Seahawks Worked Out DT Brandon Dunn
The Seahawks worked out a former Texans starter today. The team had defensive tackle Brandon Dunn in for a tryout, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).
Dunn had spent the majority of his career in Houston, starting 37 games for the organization. The defensive lineman actually started a career-high 13 games in 2020, finishing with 26 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery. He inked a three-year, $12MM extension with the team in February of 2020, but he ended up getting cut by the team before the end of the 2021 preseason.
Bryan Mone has been sidelined with an elbow injury, so the team could be looking for some extra reinforcement at defensive tackle. The team had to elevate Robert Nkemdiche from the practice squad for Sunday’s game against the Titans, and the fill-in ended up collecting seven tackles while playing on 41 percent of his team’s defensive snaps.
Dunn wasn’t the only player working out for the Seahawks today. Wilson tweets that defensive tackle Andrew Brown and wide receivers Lawrence Cager and Anthony Johnson also auditioned for Seattle.
Lions CB Ifeatu Melifonwu To Miss “Significant Amount Of Time”
A key Lions rookie will be sidelined for the foreseeable future. Cornerback Ifeatu Melifonwu suffered a significant thigh injury during Monday’s loss to the Packers, reports Tim Twentyman of the team’s website (via Twitter).
Lions head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that Melifonwu will be out of the lineup for a “significant amount of time,” and the rookie is expected to need at least a few weeks to recover. The injury occurred in the second half of last night’s contest, with Melifonwu suffering the injury on a 50-yard grab by Davante Adams.
Following a standout career at Syracuse, Melifonwu was selected in the third round of this past year’s draft. The 6-foot-3 defensive back had a fumble recovery during his NFL debut in Week 1, and he ended up earning his first career start in Week 2. The 22-year-old saw time on 30 defensive snaps last night, collecting a pair of tackles and defending one pass.
The Lions were already scrambling for cornerback depth; Melifonwu only got the start because Jeff Okudah suffered a season-ending injury. Amani Oruwariye remains the starter at one of the cornerback spots, with former undrafted safety Bobby Price appearing to be the next man in line.
Bears Work Out CB D.J. Hayden
The Bears worked out a trio of defensive backs today, including a former first-round pick. The team auditioned D.J. Hayden, Lafayette Pitts, and Kevon Seymour, per Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
While Hayden hasn’t necessarily lived up to his 12th-overall selection in the 2013 draft, he’s still managed to put together an eight-year career. The veteran had spent the past three seasons in Jacksonville, but he bounced on and off injured reserve in 2020 while dealing with a hamstring injury. The 31-year-old ultimately saw time in five games, collecting 18 tackles.
The Bears struggled during their loss to the Rams, with slot corner Marqui Christian getting his fair share of the blame. The cornerback finished the game having allowed five catches (including two touchdowns) on six targets.
The Bears were also busy working out running backs today, with Brian Hill, Wendell Smallwood, and Chris Thompson all in for tryouts. Biggs assumes (on Twitter) that the team is simply updating their RB free agent list, which makes sense considering the team’s depth (David Montgomery, Damien Williams, and (eventually) Tarik Cohen).
Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger Dealing With Pectoral Injury
The Steelers continue to deal with injuries, and we can now add Ben Roethlisberger to the list of the walking wounded. Mike Tomlin revealed today that his starting quarterback is dealing with a left pectoral injury.
The head coach wasn’t sure when Roethlisberger specifically suffered the injury during the Steelers Week 2 loss to the Raiders. Per ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, the 39-year-old was hit 10 times (including a pair of sacks), and Tomlin made it clear that the team had to do a better job of protecting their quarterback.
“He took too many hits.,” Tomlin said (via Pryor). “We can run the ball better. We can get the ball out of his hand quicker. We can stay on schedule and not get behind the sticks and get in situations where the line of the game is so far that that that enhances the rush.”
Through his first two games of the season, Roethlisberger has completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 483 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. If he was forced to miss time, the team could turn to Mason Rudolph or Dwayne Haskins.
Roethlisberger isn’t the only Steelers player dealing with an injury. T.J. Watt left Sunday’s game, while wideout Diontae Johnson suffered an injury on the final play of the game. Devin Bush and Joe Haden missed Sunday’s contest with groin injuries.
