be the Patriots’ starter to open the year before a hand injury sent him to IR. Now he’s back and figures to be in the mix tonight against Kansas City, although with James White and Rex Burkhead also present it’s unclear how much run he’ll get.
That being said, with Michel hitting injured reserve there’s a clear lane for Harris to shine if he can make the most of the opportunity. With Cam Newton out due to COVID-19 and Brian Hoyer getting the start at quarterback, the Pats figure to be running the ball frequently on Monday night. A first-round pick in 2018, Michel impressed as a rookie before taking a step back last year. This quad injury he picked up against Las Vegas certainly isn’t what he needed to get back on track.
Olszewski, a 2019 UDFA, served as New England’s punt returner for half of last season. Davis is a core special teamer who has yet to play a defensive snap this season.
Jets Release RB Kalen Ballage
Kalen Ballage‘s stint with the Jets didn’t end up lasting too long. New York is releasing the running back, the team announced Monday afternoon.
The Jets originally agreed to a trade with the Dolphins to land Ballage at the end of August, then canceled the deal after he failed his physical. Then they signed him as a free agent a few weeks ago, and he appeared in each of their last three games. He played a sizable role on passing downs, and had five catches for 44 yards in Week 3 against the Colts. Ballage was familiar with head coach Adam Gase from their time in Miami together.
His release is a good sign that the Jets expect Le’Veon Bell to be ready to return from his hamstring injury this week when they take on the Cardinals. A fourth-round pick out of Arizona State in 2018, Ballage seemed decent enough as a rookie before putting up dreadful numbers last year.
In 12 games and six starts in 2019, he mustered only 135 yards on 74 carries, good for a pitiful 1.8 yards per attempt. Still only 24, he should get another shot from someone else soon.
AFC Notes: Dolphins, Tagovailoa, Fitzpatrick, Raiders, Steelers, Jones
The Dolphins dropped to 1-3 on Sunday, causing the calls for Tua Tagovailoa to grow louder. Head coach Brian Flores has been steadfast in his resistance to starting the rookie, but for the first time he equivocated when talking to the media on Monday. When asked who his quarterback will be for Week 5 against the 49ers, Flores didn’t immediately say Ryan Fitzpatrick as he usually does, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweeted. He said the coaching staff will start discussing the decision this evening.
While Flores did follow up by saying he presumes Fitz will be the starter, this is still a notable change in tone. Flores seemed to catch himself during the presser and said his hesitation wasn’t a sign of anything to come imminently, but it now seems like the writing is on the wall for the Dolphins. It appears Flores is laying the groundwork for an eventual switch to Tagovailoa, and while Fitzpatrick still is the favorite to start this week it looks like his days are numbered. Flores also said he isn’t going to let the success of Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert effect his decision, but it certainly won’t help ease the pressure on him to make the move. He also said the injury Tua is coming off of has played a role in his caution, even though the fifth overall pick has “checked all the boxes” medically.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The league continues to dish out punishments for COVID-19 protocol violations, with the Raiders getting slapped with another fine. Las Vegas was fined $50K for letting a non-credentialed employee into the locker room following their Week 2 win over the Saints, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The Raiders have already been hit, with the team being fined $250K and head coach Jon Gruden being fined $100K for not properly wearing his mask during that same game. We heard a couple weeks ago that a team was under investigation for “unauthorized locker room access,” and it appears this latest fine is the conclusion of that investigation. The league has a call with all teams later this afternoon to give them a stern talking to about protocols in the wake of a litany of positive tests, and it sounds like the Raiders are firmly in the league’s crosshairs.
