Bears Undecided On Jay Cutler’s Future
If quarterback Jay Cutler‘s thumb injury keeps him on the shelf for an extended period of time, he could actually be likelier to remain with the Bears in 2017, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Bears hope to decide by season’s end whether to go forward with Cutler as a long-term option, says Cole, but if they’re unable to fully evaluate the signal-caller, his affordable deal might keep him in their plans next year.
The notion of another go-around with Cutler might not be an appealing one to Bears fans, of course, especially given the start he and the team have had in 2016. The Cutler-led Bears put up a combined 28 points in their first two games, losses to the Texans and Eagles. In a blowout home defeat to Philadelphia on Monday, Cutler tried to play through a thumb injury he suffered in Week 1, and he hit on 12 of 17 passes for 157 yards and an interception before exiting in the third quarter.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported Tuesday that the banged-up Cutler could sit out a few weeks, and sources told Cole that he will miss significant time. That would leave the Bears with the experienced Brian Hoyer under center as they try to climb out of the NFC North cellar. Hoyer connected on 9 of 12 passes for 78 yards in relief of Cutler on Monday.
The Bears paid a hefty price for Cutler in 2009, sending two first-rounders, a third-rounder and fellow signal-caller Kyle Orton to Denver to acquire, but his tenure in Chicago has been a rocky one. In Cutler’s 99 regular-season starts, the team has hovered around .500 (50-49) – including a woeful 3-14 mark at Soldier Field since 2014 – as he has completed 61.9 percent of passes and tossed 151 touchdowns against 106 interceptions.
Chicago has made the playoffs just once with Cutler at the helm, in 2010, and is currently stuck in a six-year postseason drought. The team signed him to a seven-year, $126MM extension with $54MM in guarantees in January 2014, and he’s set to count $16MM against its cap in 2017. Releasing Cutler after the season would leave the Bears with just $2MM in dead money in 2017, though the club could instead opt to continue with him at the controls, as Cole reports.
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Latest On Patriots’ Jimmy Garoppolo
Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is struggling to lift his arm as a result of a right shoulder injury he suffered in Week 2, but the team is pressuring him to be ready for Thursday’s game against the Texans, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Garoppolo suffered a sprained AC joint Sunday, which caused him to depart in the second quarter of the Patriots’ 31-24 win over the Dolphins. New England has since reminded Garoppolo that suspended starter Tom Brady has played through a similar injury at times during his storied career.
Although Garoppolo participated in practice on a limited basis Tuesday, it’s unrealistic to expect him to play Thursday, notes Howe, but he could still back up rookie Jacoby Brissett. That seems to be what the Patriots are banking on, as they haven’t signed a free agent this week to serve as a reserve behind Brissett – who’s primed to make his first NFL start.
New England auditioned veterans T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree on Tuesday, but the team opted against signing either. If Garoppolo can’t go Thursday, that could leave wide receiver Julian Edelman as Brissett’s backup. Edelman was a quarterback in high school and college, including three years as a starter at Kent State.
Before succumbing to injury, Garoppolo’s career began in outstanding fashion. Filling in for Brady, who will miss two more games thanks to his role in the Deflategate scandal, the 24-year-old Garoppolo completed 42 of 60 passes for 498 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in wins over the Cardinals and Dolphins.
As is the case with Garoppolo, a 2014 second-round pick, Brissett joined the Pats as a relatively high draft selection. The club selected the former North Carolina State passer in the third round, 91st overall, during the spring. He hit on 6 of 9 passes for 92 yards in his debut against the Dolphins, and he’s now set to face the 2-0 Texans and all-world defensive lineman J.J. Watt.
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Broncos, Shiloh Keo Agree To Deal
Three days after releasing Shiloh Keo, the Broncos have agreed to re-sign the strong safety, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Keo was with the Broncos in Week 1 as he served the first part of a two-game suspension for an offseason DUI arrest, but the club briefly parted with him Saturday. Now that Keo’s ban is over, he’s free to play again.
The 28-year-old Keo first signed with the Broncos last December after injuries to David Bruton, T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart weakened their safety depth. Keo, an ex-Texan, helped put himself on the Broncos’ radar by reaching out to defensive coordinator Wade Phillips via Twitter about his interest in joining the club. He ultimately played in seven games last season with Super Bowl-winning Denver, including its three playoff victories, and added a Week 17 interception against San Diego.