Texans’ Tyrod Taylor Could Miss One Month
TUESDAY: Houston’s starting quarterback will be shut down for a bit. The Texans placed Taylor on IR Tuesday. This marks the third time in the past four seasons Taylor will have lost his starting job in September. Injuries have resulted in the veteran passer being sidelined in each of the past two years, with this hamstring ailment following last season’s scary chest injury involving a pregame injection mishap.
With Watson not in the picture, David Culley also confirmed Tuesday that Mills will start against the Panthers.
MONDAY: Tyrod Taylor‘s hamstring injury could keep him sidelined for the next four games. Mark Berman of Fox26 in Houston reports (via Twitter) that the Texans quarterback “could be out for as long as a month” as he recovers from his hamstring injury.
[RELATED: Texans Won’t Play Deshaun Watson]
According to Aaron Wilson (on Twitter), Taylor was diagnosed with a grade two hamstring injury, leading to the one-month timeline. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero seems to insinuate (on Twitter) that Taylor is waiting for swelling to go down before committing to a definitive timeline, with the reporter adding that “an IR stint could be in play.” If Taylor is indeed sidelined for a month, the Texans would surely place the QB on short-term IR to open an extra roster spot. If the Texans don’t place him on IR, that would mean the team thinks Taylor can get on the field in a couple of weeks. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the QB is currently considered “week-to-week.”
After spending the past two seasons with the Chargers, Taylor inked a one-year contract with the Texans this past offseason. Following a Week 1 victory where the QB tossed two touchdowns, Taylor completed 10 of his 11 passes for 125 yards and one touchdown before leaving the game on Sunday.
Davis Mills took over during that eventual loss to the Browns, and the rookie will be under center going forward. According to Wilson, Jeff Driskel is expected to be elevated from practice squad to serve as the primary backup. We learned earlier today that Deshaun Watson wouldn’t be seeing the field despite Taylor’s injury.
Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa Considered Day-To-Day
Tua Tagovailoa was carted into the locker room during yesterday’s loss to the Bills, but it sounds like the Dolphins quarterback avoided a serious injury. Tagovailoa is considered day-to-day, reports Omar Kelly of South Florida Sun-Sentinel (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Dolphins WR Will Fuller Returns To Team]
The former first-round pick was sidelined during the second drive of yesterday’s game. While X-rays on Tagovailoa’s ribs came back negative, head coach Brian Flores said his quarterback is still in a “good deal of pain.” The head coach also revealed that his starting quarterback tried to return to yesterday’s game, and Tagovailoa’s chances of playing this weekend will depend on his pain tolerance.
“Tua is very tough. It’s not a question with him,” Flores said (via ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques). “He’s a tough kid, for sure … If Tua can go, he’s gonna go. That’s just the type of kid he is.”
Tagovailoa helped guide the Dolphins to a Week 1 win, tossing a touchdown and rushing for another. Jacoby Brissett filled in on Sunday and completed 20 of his 40 pass attempts for 169 yards and one interception. Brissett would presumably get the starting nod if Tagovailoa is sidelined on Sunday in Las Vegas.
Injury Updates: Henderson, Chubb, Hasty
Some injury updates from around the NFL:
- Rams running back Darrell Henderson has a rib cartilage injury, coach Sean McVay revealed today (via ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry on Twitter). The team will check in on Henderson again on Friday, and there’s optimism he’ll be able to play against the Buccaneers on Sunday. The 24-year-old has collected 169 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns through the first two weeks of the season. If Henderson is unable to play on Sunday, the team would likely turn to recent acquisition Sony Michel. The team is also rostering the likes of Jake Funk, Buddy Howell, and Javian Hawkins.
- Broncos linebacker Bradley Chubb aggravated an ankle injury on Sunday, but the team isn’t considering placing him on short-term IR (via Troy Renck of Denver7 on Twitter). The team is remaining flexible as they work through “some roster wrinkles.” Chubb’s ankle injury knocked him out of Denver’s Week 1 win, and the 2020 Pro Bowler collected one tackle on only 19 sacks on Sunday.
