Rams Fear Torn ACL For Cooper Kupp
Cooper Kupp left the Rams’ win over the Seahawks with a knee injury, and it appears it’ll be season ending. The Rams fear Kupp tore his ACL, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s devastating news for the Rams, who improved to 9-1 on the season with their victory today. Kupp will almost certainly miss the remainder of the season, which is a big blow to the NFC’s top team. Kupp had suffered a different knee injury earlier this season, and had only recently returned after missing two games.
Kupp left the game with a non-contact knee injury and was immediately ruled out, so it looked grim from the start. Kupp was having a great year before going down, catching 35 passes for 527 yards and six touchdowns in less than seven full games.
Even with Kupp out, the Rams still one of the best arrays of offensive weapons in the league. The team will lean heavily on Robert Woods, Brandin Cooks, and Todd Gurley in the passing game moving forward. Tight ends Tyler Higbee and Gerald Everett will also both be counted on to step up.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Bowles, Patriots
Jets coach Todd Bowles was already on the hot seat entering today. Then the Jets were demolished at home by the Bills, and Bowles’ seat got even hotter. Seemingly everyone is assuming Bowles will get fired, and it appears to be just a matter of time before there’s an opening in New York. With that in mind, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY took a look at possible candidates to be his replacement.
The list includes some of the most frequently mentioned candidates like Vikings offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, but also includes some under-the-radar names. Washington University coach Chris Peterson is listed, as is Stanford coach David Shaw. One intriguing name he brings up is Michigan and ex-49ers coach Jim Harbaugh, although Vacchiano notes “he’d only be a candidate in New York if GM Mike Maccagnan goes too”, due to Harbaugh’s desire for decision-making power.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Speaking of Bowles, the embattled coach will meet with Jets CEO Christopher Johnson Monday morning, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Cimini noted that a “lack of energy on the Jets’ bench” was noted by the team’s higher-ups, which doesn’t “bode well” for Bowles. Nothing is certain, but it’s definitely possible Bowles is relieved of his duties this week as the team enters its bye.
- Patriots receiver Josh Gordon is set to be a restricted free agent after the season, and New England will have several options about what to do. “Giving Gordon a first-round tender makes the most sense for the Patriots”, according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com. If the Patriots place a first round tender on him, any team that signed him to an offer sheet would have to give the Patriots their first round pick if New England let him walk. The Patriots could save some money by attaching a lower tender to him, but then they’d risk having him poached.
- Speaking of the Patriots, they’ll have a different decision to make in the coming weeks. The team has until Wednesday to activate second round pick Duke Dawson from injured reserve, notes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Reiss notes that Dawson, a rookie cornerback, has been practicing with the team for a couple of weeks but it’s unclear whether or not New England plans on activating him.
Martavis Bryant Suffers Possible Torn PCL
Raiders receiver Martavis Bryant appears to have suffered a torn PCL, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). 
It’s been a weird 2018 season for Bryant, who was traded by the Steelers to the Raiders this offseason for a third round pick, then cut by Oakland, then re-signed. Bryant was originally cut because the team believed he was facing a potential season-ending suspension for another violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
It was confirmed a couple of months ago that Bryant had indeed been suspended, but that the league was allowing him to play while he appealed, and there’s been no update since. Oakland’s coaching staff had been talking up the potential for Bryant to play a bigger role in the offense after the team traded Amari Cooper, so this is a big loss. Jordy Nelson was in and out of the game with a quad injury, so the Raiders’ receiving corp could be dangerously thin moving forward.
While Rapoport noted that while “the hope is he doesn’t end up needing surgery”, “Bryant is going to miss time.” At this point it looks like the Raiders are hoping to get him back at some point this season, but it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s done for the year.
Extra Points: Eagles, Staff, Sproles, Hollins, 49ers, Jets, Bowles
After the Eagles won the Super Bowl this past year, they did something unusual. The team completely overhauled their medical staff, and replaced their head athletic trainer. The move was “virtually unprecedented”, according to Jeff McLane of Philly.com, and McLane raises some interesting questions about the decision.
