Chargers, Rams Progressing Toward LA Deal
Chargers owner Dean Spanos said earlier this month that he was shelving relocation talks until after the season, but he and the Rams’ Stan Kroenke are in close contact and progressing toward an agreement to share a stadium in Inglewood, Calif., according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
The $2.6 billion facility in Inglewood won’t be ready until 2019, so the Chargers are considering relocating to Carson, Calif., for the next two seasons and playing at the StubHub Center. Although its capacity is just 27,000, some in the Chargers organization prefer temporarily utilizing the StubHub Center in lieu of sharing the Coliseum with both the Rams and USC Trojans, reports La Canfora.
For their part, the Rams are motivated to make a deal with the Chargers happen. Rams chief operating officer Kevin Demoff made clear last week that there aren’t any roadblocks in the way of an agreement. Further, the Rams can’t sell personal seat licenses and suite deals until they know whether the Bolts will join them in Inglewood, notes La Canfora. That could give the Chargers leverage in negotiations and result in the franchise paying a less expensive relocation fee if it heads to Los Angeles.
The Chargers could have joined the Rams in LA this season, but they opted to give the city of San Diego more time in hopes of landing a new stadium. Little progress has been made on that front, and the Bolts’ Jan. 15 deadline to decide whether to partner with the Rams is fast approaching. Theoretically, given that the Chargers’ lease with San Diego runs through the 2020 season, they could extend the LA deadline again and continue lobbying for a stadium in the city they’ve called home since 1961. However, given that relations between the Chargers and Rams have improved from where they were a couple weeks ago, it seems likelier the Bolts are playing their final season in San Diego.
Poll: Are Cowboys NFL’s Best Team?
In pulling out a 31-26 win over the NFC East rival Redskins on Thanksgiving, the Cowboys improved to 10-1 and became the first team in the NFL this year to reach double-digit victories. Most of Dallas’ success has come thanks to an elite offense fronted by a dominant line and two sensational rookies – fourth-round quarterback Dak Prescott and first-round running back Ezekiel Elliott.
As those who pay any attention to the league know, Prescott was only supposed to be a temporary fill-in while Tony Romo recovered from an August back injury. The 23-year-old instead stole the four-time Pro Bowler’s job and has combined for 23 touchdowns (18 passing, five rushing) against two interceptions. Thanks to Prescott’s stinginess, the Cowboys are tied for first in the league in giveaways per game (0.6).
While Prescott’s resounding early success has come as a shock, Elliott has been as advertised. The former Ohio State star went fourth overall because his greatness with the Buckeyes was supposed to transfer to the pros, which it has. Elliott entered Thursday as the league’s rushing leader, and he increased his advantage over second-place DeMarco Murray – a former Cowboy – with a 97-yard performance. Elliott is now up to 1,199 yards on a league-high 243 carries, and he ranks second in the sport in rushing touchdowns (11).
With so much going for them on offense – including tight end Jason Witten, receivers Dez Bryant and Cole Beasley and, should something happen to Prescott, the league’s premier backup QB (Romo) – it doesn’t appear an attack that entered Thursday first in DVOA is going to fade down the stretch. The Cowboys’ defense is another matter, though: While the unit has given up a fairly meager 19.4 points per game – good for 10th in the league – it’s a distant 22nd in yards allowed per contest, and 25th in both DVOA and takeaways per game (0.9). Dallas’ work against the pass has been especially problematic, and its ineptitude was on display when it allowed Redskins signal-caller Kirk Cousins to complete 41 of 53 passes for 449 yards and three touchdowns on Thursday. The Cowboys also failed to sack Cousins, and have taken down opposing QBs only 20 times.
One thing the Cowboys’ defense has going for it – and one thing that helps explain the team’s lack of points surrendered – is that it doesn’t spend much time on the field. Dallas’ offense leads the league in time of possession (33:12 per game), as Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today noted Friday, thereby taking even more pressure off a less-than-stellar defense. That formula has worked swimmingly so far, but it could backfire in the playoffs against a team like the 7-2-1 Seahawks – who rank in the league’s top 10 in both offensive and DVOA and might stand as the Cowboys’ top competition in the NFC.
The likes of the Patriots (8-2), Raiders (8-2) and defending champion Broncos (7-3) are among those that should also be in the discussion for the league’s No. 1 team, though any of them would only serve as a hindrance to the Cowboys in a potential Super Bowl matchup. Having to face one of those teams this season would be a welcome task for Dallas, whose latest Super Bowl appearance came in a January 1996 win over the Steelers.
As things stand, the Cowboys are on track for a first-round bye in the postseason and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. That indicates that they’re the league’s preeminent team, but do you fully buy into their nearly spotless record? Are they the current Super Bowl favorites?
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Oher, Vikes, Seahawks, Redskins
After landing on injured reserve with a concussion Friday, it’s possible Panthers left tackle Michael Oher has played his final snap, David Newton of ESPN.com suggests. Oher emphatically shot down that notion on Instagram a few weeks ago, however. At the very least, the soon-to-be 31-year-old is done for 2016, having last appeared in a game Sept. 25. Oher is under contract through 2019 on the three-year, $21.6MM extension he signed in June.