- Steelers practice squad offensive lineman Jarron Jones is facing very serious legal issues. Jones was arrested over the weekend and charged with “aggravated assault, strangulation and simple assault,” per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. A woman Jones was dating accused him of choking her, hitting her in the face, and throwing her outside during an altercation. For his part, Jones claims the woman began breaking things in his apartment and he responded by “grabbing her by the back and legs and placed her outside.” Pittsburgh was on an unscheduled bye week after their game against the Titans was postponed due to Tennessee’s COVID issues. “We are aware of the situation regarding Jarron Jones,” Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert said in a statement. “We are gathering all of the details of these disturbing allegations, but we will not comment any further at this time.” We’ll let you know when we hear more, but it wouldn’t be surprising if Jones is cut shortly and he’s certainly facing league discipline if the allegations turn out to have merit.
49ers Fear Ziggy Ansah Has Torn Biceps
The 49ers lost to the Eagles on Sunday Night Football to fall to 2-2 and the basement of the NFC West, and the bad news doesn’t stop there. San Francisco fears pass-rusher Ziggy Ansah, who left the game with an arm injury, suffered a torn biceps, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
An MRI is need to confirm but if that’s the case, then Ansah is likely done for the year. It’s a tough blow to a 49ers defensive line that has been decimated by injuries. The defensive front was the engine behind their Super Bowl run last year, and the unit is now completely unrecognizable. All-Pro DeForest Buckner was traded to the Colts this offseason, and Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas are both done for the season after suffering torn ACLs.
Ansah was brought in as a splash signing to help replace those guys, and now it looks like he’ll be shutdown as well. Ansah and the 49ers flirted for a while with a couple meetings taking place before the two sides finally agreed to a $3MM deal a couple of weeks ago. Picked fifth overall by Detroit in 2013, he had 12 sacks in 2017 but his past couple of seasons have been derailed by injuries.
He appeared in 11 games with the Seahawks last year, racking up only 2.5 sacks. He’ll be 32 in May and given his frequent recent health issues, will likely have a quiet market this offseason. He’ll almost certainly have to settle for a one-year prove it deal like he did this time.
With Dee Ford also on injured reserve, the 49ers are running out of pass-rushers. At risk of taking a backseat to the Seahawks and Rams in the division, it wouldn’t be surprising to see GM John Lynch make another move for a veteran in the coming weeks to try to give defensive coordinator Robert Saleh some reinforcements.
Jets’ Quinnen Williams Cleared Of Gun Charges
Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams has been cleared of two felony gun charges against him, attorney Alex Spiro announced (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini). Instead, Williams entered a guilty plea and agreed to pay a $250 fine to resolve the March arrest. 
[RELATED: Jets To Keep Adam Gase, For Now]
“As we said from the outset, this matter has been resolved with no criminal charges,” Spiro said. “This case was nothing more than a technical issue with the storing of a firearm, which is why the government gave Mr. Williams nothing more than a ticket.”
Williams, 23 in December, was cuffed at LaGuardia Airport when police say he was carrying a Glock 19. Williams volunteered that the gun was in his possession, but he did not have a license to carry the firearm in New York — only in his home state of Alabama. The Class E and D felonies could have carried serious consequences, so this is a relief for Williams and his camp.
Of course, Williams is not necessarily out of the woods with Roger Goodell & Co. The NFL reserves the right to fine or suspend players for matters such as these, even if they are cleared by the courts.
The Jets selected the former Alabama Crimson Tide standout third overall in 2019, and Williams made nine starts as a rookie. This year, he’s been first-string for all four of the Jets’ games, including a two-sack showing against the 49ers.
Browns Place Nick Chubb On IR
The Browns placed running back Nick Chubb on injured reserve with with an MCL injury, head coach Kevin Stefanski announced. Fortunately, the injury is not season-ending, so Chubb is expected to return later on this year. Doctors believe Chubb will miss about six weeks, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Chubb got rolled up on in scary fashion on Sunday when his knee twisted under a Cowboys defender. Fortunately, the injury was nowhere near as bad as it looked. An MRI on Monday morning confirmed that Chubb is only dealing with mild MCL damage and not a torn ACL.
Chubb, 25 in December, has been off to a tremendous start in 2020. Through four games, he’s got 335 rushing yards off of 57 carries, good for 5.9 yards per tote. Since entering the league as a second-rounder in 2018, Chubb has averaged an eye-popping 5.2 yards per attempt. Last year, Chubb came six yards shy of 1,500 en route to his first ever Pro Bowl selection.