McLane suggests that the decision to overhaul the staff could be contributing to the rash of soft-tissue injuries the Eagles have suffered this year. He also points out there’s been several “embarrassments” for the new staff, such as when they mis-diagnosed Jay Ajayi‘s torn ACL. Several players, including Darren Sproles, have taken much longer than expected to return from their injuries, and McLane thinks the moves could be responsible. It’s hard to tell one way or another, but it’s an interesting theory and it’s definitely curious that Philadelphia opted for a shakeup rather than continuity after a Super Bowl.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Speaking of the Eagles, the team has a couple of tough decisions coming up. The team has three players on injured reserve working toward coming back, receiver Mack Hollins, tight end Richard Rodgers, and receiver Mike Wallace, and the team can only bring back two of them. “Chances are that Hollins is brought back first of the three”, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP. Shorr-Parks writes that “the final decision between Rodgers and Wallace will be a tough one” and “the fact that the team traded for Golden Tate seems to indicate they don’t expect Wallace to contribute this season.” Wallace has expressed a recent desire to return, but it sounds like his 2018 could be over.
- With Raheem Mostert on injured reserve and Matt Breida seemingly always banged up, the 49ers’ backfield is currently a bit thin. The team is expected to call up a running back from the practice squad ahead of their game on Monday, and it’s likely to be Jeff Wilson Jr., according to Cam Inman of the Mercury News. The team also has ex-Brown Matthew Dayes on the practice squad.
- If the Jets decide to fire coach Todd Bowles this year, as many expect, “John DeFilippo would fit the bill” for what the Jets would be looking for in their next head coach, according to Matt Stypulkoski of NJ.com. DeFilippo, the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, has been widely praised for his work with Carson Wentz and now Kirk Cousins, so it makes sense why New York would want to pair him with Sam Darnold.
Extra Points: Giants, 49ers, Flacco, Ravens, Titans, Trade Deadline,
Fires are raging through California right now, and they could wind up having an impact on the NFL slate this week. The Rams’ practice facility is very close to some of the fires, but their game against the Seahawks is expected to go on without interruption. That may not be the case for the 49ers, who host the Giants on Monday night.
“Postponement of Monday night’s game against the Giants could potentially happen”, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. According to Florio, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged that postponement or relocation were very real possibilities, and said the team had to cut practice short on Friday because of the air quality. It’s a situation that bears watching over the course of the weekend.
Here’s more from around the league:
- It was reported earlier this week that Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was dealing with a mysterious hip injury, and now we have some more concerning news. Flacco has reportedly been spotted on crutches, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link), a sign that the injury is pretty serious. Whatever Flacco is dealing with, it clearly isn’t something minor and he should be considered very likely to miss games at this point.
- The Titans ultimately stood pat at the trade deadline, but it wasn’t for a lack of trying. Tennessee’s front office “was in on a lot of guys”, including receiver Amari Cooper, according to Jim Wyatt of Titansonline.com. Wyatt writes that the team “inquired about several receivers“, but balked at the draft pick compensation that was being asked for. It’s interesting but not surprising, considering the Titans have a pretty thin receiving corp, especially since tight end Delanie Walker was lost for the season.
- In case you missed it, the Colts’ second round pick Tyquan Lewis will make his NFL debut tomorrow after he was activated from injured reserve yesterday.
Le’Veon Bell Unlikely To Report To Steelers, Will Miss 2018 Season
Le’Veon Bell is unlikely to report to the Steelers before Tuesday’s deadline and as a result will not play in 2018, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Schefter writes that “even as the Steelers now brace to lose their marquee running back for the entire year, Bell’s camp continues to maintain its cone of silence” and has not informed the Steelers one way or another what his intentions are.
That being said, Schefter writes “there are no indications that Bell will report by the deadline”, and that “the belief” is that Bell’s Steelers career is “unofficially over.” With this news, it sounds like the saga surrounding Bell is over and the football world finally has its answer. The question of when Bell would show up became the biggest story in the NFL in 2018, and has dominated headlines all season long.
