Falcons Not Considering Coaching Change
Dan Quinn and his staff are safe, for now. Falcons owner Arthur Blank said the team won’t be making any changes at this time following his team’s loss to the Texans, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. 
“No. … This staff has performed before. My hope is they can fix what needs to be fixed and start winning some games,” Blank said when asked if a coaching change is needed. Just earlier this morning, we received more confirmation that he is on the hot seat, and that report indicated a loss to the Texans could be the final straw. Even though there apparently are no firings imminent, that’s a pretty tepid statement of confidence from Blank. It’s long been speculated that Quinn won’t be brought back in 2020 unless the Falcons make the playoffs, and even then he might have to win a game or two.
With their loss to Houston, Atlanta fell to 1-4 on the year. There was a report back in May that Blank was growing “restless” with the organization’s power structure, and it’s understandable considering how they’ve regressed in recent seasons. Just a few years ago, the Falcons had the league MVP in Matt Ryan and were playing in the Super Bowl. The defense has since completely collapsed, and the offense has declined sharply since former offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan left.
Atlanta missed the playoffs last year and as of right now it looks like Quinn will be looking for a new gig this offseason. He was forced to make major changes to his staff this past offseason, firing offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian and defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel. Quinn rose to prominence as the Seahawks’ defensive coordinator for a couple of years during their ‘Legion of Boom’ glory days. It’s possible the Falcons won’t make a move during the season out of respect for the success he’s had, but Blank clearly is getting impatient and his days appear to be numbered.
Ravens’ Tony Jefferson Done For The Year
The Ravens escaped with an overtime win over the Steelers on Sunday, but they suffered a huge loss on defense. Safety Tony Jefferson tore his ACL and will miss the rest of the season, coach John Harbaugh announced after the game.
“He at least has an ACL and probably more, so he’ll be out for the season as it stands right now,” Harbaugh said. It’s a really tough blow for a Ravens secondary that has already suffered a rash of injuries and has been struggling. Cornerback Tavon Young was lost for the season with a neck injury during training camp, and cornerback Jimmy Smith has missed each of the past four games with a knee injury. Unsurprisingly the pass-defense has struggled, and the Ravens were allowing 9.0 yards per pass attempt entering Sunday, which was 30th in the league.
Jefferson has only missed three games since entering the league as an undrafted free agent with the Cardinals back in 2013. He signed a four-year, $34MM deal with Baltimore in March of 2017, and has started 30 games the past two years. The Oklahoma product is set to have a $7MM base salary next season in the final year of his deal. With the way their secondary has been struggling, it’s definitely possible the Ravens could look to bring in a veteran safety from outside the building. If they don’t, youngsters Chuck Clark and DeShon Elliott will fill in.
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Cardinals, Rams
49ers running back Jerick McKinnon has had some brutal luck in recent years. After landing a big contract from San Francisco last offseason, he tore an ACL in the preseason. He never fully recovered from the issue, and will miss the entire 2019 season after suffering a separate knee injury. The guaranteed money in his deal is up, which means it might be tough for him to stick. McKinnon is due $6.5MM in 2020, and even though the organization thinks very highly of him as a player and person, “there is no way the 49ers can pay him that money,” writes Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area.
Maiocco hypothesizes that the 49ers “will try to work out a one-year deal in which he remains with the club at a greatly reduced price,” and that “if he declines, he will not be back.” Shockingly considering he signed a four-year, $30MM deal last offseason, it seems like there’s a good chance McKinnon never plays a snap for San Francisco. They still have a very deep backfield with Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, Raheem Mostert, and Jeff Wilson Jr., so it’s obvious why they wouldn’t want to give McKinnon $6.5MM as he enters his age 28 season coming off two lost years.
Here’s more from the NFC West, as we await kickoff in the morning:
- In the same piece, Maiocco writes about another member of the 49ers who might not be long for the team. C.J. Beathard lost the competition to be the team’s backup quarterback to Nick Mullens, but they’ve kept him on the roster. There was talk that San Francisco would try to trade one of their young backups this offseason, but Maiocco writes that they’ve tried and “there is no interest around the NFL in acquiring C.J. Beathard for the price the 49ers want in return.” Maiocco speculates that the team might eventually pull the plug and release Beathard outright if injuries pile up and they need the roster spot. Beathard, a 2017 third-round pick from Iowa, has started five games each of the past two seasons and has looked competent at times.
- The Cardinals are still looking for their first win, and they just got dealt a tough injury blow. Promising second-year receiver Christian Kirk will miss their Week 5 game against the Bengals, and it sounds like he could be out even longer. Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury didn’t rule out Kirk for the team’s Week 6 game against the Cardinals, but he did say the team wouldn’t rush him back, and that “it’s a long season,” per Darren Urban of the team’s official site (Twitter link). It’s too early to tell for sure, but Kingsbury using that type of language suggests they’re going to be pretty cautious. The 47th overall pick of last year’s draft, Kirk is dealing with an ankle injury.
