Matt Paradis Believed To Have Fractured Fibula
Awful injury news for Denver, as center Matt Paradis is believed to have suffered a fractured fibula, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link).
In a separate tweet, Klis notes that if it is indeed a fractured fibula, Paradis “would be out minimum six weeks and could miss rest of season.” It’s a massive blow to the Broncos’ offensive line, which has already dealt with a few injuries this year. Paradis is the best member of the offensive line, and has been having a great season.
Pro Football Focus has graded Paradis as the third best center in the league this year, giving him an 80.0 grade. It’s especially tough news for Paradis, as this was a contract year for him. Earlier this year, the Broncos had placed a second round tender on Paradis when he was a restricted free agent.
Assuming he makes a normal recovery, it shouldn’t impact his free agent market too much. With contracts for interior linemen exploding in recent years, Paradis should be able to land a big deal on the open market if the Broncos don’t lock him up. Prior to this injury, he had been an incredibly durable player, starting 16 games each of the past three seasons.
Extra Points: QB’s, Tannehill, Jets, Maccagnan, San Antonio
Every year there’s a so-called “quarterback carousel” in the NFL offseason where a group of second-tier signal callers end up changing teams. This upcoming offseason could be the busiest yet, with a large crop of quarterbacks that have front offices that aren’t committed to them longterm. This year’s draft class is currently seen as being relatively weak, so many teams will likely be seeking to address the position through trades or free agent signings.
Former NFL agent and current CBS Sports Analyst Joel Corry took a look at the quarterbacks most likely to change teams this offseason, and it was a long list. He included 11 names, with some high profile ones like Derek Carr, Eli Manning, and Jameis Winston making the list. The whole article is worth reading for Corry’s analysis as someone who’s been involved in these negotiations before.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Speaking of quarterbacks, Ryan Tannehill will miss his fourth straight game this weekend when the Dolphins play the Jets, and it looks like he’ll be out beyond this week. Tannehill is not expected back for the team’s Week 10 game against the Packers, according to Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). It sounds like the earliest Tannehill could return would be after Miami’s bye week, in Week 12. Coach Adam Gase revealed the nature of Tannehill’s injury for the first time today, describing it as a “shoulder capsule” injury.
- If Jets GM Mike Maccagnan fails to lead the team to the playoffs in 2019 he should be fired, opines Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Maccagnan has said he will be “very active” in free agency this offseason, and the pressure will be on for him to finally end the years-long rebuild and deliver tangible success. If the Jets don’t start winning more games in Sam Darnold‘s second season, it’s likely it’ll be a new regime in New York in 2020.
- There’s been a lot of noise about the prospect of an NFL team relocating to London, or even one going back to San Diego, but there’s apparently a new market in the mix. San Antonio mayor Ron Nirenberg said recently that the city would have an NFL team “in the next 10 years”, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. San Antonio was in the running to get the Raiders before they settled on Las Vegas, and they have a team in the upstart AAF league, so they’re clearly serious about professional football.
Bills GM Talks Trade Deadline, 2019, Josh Allen
It’s been a season to forget for the Bills. Rookie quarterback Josh Allen has been sidelined with an elbow injury, and the offense has been historically bad. The franchise is in turmoil just one year after making the playoffs for the first time in decades. That being said the team does have a lot to look forward to, with a defense stacked with talent. Bills GM Brandon Beane recently sat down with Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News, and dished on a variety of topics.
The entire Q&A is worth checking out, but we’ve listed some of the notable soundbites below:
On the trade deadline and why the team didn’t make any moves:
“Just like last year, we fielded calls on some of our players, and it probably picked up mid last week as it was approaching. … We were definitely looking at avenues at different positions as we were hearing names. We kind of split up, just like we do at the 53 cut, we split up teams and call guys that we have contacts with, and ask them about certain positions, certain players. … We did our due diligence on that all the way until probably 2 o’clock on Tuesday. At that point, we decided that there was no one that we were going to give up what they were asking for that player. You’ve got to consider what they’re asking for, the price, and what contract are you taking on.”
On other teams’ interest in Bills players:
“There was definitely interest out there. I think there’s naturally going to be interest in players on teams that are not doing as well as they hoped. At the end of the day, you have to listen — that’s my job, to listen — but at the same time, we’re trying to win here, not only now, but win in the future. The guys that they were asking about I felt were part of what we’re still going to be doing as we build into 2019.”
