Extra Points: Newton, Gase, Thomas
The Patriots took an ugly loss Sunday as they got demolished 33-6 by the visiting 49ers. Things got so bad that Jarrett Stidham came in and replaced Cam Newton somewhat early in the fourth quarter and played the rest of the game. Newton had just 98 yards and three interceptions before exiting, but he isn’t in any danger of losing his starting job at the moment. Head coach Bill Belichick said after the game that Newton was “absolutely” still his starter.
He added that he just wanted to get the youngster Stidham some more game experience by throwing him out there in a contest that was already decided. Newton now has five interceptions and no passing touchdowns over his past two games since returning from catching COVID-19. It’s unclear whether the virus messed with his conditioning or if anything else is ailing him, but his play has dropped off dramatically from his hot start as a member of the Patriots. Whatever the case, it doesn’t sound like Belichick is planning on making a switch under center anytime soon.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Adam Gase first conceded publicly that he was mulling giving up play-calling duties a couple of weeks ago, and he finally made the plunge on Sunday. Gase handed off the responsibilities to offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains for their Week 7 game against the Bills, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports. New York got off to a hot start and they actually led Buffalo at halftime, before completely collapsing and only gaining four total yards in the second half. The last 30 minutes may have changed Gase’s mind, and he said after the game that play-calling will be a week to week decision. He also insisted the decision to give it up was his and his alone.
- Major waves were made last week when we heard that the Saints could potentially be open to trading Michael Thomas in the wake of his antics that got him suspended for one game for fighting a teammate in practice, but it doesn’t sound like New Orleans’ leadership is seriously considering the idea. Head coach Sean Payton immediately responded to a tweet about the report, mocking the idea that actual ‘insiders’ said any such thing (link via Katherine Terrell of the Athletic). While Thomas probably won’t be dealt he is still hurt, and now Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that there’s a good chance Thomas isn’t ready for Week 8 against the Bears due to his hamstring injury. Thomas tweaked his hamstring while working his way back from the high ankle sprain he suffered back in Week 1. With Emmanuel Sanders on the COVID-19 list, the Saints could be without each of their top two wideouts still when they go up against a tough Chicago defense next week.
- After rookie Sam Sloman has looked quite shaky to start the year, the Rams went out and signed kicker Kai Forbath earlier this week. But since Forbath wasn’t able to enter the facility until today due to COVID-19 protocols, he won’t be the kicker for their Monday Night Football game against the Bears. That means Sloman will have at least one more chance to prove he deserves the job. Under the bright lights of a nationally televised game with his competition breathing down his neck, the pressure will certainly be on.
49ers RB Jeff Wilson Has High Ankle Sprain
The hits just keep on coming for the 49ers. San Francisco picked up a dominant win over the Patriots on Sunday to get them back on track, but not without picking up more significant injuries.
Running back Jeff Wilson Jr. is believed to have suffered a high ankle sprain on a touchdown he scored late in the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced. That would mean Wilson is set to miss multiple games, and a stint on injured reserve (minimum three-game absence) is quite possible. San Francisco’s whole roster has been besieged by injuries, but especially their backfield.
Wilson was filling in for Raheem Mostert as the starter, who went down last week against the Rams shortly after returning from a previous injury. Fellow running back Tevin Coleman is currently on injured reserve with a knee issue, although he should be back soon.
For the time being the 49ers will likely go with a committee approach, with Jerick McKinnon and undrafted rookie JaMycal Hasty splitting time. Wilson was having himself a game before going down, turning 17 carries into 112 yards and three touchdowns. He originally signed with the 49ers as an UDFA out of North Texas in 2018.
Ryquell Armstead Done For Year Due To COVID-19
For most NFL players who have tested positive for COVID-19, it has meant an absence of a game or two followed by a relatively quick return. Unfortunately that’s not going to be the case for Jaguars running back Ryquell Armstead.
Armstead is still dealing with complications from the virus and is not expected to play again this season, sources told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. It’s a scary situation, as Schefter reports that Armstead has been hospitalized twice and has had significant respiratory issues. The same sources did say that Armstead is expected to make a full recovery in time for the 2021 season, which is great news.
Obviously there are things more important than football, and thankfully it sounds like Armstead is going to be alright. After Leonard Fournette was cut it initially looked like Armstead was set to take over as Jacksonville’s starting running back, but obviously that hasn’t happened.
Instead James Robinson has taken over that role and thrived in it. A 2019 fifth-round pick out of Temple, Armstead appeared in all 16 games as a rookie with the Jags last year, starting one. He turned 35 carries into 108 yards, and added 14 receptions for another 144 and two scores. Here’s to hoping his recovery is as swift as possible.