Months after both the end of their season and his arrest, the Broncos re-signed Keo in April. Now that he’s once again a member of the team, the 2011 fifth-round pick will join rookies Justin Simmons and Will Parks as reserve safeties behind starters T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart.
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Bears’ Eddie Goldman Out Four Weeks
On the heels of an embarrassing loss to the Eagles on Monday, the hits keep coming for the 0-2 Bears. The latest blow: Nose tackle Eddie Goldman will miss at least four weeks with a high ankle sprain, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). The Bears hope to have Goldman back for their Week 7 trip to Lambeau Field, Campbell adds.
Goldman joins quarterback Jay Cutler and two other defenders – linebackers Lamarr Houston and Danny Trevathan – as integral Bears who went down in the team’s 29-14 defeat. Cutler’s thumb injury doesn’t appear catastrophic, but Houston is done for the year with a torn ACL and Trevathan will miss time with his own thumb issue.
The Bears revamped their defense during the offseason and entered the year counting on significant production from Houston, Trevathan and Goldman. Of course, Chicago could still receive notable contributions from Trevathan, an ex-Bronco, and Goldman during truncated seasons.
Goldman joined the Bears last year as a second-round pick from Florida State and logged 12 starts in 15 appearances, totaling 22 tackles and an impressive 4.5 sacks along the way. His overall output also earned plaudits from Pro Football Focus. Goldman began 2016 with back-to-back starts and another half-sack. Third-year man Will Sutton is likely to take Goldman’s starting spot for the Bears, who will face the Cowboys, Lions, Colts and Jaguars over the next four weeks.
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T.J. Yates, Sean Renfree Visited Patriots
The Patriots worked out free agent quarterbacks T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree on Tuesday, but they declined to sign either, report Adam Kaufman of CBS Sports Radio and ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter links). New England is content to enter its Thursday game against the Texans with third-round rookie Jacoby Brissett and the banged-up Jimmy Garoppolo as its signal-callers, adds Kaufman.
Since Garoppolo had to exit the Patriots’ 31-24 win over the Dolphins with an injured shoulder Sunday, there have been questions as to whether the Pats would add another QB on a short week. Schefter reported Monday that they wouldn’t, and that now appears to be the case after the team passed on Yates and Renfree. As a result, New England could have Garoppolo back up Brissett in his first career start.
Had it signed Yates, New England would have landed a passer with 18 games of regular-season experience and seven starts under his belt. The 29-year-old divided his first five seasons between Houston and Atlanta. He made four appearances and two starts for the Texans last season, completing 28 of 57 passes for 370 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. In all, he has connected on 58.1 percent of 227 career attempts and racked up six scores against eight picks.
Yates, who started both of the Texans’ playoff games in January 2012, went on injured reserve last December with a torn ACL. He received a clean bill of health in August, which could pave the way for him to sign somewhere this year.
Renfree is also a former Falcon, having gone to Atlanta in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. The ex-Duke passer saw his only pro action last year, but he totaled a mere seven attempts.
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Extra Points: Rice, Saints, Broncos, Bills
If free agent running back Ray Rice is going to return to the NFL, it could be now or never, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Several teams are dealing with injuries in the backfield, and that could open the door for Rice to sign somewhere and see his first action since 2013. Rice has been out of the league since the Ravens released him in September 2014, which came after video of him knocking out his then-fiancee in a hotel elevator surfaced. The league also suspended Rice, but he won an appeal that lifted the ban in November 2014. Teams have still stayed away from Rice, who has seemingly cleaned up his act off the field over the past couple years. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this month of a “growing sense” that the 29-year-old would get another chance, and Florio observes that it could come soon.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Saints aren’t thrilled with big-money tight end Coby Fleener‘s early season production, writes Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. Quarterback Drew Brees has targeted Fleener 12 times in two games, but the former Colt has caught just three passes for 35 yards. “I think there’s been moments and yet it hasn’t been as consistent as we’d like yet,” head coach Sean Payton said Monday. Fleener, 27, combined for 183 receptions and 17 touchdowns over his first four seasons, leading the Saints to sign him to a five-year, $36MM deal in free agency.