Confirmation of Schefter’s report came soon after from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who tweeted “the team is not expecting their star RB to play for them this season” and that “the belief is Bell will stay away & await free agency.” Many assumed Bell would end his holdout and return to the team once the season started, but with each passing week it became more and more clear how serious Bell was about not playing under the franchise tag.
In Bell’s absence, Steelers running back James Conner has emerged and developed into one of the league’s top backs. With it safe to assume the Steelers won’t pursue Bell in free agency, the question now becomes where Bell will land in 2019. Teams like the Buccaneers and Jets have been frequently brought up in discussions, and should be considered two of the likeliest possible destinations. Bell will likely be seeking a deal greater than the one Todd Gurley got from the Rams, which gave him roughly $60MM over four years.
East Notes: Bills, Barkley, McCoy, Giants, Dolphins, Herbert
It’s been a crazy season for the Bills. While the defense has been promising, the offense has been an absolute train-wreck. They’ve cycled through quarterbacks, and will now get their fourth new starting signal caller of the season this Sunday. Recently signed Matt Barkley will get the start for Buffalo over Nathan Peterman, according to a release from the team (Twitter link).
There was some hope that rookie Josh Allen would be able to return this week, but the Bills ruled him out with his elbow injury. Derek Anderson has still been unable to clear the concussion protocol, so he won’t be able to play either. That left Barkley, who was only signed ten days ago, and Peterman as the only healthy options. It’s been reported before that coach Sean McDermott risked losing the locker room if he started Peterman again, so it makes sense why the team is turning to Barkley here. Barkley hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2016, when he started a few games with Chicago down the stretch. In those starts Barkley was up and down, looking awful at times and competent at others.
Here’s more from the league’s Eastern divisions:
- Top brass from both the Giants and Dolphins are at the Oregon-Utah game today to scout quarterback Justin Herbert, according to Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link). Eli Manning and Ryan Tannehill both have uncertain futures with their respective teams, so it makes sense why they’d be taking a look. Herbert is widely considered the best quarterback prospect who’s draft eligible, but is reportedly considered unlikely to enter the draft after this year.
- The Bills’ season might be circling the drain, but star running back LeSean McCoy insists he is happy in Buffalo, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). McCoy said that while “a lot of teams” wanted to trade for him at this year’s deadline, he is in the Bills’ longterm plans and is happy where he is. McCoy is getting up there in age, but still has his same burst and trademarked cutting ability. He’s hardly responsible for the Bills’ offensive woes, as opposing defenses completely sellout to stop the run.
- In case you missed it, former Jets draft bust Christian Hackenberg signed with the upstart football league the AAF yesterday.
AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Tannehill, Parker, Bills, Ivory, Jets, Maccagnan, Bowles
The Dolphins will have a lot of tough decisions to make this offseason, including what to do with Ryan Tannehill. Tannehill is set to have a cap hit of over $26MM in 2019, hasn’t been able to stay healthy, and hasn’t been great on the field even when he is. Deciding Tannehill’s fate “clearly tops” the list of Miami’s priorities for the offseason, according to Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald, who writes “Tannehill would need to be exceptional when he returns from his shoulder injury” for the Dolphins to bring him back at that salary next year.
Tannehill missed the end of the 2016 season with a torn ACL, then missed all of the 2017 season when he re-tore the ACL. This year, Tannehill started the first five games, then went down with a mysterious shoulder injury. He’s been sidelined for four games, and it’s not clear when he’s coming back. It’s still very early, but at this point it would be a surprise if Tannehill is brought back at his current cap number. For what it’s worth, Beasley writes that the Dolphins like Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Speaking of decisions the Dolphins have to make, they’ll also have to decide the fate of receiver DeVante Parker and right tackle Ja’Wuan James this offseason, according to Beasley. Parker is owed $9.4MM next year, and Beasley writes that keeping him “seems unlikely now, but if he strings together several games like the one last Thursday in Houston (six catches, 134 yards), it becomes a strong consideration.” James will be a free agent after this season, and Beasley writes that “unless he’s great the final eight games, the Dolphins again figure to explore outside options” this March.