Per league rules, Chubb will have to sit out for at least three weeks. At minimum, Chubb will miss upcoming games against the Colts, Steelers, and Bengals. In theory, he’ll be eligible to return on Nov. 1 when the Browns face the Raiders in Cleveland, but it’s likely that he’ll need additional time to recover. In the meantime, Kareem Hunt will assume RB1 duties, with support from D’Ernest Johnson, Dontrell Hilliard, and fullback Andy Janovich.
Broncos Add LB Nigel Bradham To Practice Squad
The Broncos will sign linebacker Nigel Bradham to their practice squad, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The 31-year-old will provide depth for an inexperienced LB group in Denver. 
[RELATED: Broncos’ Noah Fant To Miss Time]
Bradham, 31, was a four-year starter for the Eagles. He’s got 96 NFL starts to his credit, having played as a full-time starter in seven of his eight NFL seasons. He has two 100-tackle seasons on his resume and registered 97 in 2018. Last season, however, he only played in 12 games. The Eagles dropped Bradham to save money in this past offseason, and the Saints released him before the final cut.
Despite his age, and his injury-shortened 2019 season, there’s reason to believe that Bradham can be a worthwhile contributor. The veteran graded as a top-35 linebacker, per Pro Football Focus, in three of his four seasons in Philly — including the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl slate.
After dropping Todd Davis prior to the season opener, the Broncos have deployed Alexander Johnson and Josey Jewell as their three-down linebackers. Mark Barron, a late-summer pickup, has yet to play and remains on injured reserve.
No Positive COVID-19 Tests For Titans, Chiefs, Patriots In Latest Round
The latest round of COVID-19 testing came back with zero positives for the Titans, Chiefs, and Patriots (Twitter links via Tracy Wolfson of CBS Sports, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). With that, the Patriots and Chiefs are set to go ahead with tonight’s game, as planned. The Titans, meanwhile, are one step closer to reopening their facilities.
[RELATED: Patriots QB Cam Newton Tests Positive For COVID-19]
Per league protocols, the Titans will need at least two straight days of zero positive tests before reopening. If they get zero positives in Tuesday’s round of testing, they could reopen as soon as Wednesday. It’s encouraging progress — this round marked the first time in seven days that the Titans had zero positives. Previously, the organization had 18 positive tests across six days.
After New England’s Cam Newton and KC’s Jordan Ta’amu also tested positive, there was plenty of speculation that, like the Titans-Steelers Week 4 contest, the Patriots-Chiefs game slated for this week could be pushed back. For now, the game is on. After tonight, the Chiefs will have played three games in ten days. On the other hand, the Chiefs will face a Brian Hoyer-led New England offense tonight with Cam Newton on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Injury Updates: Chubb, Looney, Darnold, Fant,
It’s been a bad year for injuries, and unfortunately we’ve already heard reports of significant ones to guys like O.J. Howard and Austin Ekeler this Sunday. Here’s the latest batch of updates as Week 4 winds down:
- Browns running back Nick Chubb got rolled up on in scary fashion, with his knee twisting under a Cowboys defender. Fortunately it looks like Cleveland dodged a bullet, as a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that the team is “cautiously optimistic” he didn’t suffer a torn ACL. He’ll have an MRI on Monday to tell the full story, but it looks like he isn’t going to be done for the year.
- Chubb wasn’t the only one to go down with a knee injury in the same game. Cowboys center Joe Looney also hurt his knee and was quickly ruled out, which had Dallas fans holding their breath. Like with Chubb however it appears it could’ve been worse, as Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets that there’s “hope the injury is not of season-ending variety.” Dallas is already banged up on the offensive line, and starting right tackle La’el Collins was just ruled out for the year due to hip surgery, so this would be a big loss. Rookie fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz filled in after Looney got hurt.