More from the NFC:
- The Vikings’ early September decision to send a first- and fourth-rounder to the Eagles for quarterback Sam Bradford is hard to justify after 11 games, writes Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com. In acquiring Bradford to replace the injured Teddy Bridgewater, the Vikings overestimated the chances of everything else goes right for their offense from a health standpoint, Barnwell argues. Instead, not only has running back Adrian Peterson missed most of the season, but Minnesota’s O-line has also dealt with several injuries. And while Bradford hasn’t played poorly, he also hasn’t made much of a difference during the Vikings’ 6-5 start. Looking ahead to the offseason, it’s possible the Vikings could flip Bradford – who’s under contract for one more year – and either give the reins back to a healthy Bridgewater or acquire someone else (Tony Romo, for instance), Barnwell notes.
- Redskins tight end Jordan Reed suffered a Grade 3 AC joint separation in his left shoulder in the team’s loss to Dallas on Thanksgiving, per Liz Clarke of The Washington Post (on Twitter). Coach Jay Gruden hopes Reed can play next week against Arizona, but he’s currently day-to-day. If the injury’s severe enough, Reed could deal with pain for up to six weeks, according to Dr. David Chao of Sirius XM (Twitter link). Reed didn’t show any ill effects Thursday, catching a whopping 10 passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns. He leads potentially playoff-bound Washington in receptions (59) and targets (80), and is second on the team in TDs (five).
- Safety Earl Thomas will miss the Seahawks’ game against the Buccaneers on Sunday because of a hamstring injury, thus ending an iron man streak that dates back to his 2010 entrance into the NFL. The four-time Pro Bowler had appeared in and started 106 straight games prior to this week. In the history of the Seahawks, only former guard John Gray (121) has started more games consecutively, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Kirk Cousins Seeking $23.94MM Per Year
The Redskins’ Kirk Cousins has continued to make the case this year that he’s a franchise quarterback, most recently completing 41 of 53 passes for 449 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-26 loss to the Cowboys on Thanksgiving. The impending free agent stands to cash in over the coming months, and he’ll look to do just that after the season.
[RELATED: Cousins Tops 2017 Free Agent Power Rankings]
Cousins’ starting point for long-term contract negotiations will be $23.94MM per year, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com). Placing the franchise tag on Cousins in the offseason would also cost the Redskins $23.94MM – a notable increase from the $19.95MM salary he’s making this year as their franchise player.
Given his remarkable output since midway through the 2015 campaign, multiple general managers told Rapoport that Cousins is likely to receive upward of $20MM per annum on a long-term deal. After getting off to a rough start last year, his first as a starter, Cousins had a breakout Week 7 showing against the Buccaneers – the “You like that!” game – and hasn’t looked back.
As Wesseling notes, Cousins has completed 70.1 percent of throws with 43 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 8.4 yards per attempt and a 108.1 passer rating across his past 20 starts. The Redskins have also done their share of winning with the 2012 fourth-round pick, having gone 15-11-1 since he took the reins from Robert Griffin III entering last season, and the 6-4-1 club currently holds a wild-card spot a year after earning an NFC East crown.
There are conflicting reports over whether the Redskins would tag Cousins again, but it’s hard to imagine the team letting him hit the open market after the season. A quarterback-desperate franchise would surely dip into free agency and give Cousins $20MM-plus per year in advance of his age-29 season, which would make him the 13th signal-caller in the league to receive at least that much annually. If a team matches his asking price of $23.94MM, he’d fall behind only Andrew Luck, Carson Palmer and Drew Brees in average yearly value. It’s unknown how much guaranteed money Cousins is seeking, but Luck landed a league-high $87MM as part of the extension he signed over the summer. No other QB comes close to that figure, though both another salary cap increase and having several teams vying for Cousins’ services would certainly improve his odds of approaching it.
Bears’ Kyle Fuller To Return From IR
Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller is primed to come back from injured reserve, perhaps early next week, head coach John Fox said Friday.
“I’d be pretty surprised depending on how it goes after [Friday] because he had a pretty brisk workout [Friday], if he’s not practicing Monday,” Fox told Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.
Fuller underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in August and has been on IR since Sept. 27. Once the Bears designate him to return, they’ll have a three-week window to activate the 24-year-old. At 2-8, Chicago’s hopes for 2016 are dashed, but it would be beneficial for the team to continue evaluating Fuller in advance of the offseason. The Bears have to decide on Fuller’s fifth-year option for 2018 by the spring, though they’re unlikely to exercise it, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune wrote in September. A 2014 first-round pick, Fuller has started in 30 of 32 games – including all 16 last year – and intercepted six passes.
When Fuller comes back, the season will officially end for another of the Bears’ recent first-rounders, receiver Kevin White. The second-year man landed on IR on Oct. 5 with a fractured fibula. Injuries have limited White to just four games since the Bears chose him seventh overall in 2015.