On if the team regrets trading A.J. McCarron with the recent injuries at quarterback:
“I don’t regret (it). You don’t have a crystal ball for everything. If I knew we were going to have these injuries, yeah, because he was a guy that was here for the offseason. But you can’t predict (injuries) when you put the roster together. We could have a run of injuries at another position that we let a guy go who had talent, and you say, “Man, I wish we had that guy that we let go, because who we’re at now in October and November is not as talented as the guy we let go then.”
On his thoughts on Josh Allen’s on-field performance so far:
“You know, Josh is a rookie. At the end of the day, there’s plays that you really go, “Wow, that’s what you want to see.” And then there’s plays, you go, “That’s what a rookie does.” We love who Josh is, his work ethic, his leadership and all those things. He’s been everything we thought he would be on and off the field. It’s just you can’t predict how games are going to happen. There’s going to be games like the Minnesota game where you saw a lot of his talent. And then there’s going to be games that you see some of these other rookies face — it’s the first time he’s seen this kind of blitz or this coverage disguise. It looked like it was cover three and really it was quarter-quarter-half or something like that. Again, you play preseason, and people are not exotic with the blitzes and the coverages and all that stuff, so there’s a lot of things that he hasn’t seen.”
On whether or not he could rule out season-ending surgery for Allen:
“It’s not in the plan, but you know, there have been guys who have had to have surgery. It happens more in baseball with this injury, but there are guys in football that have had surgery, too. Again, that’s not the plan. Generally, you don’t have to have it, but we’ll see.”
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/18
Today’s practice squad moves will be posted here:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: DT Bruce Hector
- Released: DT Winston Craig
49ers Re-Sign QB Tom Savage
Just a day after cutting Tom Savage, the 49ers have brought back the veteran signal caller on a one-year deal, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link).
Room was made for Savage on the roster when running back Raheem Mostert and cornerback Emmanuel Moseley were placed on IR earlier today. Savage will presumably be the third-string quarterback behind second-year players Nick Mullens and C.J. Beathard.
Mullens played well in his NFL debut last night, and coach Kyle Shanahan remains high on Beathard, so Savage won’t push for any playing time this season. That being said, San Francisco clearly wants something of a veteran presence in their very young and inexperienced quarterback room.
It’s the third time this year Savage has been signed by the 49ers, as they’ve already done this release and re-sign routing twice. Savage was initially brought in for a workout and considered the favorite to sign in the wake of Jimmy Garoppolo‘s ACL tear, but it took a few weeks for the team to actually sign him. Savage opened 2017 as the Texans’ starter but was quickly benched for Deshaun Watson. After Watson tore his ACL, Savage ended up starting a handful more games in Houston, and performed poorly.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/2/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Designated to return to practice from IR: TE Noah Brown
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: WR River Cracraft
- Waived: WR Isaiah McKenzie
Miami Dolphins
- Activated off IR: C Jake Brendel
New York Jets
- Activated from PUP: S Rontez Miles
- Waived: S Ibraheim Campbell
Oakland Raiders
- Placed On IR: OT T.J. Clemmings
Lions Work Out WR Jeremy Kerley
The Lions left a hole in their receiving corp with the trade of Golden Tate this week, and are now looking for help. The team is expected to feature T.J. Jones and Brandon Powell more, but also brought in free agent Jeremy Kerley in for a workout, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).
Kerley was with the Lions in 2016, so the two sides have some familiarity. Kerley signed a one-year deal with Detroit, but was traded to the 49ers the week before the regular season started, so he never ended up playing a regular season game for the Lions. Kerley has had a few workouts, recently auditioning for the Patriots, but has been unable to find a home.
He was with the Bills earlier this year, but Buffalo surprisingly cut him after Week 1 despite their dire situation at receiver. In his one appearance with the Bills, Kerley caught two passes for seven yards. While he had a bit of a down 2017 with the Jets, he remained pretty productive as recently as 2016 and is still only 29.
In 2016 with the 49ers, Kerley caught 64 balls for 667 yards and three touchdowns. His best season was in 2012 with the Jets, when he gained 827 yards on 56 catches with two touchdowns. He’s also had some experience returning punts, and could be an option there for the Lions as well with star return-man Jamal Agnew done for the season with a torn ACL. Schefter adds that the team also worked out former Browns and Giants cornerback Michael Jordan.