- The Rams dropped their second straight game on Thursday to fall to 3-2, and now a key player is banged up. Receiver Brandin Cooks was placed in the concussion protocol following the team’s loss to Seattle, head coach Sean McVay said Friday. McVay said Cooks was asymptomatic as of yesterday, but it’s still concerning given Cooks’ history with concussions. Thankfully for the Rams he has a few extra days to get cleared since they played a Thursday night game, but this is still a situation worth monitoring. Los Angeles relies on Cooks to stretch defenses vertically, and him missing anytime is the last thing a suddenly struggling Rams team needs.
A.J. Green On Staying With Bengals
A.J. Green doesn’t appear to be that close to returning from his ankle injury, and the Bengals aren’t going anywhere this season at 0-4. Naturally, there’s been a lot of buzz about Cincy potentially dealing Green to a contender at the trade deadline, and talk that Green could get frustrated with the direction of the franchise. That being said, don’t expect to see Green demanding a trade anytime soon.
In an interesting new piece, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic sat down with Green, who certainly didn’t seem like someone looking to leave town. “Yeah, you always want that,” Green said of playing his entire career with one team. “Nobody will ever value you more than the guys that drafted you. You want to leave a legacy.”
Dehner writes that one of Green’s mentors is Larry Fitzgerald, and the two receivers have been close since early in Green’s career. Fitzgerald, of course, is in his 16th season with the Cardinals, and is a franchise icon. “For him, he is the Arizona Cardinals legend. He can do anything he wants in the state of Arizona and people are going to stay behind him,” Green said. “It’s so hard now, you see everybody that’s not going well where they want a trade. I think Larry did it the right way,” he continued.
It doesn’t sound like Green wants out, but the Bengals will still need to pay the impending free agent if they want him around. In a separate piece, Dehner notes that Green’s camp has “been negotiating a potential contract extension for months, but both sides are having trouble finding common ground,” and that talks have been “complicated by the lucrative deals signed by Julio Jones and Michael Thomas.”
Green will be 32 next season, and has missed significant time with injuries in three of the past four seasons. Still one of the best receivers in the league when healthy, the Bengals will be forced to make a tough call on whether they want to move on and embrace a full-on rebuild, or keep Green around to be their Fitzgerald. Right now it looks as if Green will return a game or two before the deadline, and Cincy could use that action to showcase him. Green has been with the Bengals since 2011, when they drafted him fourth overall out of Georgia.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/5/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Evan Baylis
- Released: LB B.J. Bello
Indianapolis Colts
- Released: TE Hale Hentges
AFC Notes: Ramsey, Texans, Dolphins, Jets
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey is going to miss his second straight game with back issues. Many have questioned the timing of his back injury, since it has coincided with his public demands to be traded. But speaking on The Uninterrupted’s “17 Weeks” podcast this week, Ramsey revealed the injury isn’t anything new. “My body was banged up, my back being extremely tight. Having back issues is something I’ve had to deal with over the course of my NFL career. At times I’ve played through extreme pain or not practiced for weeks and tried to go out there and play. It’s something I’ve dealt with,” Ramsey said, via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com.
DiRocco notes that Ramsey appeared on Jacksonville’s injury report with a back issue a couple of times back in 2017. As for his trade request, there isn’t much new on that front. The Jaguars’ ownership is reportedly fighting hard for Ramsey and trying to convince him to stay, but so far the Florida State product hasn’t wavered. Meanwhile, the Jags have apparently turned down an offer of two first-rounders.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Texans signed veteran safety Mike Adams last week, and now we have details on his contract. Adams will receive $787K for the rest of the season, which prorates from $1.03MM if he had been on the roster for all 16 games, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Adams will only count for $553K against the Texans’ cap, and he received a $60K signing bonus. Adams is a longtime veteran who is entering his 16th season, and he’s appeared in 222 games during his lengthy career.
- The Dolphins are worried that a day-two pick in the 2020 NFL Draft they’d been banking on might get downgraded, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Miami was projected to receive a third-round compensatory pick for losing tackle Ja’Wuan James to the Broncos in free agency, but that’s now in danger of becoming a fourth-rounder. Jackson cites Nick Korte of Overthecap.com’s analysis, who notes that because James has now missed a handful of games with a knee injury, his contract might be deemed less valuable in the NFL’s complex compensatory pick formula. James signed a massive four-year, $52MM deal this offseason, but he’s been sidelined since Week 1 with a knee injury. He appears to be nearing a return, but if he misses much more time it could have negative implications for his former team. The Dolphins have been stockpiling draft assets as they tank, and they’ve been counting on having four day-two picks next April.