- Sam Darnold hurt his shoulder early in the Jets’ Thursday Night Football game, and although he was able to return to the loss to the Broncos and keep playing, it appears he isn’t out of the woods yet. Darnold has a sprained AC joint in his shoulder and is in danger of missing New York’s Week 5 game against the Cardinals, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “We just need to make sure we lay everything out and kind of see where we go from here, what’s best for him, not just next week but long term,” head coach Adam Gase explained. Darnold has struggled mightily in his third season, and considering this is clearly the Jets’ easiest game for the foreseeable future, it would be great if he could play. If he’s unable to go, veteran Joe Flacco would draw the spot start.
- Broncos tight end Noah Fant also went down on Thursday night, suffering an ankle injury. Although he was carte to the locker room it fortunately isn’t a season-ending broken ankle or anything of the sort. That being said he will be week to week and is expected to miss Denver’s Week 5 game against the Patriots, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). You’re probably well aware of the Broncos’ injury woes this season, as players have been going down left and right. At 1-3 and without practically half of their starting lineup, it’s looking like a lost season for Denver. The 20th overall pick of last year’s draft had been playing well, with 19 catches for 219 yards and two scores through three and a half games before going down.
Extra Points: Gordon, Brown, Thomas, Texans
A pair of high profile players, receiver Josh Gordon of the Seahawks and defensive lineman David Irving, are both still waiting on answers from the league office. Both are suspended indefinitely, and decisions on reinstatement are overdue under the terms set by the collective bargaining agreement, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com writes. Gordon applied for reinstatement in June and Irving in July and neither has heard back yet despite the CBA stipulating a decision is supposed to be made within 60 days, according to Schefter.”David has done everything asked of him,” Irving’s agent Steve Weinberg said. “He’s been drug tested, he’s met with doctors and I don’t get it. Why have 60 days in the program if they’re not going to abide by it.”
“We’re baffled why we don’t have a decision,” Weinberg continued. “We’re at a loss as to why this hasn’t been ruled on yet.” Gordon has an agreement in place with the Seahawks, but can’t officially sign until Roger Goodell gives him the go-ahead. Irving is a free agent. Both have been suspended numerous times for substance abuse policy violations, and Irving announced in 2019 he was quitting football before changing his mind back in February. Both players are talented and still relatively young, and it’s unclear what the holdup is. Perhaps the league scrambling to make COVID-19 related changes has put certain things on the backburner. We’ll keep you posted whenever the league responds.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Speaking of guys in trouble with the league office, we have an Antonio Brown update to pass along. The embattled receiver is dropping his countersuit against the woman who accused him of sexual assault, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). He also requested an extension to turn over evidence related to the civil case against him. In a follow-up tweet Pelissero notes that his suspension could be extended if new evidence emerges. Brown is now halfway through the eight-game suspension he was hit with earlier this year. Given his undeniable talent it would seem likely a team gives him a shot at some point once his ban is over if he can avoid anymore off-field trouble. Texans coach Bill O’Brien seemed to leave the door open to bringing in Brown a couple of weeks ago, but that was quickly followed by a report indicating that won’t be happening.
- Brown isn’t the only controversial veteran the Texans have flirted with. Last week it looked like Earl Thomas was on the verge of signing in Houston, only for things to fall apart at the last minute. Now we have more clarity on what changed. “Numerous” Texans players spoke up about their desire not to have the veteran safety in the locker room, sources told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. That apparently convinced O’Brien, who is also the team’s GM, to back off. Thomas has developed a reputation for being difficult to get along with in recent years, even though that wasn’t an issue early in his career with the Seahawks. He had a bitter divorce from Seattle, and was then of course cut by the Ravens after getting into a fight with a teammate and having Baltimore’s veterans ask the front office for his release. Houston played the Ravens in Week 2, and La Canfora notes that the subject of Thomas came up during conversations between players on the two teams. If he’s this strongly disliked by some of his fellow players, it could be a while before Thomas finds a new home.