49ers place Raheem Mostert, Emmanuel Moseley on IR
Two 49ers players saw their seasons officially end today when the team placed them on injured reserve. The team sent running back Raheem Mostert to IR with a fractured right forearm, while cornerback Emmanuel Moseley dislocated his shoulder, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports.
Both players suffered their injuries during the team’s 34-3 win over the Raiders last night. Mostert’s injury looked gruesome on the TV broadcast, and it was confirmed today that he was undergoing surgery and expected to make a full return in time for the 2019 season. Moseley was making his NFL debut in the game when he was called up from the practice squad and was never going to play many meaningful snaps, but the loss of Mostert is significant.
San Francisco’s backfield has suffered a lot of injuries this year, and Mostert’s role had been increasing in recent weeks. The fourth-year back from Purdue was getting the first real opportunity of his career, and had looked electric so far. This season he’d carried the ball 34 times for 261 yards, good for 7.7 yards per carry. Mostert, who’s also a key special teams player for the 49ers, had just scored his first career touchdown on a 52-yard run before getting hurt.
Maiocco notes the 49ers “have two running backs on their practice squad, Jeff Wilson and Matthew Dayes” who are both candidates to be called up to the 53-man roster. Starter Jerick McKinnon tore his ACL before the season started, and Matt Breida has been banged up all year long with various injuries.
AFC East Notes: Patriots Trades, Collins, Bills, Hughes, Jets, Sterling
The Patriots are annually one of the most aggressive teams in the league when it comes to adding talent, as evidenced by their recent trade for Josh Gordon. With the trade deadline now just a couple of days away, New England is looking to make more moves. The team wants “to acquire some help in the defensive front seven by the deadline Tuesday”, and “they’ve had internal discussions about trading for linebacker Jamie Collins“, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.
The Patriots traded Collins to the Browns in 2016, and now apparently have some interest in bringing him back. It would be an unusual move with a player being traded twice between two teams, but the Browns would likely welcome the relief of getting out of Collins’ contract, and it sounds like the Patriots are interested. Collins signed a four-year $50MM deal with Cleveland in 2017, and hasn’t lived up to that deal so far. Whatever happens, it sounds like the Patriots’ defense will look a little different by this time next week.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes “has been a hot name on the trade market”, but the “Bills have been reluctant to part with him”, a source told Howe. Howe thinks that Hughes would “be a good fit for the Patriots”, but doesn’t think Buffalo will decide to part with him. Hughes has been having a good season, notching 4.5 sacks in seven games.
- Jets tight end Neal Sterling “suffered his second concussion of the season” today against the Bears, and “likely will be lost [for] multiple games”, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN (Twitter link). The Jets are very thin at tight end, so this is a somewhat significant loss for New York.
- Bills running back LeSean McCoy has cleared the concussion protocol and will play Monday night against the Patriots, the team announced in a tweet. It’s a huge boost for Buffalo’s struggling offense as they look to pull of the massive upset in primetime.
Giants Getting Trade Offers For Landon Collins
The Giants have already shown a willingness to be active in the trade market, shipping out Damon Harrison and Eli Apple for draft picks over the past week. New York has clearly thrown in the towel on 2018, and is focused on building draft capital for the future. It was reported earlier today that they were receiving “decent offers” for Odell Beckham, and now another good young player is apparently garnering offers. 
The Giants have received multiple trade offers for safety Landon Collins, a source told Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. While Collins is still only 24, it’s apparently a very real possibility that the Giants decide to move him, and some league executives “believe they might be willing to move him if they receive a second-day pick (Rounds 2 and 3) in the 2019 NFL Draft”, according to Vacchiano.
Collins is in the final year of his rookie deal, and should be in line for a huge payday in free-agency. It was reported this summer that the team had concerns about how well Collins would fit their new defensive scheme, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they decide they don’t want to hand him a massive deal this offseason. If they’re going to let him walk anyway, it would make sense to trade him if they could get a good pick.
Collins, the 33rd pick of the 2015 draft, was a first-team All-Pro in 2016 and has made the Pro Bowl twice. Through 54 career games, Collins has 389 tackles, eight interceptions, and 32 passes defended.