- Broncos right tackle Donald Stephenson suffered a calf injury that should keep him out 2-3 weeks, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Fortunately for Denver, he did not suffer a tear, as some initially feared.
- The Bills worked out a pair of free agents, tight end E.J. Bibbs and offensive tackle Laurence Gibson, on Monday, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN. Of the two, only Bibbs has NFL experience. He signed with the Browns last year as an undrafted free agent from Iowa State and appeared in seven games as a rookie, catching one pass.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
49ers Sticking With Blaine Gabbert – For Now
49ers quarterback Blaine Gabbert completed just 17 of 36 attempts and threw two interceptions in the team’s 46-27 loss to the Panthers on Sunday. Niners receivers dropped five of Gabbert’s passes, but head coach Chip Kelly still fielded questions about the signal-caller’s job status Monday.
Kelly backed Gabbert, saying, “He’s our starter, and I’ve got a lot of confidence in Blaine. We’re not thinking or talking about not having Blaine in there. It’s about everybody on offense playing better right now.”
Kelly also left himself room to make an eventual change, per Ron Kroichick of the San Francisco Chronicle, as he said Gabbert had a “week-to-week” hold on the job. Gabbert, whom the Jaguars chose 10th overall in the 2011 draft, has experienced a disappointing NFL career and his play this year has been unremarkable. Before losing to Carolina, the 49ers easily disposed of the Rams, 28-0, in Week 1, but Gabbert’s performance then wasn’t great. Although the 26-year-old completed 22 of 35 attempts against the Rams, didn’t throw a pick, and rushed for 43 yards, he only averaged 4.86 yards per pass.
In total, Gabbert has hit on 39 of 71 tries, put up a meager 5.82 YPA, and amassed three touchdowns against two picks. Gabbert ranks in the league’s bottom five in completion percentage (54.9), YPA and passer rating (74.4). From at least a statistical standpoint, then, Gabbert hasn’t looked like part of the solution in San Francisco. But even if the 49ers do want to replace Gabbert sooner than later, the quarterback he beat out over the summer for the starting job, Colin Kaepernick, doesn’t seem physically ready to take over, as Kroichick notes. Surgeries Kaepernick underwent on his left shoulder, right thumb and left knee limited him in the offseason, and Kelly revealed Monday that the 28-year-old is still working his way up to his ideal playing weight of 225 pounds.
“Usually if you have a knee you can lift with your upper body, and if you have a shoulder you can lift with your lower body. But Kap was really out of the weight room for six-to-eight months,” Kelly stated.
As of last week, Kelly and general manager Trent Baalke were divided on whether the team should retain Kaepernick, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. Kelly would reportedly like to keep Kaepernick and help him turn into a formidable option again, while Baalke wants to cut ties.
Of course, for multiple reasons, Kaepernick isn’t a run-of-the-mill backup. Before his play began trending downward in 2014, the dual threat helped lead the 49ers to a Super Bowl berth and a place in the NFC title game in his first year and a half as a starter. More recently, Kaepernick has become a polarizing figure on account of his decision not to stand for the pregame national anthem. In doing so, Kaepernick is protesting racial injustice in America, and his choice has spurred other NFLers to make similar pregame statements. The latest example: Several Eagles raised their right fists during the national anthem prior to their game against the Bears on Monday.
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Browns To Sign Charlie Whitehurst
Free agent quarterback Charlie Whitehurst is joining the Browns, his agency, SportsTrust Advisors, announced Monday (Twitter link). Whitehurst will likely back up third-round rookie Cody Kessler this week for Cleveland, which is dealing with multiple injuries under center.
After losing Robert Griffin III and Josh McCown to shoulder injuries during their first two games, both losses, the Browns will start their third QB in as many weeks this Sunday against Miami. Head coach Hue Jackson revealed Monday that the team needed to find a veteran signal-caller quickly, and it has in Whitehurst. The 34-year-old possesses recent experience, having appeared in a combined five games with the Colts and Titans last season.
In total, Whitehurst has amassed 25 appearances and nine starts with four different teams. The 2006 third-round pick from Clemson has completed 55.1 percent of his 372 career attempts and tossed 10 touchdowns against seven interceptions.