- The Bills’ offense has already been an injured mess this year, and they got even more bad news today. Running back Chris Ivory “was taken to Erie County Medical Center, a level 1 trauma center, for evaluations on his left shoulder”, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s unclear the exact nature of the injury, but it seems clear Ivory will miss some time, and he’s been playing a fairly big role in the offense lately.
- Jets GM Mike Maccagnan “was noticeably less effusive” when talking about Todd Bowles in his ‘state of the team’ press availability than he was in last year’s availability, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Cimini thinks that Maccagnan “is safe, no matter what” and is trying to separate himself from Bowles and from the narrative that the two are joined at the hip, in case Bowles needs to be fired. Bowles is on a very hot seat, and it wouldn’t be surprising if a change is made soon with the Jets suffering another loss today.
Extra Points: Harbaugh, Browns, Packers, Chiefs
Earlier today, it was reported that Ravens coach John Harbaugh was on the hot seat. It was reported Harbaugh was under “mounting pressure” to turn his team’s season around, and things didn’t get any better today. The team lost to the Steelers and slipped below .500, but despite the loss Harbaugh wasn’t sweating the media reports after the game.
Harbaugh “certainly didn’t act worried” during his post-game press conference, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Harbaugh didn’t sound like he was worried about his job security even though the team dropped its third straight game today. Harbaugh has had a ton of success during his tenure in Baltimore, but things have been rocky the past couple of years and the Ravens reportedly considered parting ways after last season. Despite his defiant tone today, it certainly seems like the 11-year Harbaugh era in Baltimore could be coming to a close. The Ravens are heading into their bye week, so it’s possible we hear news of a switch as early as this week.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Browns haven’t been able to get any consistency in the kicking game all season, and worked out a slew of specialists Saturday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). Schefter notes that the team worked out kickers “Sam Ficken, Marshall Koehn, Younghoe Koo, Jon Brown and Tyler Rausa.” It wouldn’t be surprising if the team moved on from current kicker Greg Joseph soon.
- Speaking of specialists, the Packers made the unusual move of adding a second punter earlier this week, and nobody really knew why. There’s more clarity on the situation now, as they only signed Drew Kaser because incumbent punter J.K. Scott’s wife was due to have a baby tonight, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. It sounds like the team isn’t planning on making a change, and Kaser’s stay on the roster should be short-lived.
- The Chiefs are clearly a Super Bowl contender and are in win-now mode, so plenty of people were surprised when they didn’t make any moves at the trade deadline to boost their defense. The team had reportedly been interested in trading for Earl Thomas earlier this year, but stood pat at the deadline, and now we know why. The Chiefs did try to trade for Landon Collins close to the deadline but weren’t able to strike a deal, according to Albert Breer of SI.com, who also writes that Kansas City’s coaching staff “has faith” that the team’s group of young defenders will continue to “improve as they go along.”
Latest On Bruce Irvin
As soon as the Raiders surprisingly waived defensive end Bruce Irvin, rumors immediately began swirling about where he might end up.
The Raiders failed to get Irvin on the league’s transaction wire in time yesterday, so Irvin can’t be officially placed on waivers until 4 p.m. Monday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). The current assumption by most around the league is that Irvin will go unclaimed because he still has a significant amount of guaranteed money left on his deal that any team who claimed him would inherit.
As for where Irvin will sign when he does clear waivers, there are many potential destinations. Irvin “wants to play for a winner”, according Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). La Canfora thinks Irvin will end up in either New England, Atlanta, or Seattle, as the Patriots are looking for pass-rushing help and Irvin has connections to both the Falcons and Seahawks.
If any team does claim Irvin, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY thinks it could be the Jets (Twitter link). Vacchiano points out that Irvin will likely want to sign with a better team if he’s a free agent, so the Jets could claim him to make sure they get him. As for why Oakland cut Irvin in the first place, it was because Irvin had grown unhappy with his role and the team believed he had “lost a step”, according to Albert Breer of SI.com.
Big names like this don’t usually hit the market this late in the season, so this is a pretty unique situation. Irvin likely won’t take too long, so we should know more about where he’s headed soon.