- The 49ers‘ running back depth chart is already depleted, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has an update on one of the latest injured players (Twitter link). JaMycal Hasty suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday, and the 25-year-old is considered week-to-week. However, don’t expect to see Hasty on the field this weekend, as coach Kyle Shanahan said the running back is “for sure” out next Sunday night against the Packers (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). Through two games this season, Hasty collected 77 yards and one touchdown on 11 touches.
- Texans wideout Nico Collins is out for the next three to four weeks, the team revealed today. The rookie wideout suffered a shoulder injury during yesterday’s loss to the Browns. The third-round rookie out of Michigan hauled in two catches for 39 yards through his first two games.
Latest On Bears QB Andy Dalton
Bears quarterback Andy Dalton was knocked out of yesterday’s win over the Bengals, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirmed (on Twitter) that an MRI confirmed a bone bruise in the veteran’s knee. No official determination has been made about Dalton’s status for next weekend’s game against the Browns.
Dalton wasn’t great during the Bears’ Week 1 loss to the Rams, but he looked a bit better on Sunday. Before exiting with his injury, the veteran completed nine of his 11 passes for 56 yards and one touchdown. Meanwhile, after Justin Fields completed both of his pass attempts and rushed for a touchdown in Week 1, the first-round pick completed only six of his 13 pass attempts for 60 yards yesterday. The rook also threw an interception and had a fumble.
The Bears depth chart seems a bit unpredictable at the moment, and coach Matt Nagy didn’t do much to help the matter this afternoon. When asked to reveal who would start Week 3 if both QBs are healthy, the head coach gave a head-scratching answer.
“That’s something that I’m not going to get into with scheme,” Nagy said (via Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network on Twitter).
Later, a team official clarified that Nagy had misinterpreted the question and that Dalton would remain the starter, if healthy (via ESPN’s Jeff Dickerson).
Dolphins WR Will Fuller Returns To Team
Will Fuller is back in Miami. The offseason acquisition has returned to the team, coach Brian Flores said today (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).
This means the veteran wideout should be ready to make his Dolphins debut this weekend in Las Vegas. Fuller missed Week 1 thanks to a now-completed PED suspension. He was expected to play in Week 2, but he was ruled out for a non-injury-related reason. We never got a definitive explanation for Fuller’s absence yesterday, but Flores made it clear that the receiver had the organiation’s support.
After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Texans, Fuller inked a one-year, $10.6MM deal with the Dolphins this past offseason. The 27-year-old is coming off his best professional season, as he finished with a career-high 879 receiving yards and career-high eight scores in only 11 games. Fuller, of course, has missed a number of games throughout his career, with Sunday’s absence being his 29th missed game since entering the league in 2016.
In Miami, he’ll provide the up-and-coming offense with another electric option. Besides signing Fuller, the team also selected Jaylen Waddle sixth overall, pairing the two new additions with DeVante Parker and 2020 opt-out Albert Wilson.
Browns Work Out Three RBs
The Browns have one of the best running back pairings in the NFL, but that didn’t stop the team from auditioning some backs this week. According to Aaron Wilson (via Twitter), the Browns worked out running backs Brian Hill, Ryquell Armstead, and Artavis Pierce. That trio was joined by five other players, including linebacker Reuben Foster.
[RELATED: Browns To Work Out Reuben Foster]
Hill, 25, has the most experience among that grouping of running backs. The veteran had spent most of his career in Atlanta, and he finished his stint with the Falcons by having a career year. Hill finished the 2020 campaign having collected a career-high 664 yards from scrimmage to go along with one touchdown. Hill signed with the Titans this past offseason but landed on IR before the conclusion of the preseason. He was released from IR earlier this month.
Armstead got into 16 games as a rookie with the Jaguars in 2019, finishing with 252 yards from scrimmage and two touchdowns. He sat out the 2020 season while dealing with issues from COVID-19, and after getting claimed by the Giants in May, he was waived by his new team in June. Pierce, a 2020 undrafted free agent out of Oregon State, saw time in five games with the Bears last season, rushing for 34 yards and one touchdown on six carries.
The Browns also worked out safety Josh Shaw and guards Tristen Hoge, Sam Jones, and Chad Slade.