- The Jets have started off the Adam Gase era 0-3, and they’re massive underdogs against the Eagles this week. Unfortunately they’ll be without Sam Darnold for at least one more game, but they are making a shakeup on their offensive line. Rookie Chuma Edoga is going to replace Brandon Shell in the lineup at right tackle, sources told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. New York drafted Edoga 92nd overall out of USC back in April. The Jets drafted Shell in the fifth-round back in 2016, and Mehta writes that the team is likely to let him walk in free agency this spring. Their offensive line has been a mess so far this season, so it isn’t surprising they’re making a move.
Patriots Place Stephen Gostkowski on IR
The Patriots’ kicker workout from earlier today now makes a lot more sense. New England is placing longtime kicker Stephen Gostkowski on injured reserve, a source told Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Furthermore – a mid-season return has already been ruled out, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Gostkowski’s left hip injury will require season-ending surgery, but he is expected to be ready to go for next season. 
Gostkowski has been the Patriots’ kicker since 2006, and nobody else has attempted a kick for the Pats since he missed some time back in 2010. Something clearly wasn’t right with him, as he’s already missed four extra points and a field goal so far this season. New England is undefeated, but obviously Bill Belichick isn’t going to get complacent with a weakness. It’s unclear exactly what injury he’s dealing with, and it’s possible the Patriots are just using IR to let one of their most respected veterans save face.
That being said Gostkowski is still only 35, so he shouldn’t be declining too much just yet. The Patriots have always had a very stable kicking situation, as Gostkowski took over as Adam Vinatieri, who had handled New England’s kicking game for the previous ten seasons. Gostkowski just signed a new two-year deal with the team back in April. If this is the end of the road for him with the Patriots, he’ll leave town as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. We’ll likely receive word of a kicker signing shortly.
Cardinals Sign DT Zach Kerr
The Cardinals are making another move. Arizona has been shuffling its roster the past week, and now they’re bringing in veteran defensive tackle Zach Kerr, the team announced.
The Cards had an open roster spot, so no corresponding roster move is coming. Kerr worked out for them yesterday along with a handful of other defensive linemen, and they apparently liked what they saw. He originally entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Delaware, and signed with the Colts. He started eight games his last two years in Indy, then signed with the Broncos.
He played a role as a run-stuffer, and got a two-year extension from Denver in March. However, they cut him at the end of the preseason. He worked out for the Lions a couple weeks back, but hasn’t drawn too much other known interest. He was able to pocket a $600K signing bonus that the Broncos gave him before cutting him. For his career, he has 116 tackles and 7.5 sacks in 63 games.
Cardinals Owner Bill Bidwill Passes Away
Sad news out of Arizona, as Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill has passed away at the age of 88, the team announced in a release.
Bidwill’s father originally bought the team in 1932, and Bidwill has been the sole owner since 1972. His son Michael Bidwill serves as the team’s president and runs the franchise day-to-day. “Our dad passed away today the same way he lived his life: peacefully, with grace, dignity and surrounded by family and loved ones,” Michael said in a statement. “We are overwhelmed by the support our family has received, not only now but throughout the latest chapter of his life. We are especially grateful to the nurses, doctors and other caregivers whose endless kindness and compassion in recent years have made our dad’s life so meaningful.”
“Above all else, we will remember him as a man devoted to the three central pillars of his life – his immense faith, his love for his family and his life-long passion for the Cardinals and the sport of football.”
The team also released a video tribute on Twitter, narrated by Larry Fitzgerald. Arizona’s release notes that Bidwill was an “early proponent of front office minority hiring in the NFL,” and that “in 2004, Bidwill promoted Rod Graves to General Manager and named Dennis Green head coach, making the Cardinals the first franchise with minorities in both posts at the same time.”
All of us at PFR send our thoughts and condolences to the Bidwill family.
Tyreek Hill Returns To Practice
Tyreek Hill is almost back. The Chiefs’ star receiver returned to practice Wednesday, Kansas City’s head coach Andy Reid announced to the media.
Hill suffered a serious clavicle injury in the first game of the season during Kansas City’s win over Jacksonville, and had to be taken to the hospital. The initial reporting was that Hill would miss a few weeks, but obviously it’s turned into longer than that. Hill has now missed the past four games, but appears to be getting closer to a return. Reid didn’t say anything about Hill potentially playing this week against the Colts, although recent reporting would indicate that’s unlikely.
Just a few days ago ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Hill was likely still at least a couple of weeks away, and that the Chiefs weren’t going to rush him. That makes sense, as Kansas City has managed to remain undefeated without him. Still though, the offense could definitely use a boost. The Chiefs very nearly lost to the Lions last week, and Patrick Mahomes failed to throw a touchdown pass for the first time since Week 5 of last year. We’ll keep you updated as soon as we hear anything more on Hill’s progress.