Odell Beckham Jr. Has Major Knee Injury
The Browns improved to 5-2 for the first time in ages with their thrilling comeback win over the Bengals, but they didn’t escape Cincinnati unscathed. Star receiver Odell Beckham Jr is “feared to have suffered a major injury,” a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapoport added that Beckham will have an MRI tomorrow to tell the full story, but that the “early indications aren’t good.” It’s unclear what exactly the injury is, but most often when it’s something serious like an ACL for example the team knows right away from physical exams and the MRI is only for confirmation. Whatever it turns out to be, if Baker Mayfield wants to keep the magic going in Cleveland it sounds like he’s going to have to do it without his top weapon moving forward.
Beckham is in his second season with the Browns, and has had a tumultuous time with the team. He finished with 1,035 yards and four touchdowns last year, respectable numbers, but easily the worst in his career for a full season. His name has continuously popped up in trade rumors, with the team emphatically shooting down the latest round of speculation just a few weeks ago.
His production so far this season has been relatively disappointing, as the Browns have transitioned to a run-first offense that doesn’t have Mayfield chuck it too much. He didn’t top 81 yards in any of the seven games he’s played in, and outside of one three-touchdown outburst has been mostly quiet.
Cleveland traded first and third-round picks, as well as safety Jabrill Peppers and offensive lineman Kevin Zeitler for Beckham and pass-rusher Olivier Vernon back in March of 2019. Beckham is signed through the 2023 season.
Landon Collins Done For The Year
Washington picked up their first win of the year since Week 1 when they crushed the Cowboys on Sunday, but that victory now has a dark cloud hanging over it. Safety Landon Collins has suffered an Achilles injury that is believed to be season-ending, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets.
That means it’s almost certainly a torn Achilles for the Alabama product. It’s a brutal blow to a Washington defense that quietly has a lot of talent on it. Washington is 2-5, but thanks to the pitiful state of the NFC East they’re still very much alive in the race for first place and are currently only a half-game back of the Eagles. Collins was drafted by the Giants with the first pick of the second-round back in 2015, and spent his first four seasons in New York.
He then made the jump within the division as a free agent last year, signing a massive six-year, $84MM deal with Washington. Torn Achilles’ can obviously be tricky, and Collins should at the very least miss most of next offseason. Hopefully he’s able to make a full recovery in time for the 2021 season.
Collins, who made the Pro Bowl three straight years from 2016-18, had been an every down player for Washington this season. He had a crucial strip-sack of Andy Dalton early in the game before going down. He’ll finish the season with 41 tackles, two sacks, and an interception.
Raiders To Sign DL David Irving
David Irving is indeed headed to Las Vegas. The Raiders are signing the recently reinstated defensive lineman, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
This came together pretty quickly, so it wouldn’t be surprising if there had been some communication between these sides for a while as Irving waited for the go-ahead from the league office. The reinstatement from Roger Goodell came on October 16th, and on the 17th we heard the Raiders were hosting him on a visit. Irving’s young career has already seen him suspended four times, thrice for substance abuse policy violations and once for PEDs.
His most recent ban was an indefinite one that ended up lasting over 18 months. An UDFA out of Iowa State in 2015, Irving has only appeared in two games since the 2017 season, but he showed plenty of flashes early on with the Cowboys. In only eight games with Dallas in 2017, he racked up seven sacks and six passes defended.
After hist most recent suspension Irving originally announced he was retiring in March of 2019, in part due to the league’s marijuana policy. After sitting out last season he had a change of heart, and announced back in February that he was hoping for a return. It took about eight months for him to get approval from Goodell, and now he’ll join a Raiders team looking to make a push in the AFC.
Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli was Irving’s defensive coordinator in Dallas, which helps explain the connection. It’s anyone’s guess as to what Irving will look like or how soon he’ll be in game shape, but it’s a nice low-risk flyer for a team in need of pass-rushing help.
Bears Sign Manti Te’o To Practice Squad
Manti Te’o is back. The Bears are signing the veteran linebacker to their practice squad, the team announced on Tuesday. Thanks to the NFL’s new COVID-19 rules, veterans are allowed on practice squads for the first time.
Te’o, an extremely accomplished college player who was a Heisman finalist at Notre Dame, was originally drafted by the Chargers in the second-round back in 2013. He was mostly a starter during his time with the team, but also struggled with numerous injuries. After his rookie contract expired, he signed a two-year deal with New Orleans.