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Lions’ Ansah, Levy Could Miss Extended Time
The Lions’ best pass rusher, defensive end Ziggy Ansah, suffered a high ankle sprain in the team’s 16-15 loss to the Titans on Sunday and will miss an undetermined amount of time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Detroit played nearly all of Week 2 without Ansah, who limped off the field after three snaps and didn’t return.
Ansah, whom the Lions chose fifth overall in the 2013 draft, has developed into a prolific sack artist in the NFL. After taking down opposing quarterbacks 15.5 times and forcing five fumbles during his first two seasons, he tallied 14.5 and four in those two categories last year. He hasn’t made much of a dent on the stat sheet this season in limited playing time for the 1-1 Lions, whose defense currently ranks 22nd in the league in scoring and 25th in yardage (though it is tied for seventh in sacks).
Up next for the Lions are the NFC North rival Packers, but Ansah won’t be on the field against the Aaron Rodgers-led club. The same might be true for another of the Lions’ integral defenders, linebacker DeAndre Levy, who didn’t practice last week and missed the Titans game. When asked Monday if Levy’s quad injury could end his season, head coach Jim Caldwell didn’t give the most reassuring response.
“We’ll see. You know we don’t talk about injuries,” said Caldwell (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com).
Levy was one of the Lions’ top players from 2009-14, but he missed all but one game a season ago on account of a hip injury. A knee issue then caused Levy to sit out training camp over the summer, though he did recover in time to take the field Week 1. Levy’s inability to stay healthy since last year isn’t what he or the Lions envisioned when the two agreed to a four-year, $33MM contract extension in August 2015. Without Levy on Sunday, Detroit turned to fifth-round rookie Antwione Williams on the weak side. Williams picked up four tackles.
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Rex Ryan Defends Rob Ryan
Last February, after Bills head coach Rex Ryan hired his wild-haired brother, Rob Ryan, to serve as the team’s assistant head coach/defense, Rex called Rob a “great football coach.” That raised eyebrows considering Rob Ryan previously ran a Saints defense that was on a historically poor pace under his leadership last season, causing head coach Sean Payton to dismiss him in November.
[RELATED: Latest On Bills’ Offense]
While the Ryans expect their union to produce excellent results, that hasn’t been the case yet. Under the Ryans and coordinator Dennis Thurman, the Bills’ defense has begun the season in less-than-ideal fashion during the club’s 0-2 start. The unit was especially ineffective in a 37-31 loss to the Jets in Week 2, when journeyman quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick had his way with the Bills in a 24-of-34, 374-yard performance. Running back Matt Forte added another 100 yards rushing in a game that saw Gang Green’s offense total a combined 493 through the air and on the ground. Despite that, Rex Ryan stuck by his brother Monday.
“I think my brother’s done as good a job as anybody coaching in this league, so I think that’s … but I get it,” he said (via ESPN’s Mike Rodak). “That’s always going to be [those questions] out there but hey, it comes with the territory. And now it’s time to move on, I’m focused on Arizona and I better be.”
In fairness to the Ryans, it hasn’t helped their cause that the Bills have been without stellar defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, who’s serving a four-game suspension, or two injured rookie linebackers – first-rounder Shaq Lawson and second-rounder Reggie Ragland. Still, there’s nothing to suggest either Ryan has done well atop the Bills’ defense since Rex Ryan’s hiring as their head coach last year. Under previous coordinator Jim Schwartz, Buffalo had an elite-caliber ‘D’ in 2014. Then, with largely the same personnel Schwartz worked with, the Rex Ryan-led group was a below-average one last season. And this year, double the Ryans hasn’t meant double the fun for the Bills, whose defense ranks 21st in scoring and 22nd in yardage.
Rex Ryan fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman on Friday for his side of the ball’s subpar output over the season’s first two weeks, but that type of shakeup isn’t going to come on defense. Now, having lost to the Ravens and Jets over the season’s first two weeks, life isn’t about to get any easier for the Bills. They’re set for a home matchup against the high-powered Cardinals this Sunday, as Rex Ryan mentioned, and will then head to New England to take on the AFC East rival Patriots.
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