Cardinals Promote Marquis Bundy
The Cardinals have promoted wide receiver Marquis Bundy from the practice squad to the active roster and cut fellow wideout Chris Hubert, per a team announcement.
Bundy, a Phoenix native, signed with the Cardinals in June as an undrafted free agent from New Mexico and had been on their practice squad since September. Bundy caught just 31 passes in 35 games during his college career, but he’ll now join an Arizona receiving corps that, like the team itself, has been a disappointment this year. One of the unit’s letdowns, Michael Floyd, has a hamstring injury and is questionable for the Cardinals’ game against the Falcons on Sunday.
Hubert, also an undrafted rookie, originally signed with the Cardinals in May after playing college football at Fayetteville State. The club promoted him to its active roster Oct. 26 to take the place of receiver Jaron Brown, who tore his ACL, but Hubert didn’t see any game action.
Extra Points: Packers, Bills, Van Noy, Lions
Unless Packers president Mark Murphy is willing to risk losing well-regarded director of player personnel Eliot Wolf, he’ll probably have to turn the football operations over to the 34-year-old in the offseason and relegate general manager Ted Thompson to an advisory role, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Packers have been highly successful since hiring Thompson in 2005, having gone 112-73-1 with eight playoff appearances, but they’re currently 4-6 and Silverstein argues that Thompson’s free agency-avoiding approach has grown stale. Thompson, who has two years left on his contract, is also three decades older than the up-and-coming Wolf. Thus, if the Packers are sold on Wolf, promoting him soon would make sense.
More from around the NFL, which is capping off a quality slate of Thanksgiving games:
- Bills No. 1 receiver Sammy Watkins hasn’t seen the field since Week 2 on account of a foot injury, but it appears he’ll return Sunday against Jacksonville. “As long as there’s not another setback or anything like that, I feel pretty good about him playing,” head coach Rex Ryan said Thursday (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). Watkins, whom the Bills designated to return from injured reserve Wednesday, will only be available on a limited basis if he does play Sunday. Nevertheless, his presence will be a welcome one for a wideout-needy Buffalo team that likely won’t have Robert Woods in its lineup because of a knee ailment.
- On the heels of a 25-sack college career at BYU, the Lions selected linebacker Kyle Van Noy in the second round of the 2014 draft. Van Noy amassed just one sack in 30 games with the Lions, though, and they traded him to the Patriots last month for a late-round pick. In his Pats debut last week, Van Noy picked up 29 snaps and a sack in a win over the 49ers, and he admitted Thursday that his Detroit tenure was frustrating because the club seldom used him as a pass rusher. “Oh yeah, who wouldn’t be when you did that your whole college career and then all of a sudden you’re not allowed to, or they don’t want you to,” he told Ryan Hannable of WEEI.
- There were conflicting reports on Thursday afternoon regarding the Redskins’ willingness to place the franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins again in the offseason. That was before Cousins completed 41 of 53 passes for 453 yards and three touchdowns in a 31-26 loss to Dallas. Cousins is amid a late-season tear for the second straight year.
- Speaking of the Cowboys, who are an NFL-best 10-1, second-round linebacker Jaylon Smith won’t make his debut this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/24/16
Thursday’s minor moves…
- The Chiefs have promoted cornerback Terrance Mitchell from their practice squad, according to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). Mitchell joined the Chiefs organization shortly after the Texans cut him in September. He has totaled one appearance this year, giving him nine since Dallas took him in the seventh round of the 2014 draft.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/24/16
Thursday’s practice squad changes:
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Corey Fuller
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Devin Street (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: LB Earl Okine (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Suspension Looming For Seantrel Henderson?
Bills right tackle Seantrel Henderson served a four-game suspension to begin the season because of a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Now, a month and a half after the Bills activated Henderson, another ban is imminent for the third-year man, reports Jay Skurski of the Buffalo News.
Henderson’s previous suspension resulted from medicinal marijuana use, and that’s likely to be the case again this time. The 24-year-old has been using it to treat Crohn’s disease, which he was diagnosed with last year, but the league hasn’t been sympathetic.
“I’ve got doctors telling me this is the No. 1 medicine that would help your disease,” Henderson said last month, according to Skurski. “You try to tell that to the league and it seems like they didn’t care too much.”
While Henderson’s marijuana use dates back to his time at the University of Miami (one reason he fell to the seventh round of the 2014 draft), he insists he now utilizes it only to treat his disease.
“I hadn’t even been thinking about marijuana until it was brought up to me by a doctor,” he said. “Since I’ve been in the league, I’ve been in the program. I got drug tested three times a week. There’s no recreational use. There’s none of that.”
Unfortunately for Henderson, even though the majority of states – including New York – allow some sort of medical marijuana use, it doesn’t appear the league is willing to soften its stance. However, various executives around the sport are pushing for less draconian measures.
Henderson has played in only one game this year after starting in all 26 appearances during his first two seasons – including 16 as a rookie. Thanks in part to his health issues, Henderson lost the Bills’ No. 1 right tackle job to Jordan Mills.