He appeared in all 16 games with the Saints in 2017 and started ten, but took on a much smaller role in 2018, when he only started twice and was a healthy scratch at times down the stretch. He sat out most of last season before suddenly reemerging and signing with the Saints in December of last year. He played in the final few games, starting two.
We didn’t hear anything of him this offseason until the Bears decided to work him out last week. Clearly they liked what they saw. Still only 29 he should have something left in the tank physically, and it’ll be interesting to see if he gets called up to the active roster soon.
Rams Sign Kai Forbath, Place Ogbonnia Okoronkwo On IR
After rookie Sam Sloman missed another extra point on Sunday Night Football, it looks like the Rams are making a kicking change. Los Angeles is signing veteran Kai Forbath off Chicago’s practice squad, the team announced Tuesday.
In the corresponding roster move the team placed outside linebacker Ogbonnia Okoronkwo on injured reserve, meaning Sloman is still on the roster for now. The Rams will have Forbath compete with Sloman, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets, so it doesn’t sound like he’s going anywhere at the moment. With the Rams contending in the NFC, they clearly felt like they couldn’t wait on a rookie’s development. Forbath, who has extensive experience, was also on the Panthers’ practice squad earlier this year.
The 33-year-old spent the last few games of 2019 as the Cowboys’ kicker, making all ten of his field goal attempts and all ten of his extra points. His last full-time gig was in 2017 when he was the Vikings’ kicker for all 16 games. Before that he had stints with the Saints and Washington. He doesn’t have the strongest leg, but for the most part he’s pretty accurate and dependable. Rams coach Sean McVay was with him in Washington for a few seasons, so there’s familiarity here.
The Rams, of course, let Greg Zuerlein walk in free agency this past offseason after having him as their kicker for the past eight years. Okoronkwo is a 2018 fifth-round pick from Oklahoma who had been playing a real role on defense this season. Through five games he had been playing around 30 percent of the defensive snaps, picking up one sack. McVay said he expects Okoronkwo to miss 4-6 weeks.
49ers Place Raheem Mostert On IR
The 49ers picked up a huge win over the Rams on Sunday night to keep them in the NFC West race, but they didn’t escape unscathed. Starting center Ben Garland and running back Raheem Mostert both picked up injuries that will cause them to miss time and likely head to injured reserve, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Monday.
The team has since placed both its starting running back and center on injured reserve. The 49ers moved Mostert to IR Friday.
Garland has a calf strain, while Mostert has a high ankle sprain. It’s especially tough for Mostert, since he just returned from injury. Shanahan also said it’s unlikely Tevin Coleman is unable to return this week, so it’ll likely be Jerick McKinnon and undrafted rookie Jamycal Hasty carrying the load at running back. Mostert has been effective when healthy, but he missed two games earlier this year with a knee injury.
While Mostert is the better-known player, the Garland injury might be more significant since Shanahan has shown an ability to get the most out of whoever is in the backfield. We just heard that the 49ers’ normal starting center, Weston Richburg, is likely still at least a ways away from returning. In fact, Shanahan revealed at his presser that Richburg wouldn’t play until Week 12 at the earliest, following the team’s bye.
Garland has started San Fran’s past five games in his absence, so they’ll now be down to their third option. The 49ers have had brutal injury luck this year, and this certainly isn’t what they needed as they prepare to embark on an absolute gauntlet in their schedule. Their next six games are against the Patriots, Seahawks, Packers, Saints, Rams, and Bills.
Chargers Designate DE Melvin Ingram, DT Justin Jones To Return
The Chargers have once again been one of the most banged up teams in the league, but it looks like reinforcements are on the way. Los Angeles has designated defensive end Melvin Ingram and defensive tackle Justin Jones to return from injured reserve, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets.
Each can now return to practice. The team now has a three-week window to activate either player. If they are not activated in that span, they’ll be ineligible to return for the remainder of the year. Ingram usually forms one of the league’s best pass-rushing duos with Joey Bosa when healthy, and he’s made the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons. Jones, a 2018 third-round pick, is a starter and key run-stuffer.
With guys like Derwin James and Chris Harris sidelined, the Chargers could really use this boost on defense. They’re 1-4 on the year and have blown 17-point leads in back to back weeks. Despite the record the Chargers still have a legit chance, as Justin Herbert has looked like a star in the making and the schedule coming up is extremely soft. Their next five games are against the Jaguars, Broncos, Raiders, Dolphins, and Jets, so if the defense can heal up they’ve got a shot to make some noise.
Ingram has only played in the first two games of the season, and he had a crucial interception in a Week 1 win over the Bengals. The South Carolina product has at least seven sacks in each of the past five seasons. He’s dealing with a knee issue, while Jones has a shoulder injury.