Matt Ryan Deemed Game-Time Decision For Sunday
Matt Ryan left last week’s game against the Rams with a right ankle injury and his status for this week’s matchup is far from certain. However, the good news for Atlanta is that Ryan is practicing today after missing the last two days, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the ACJ relays.
Per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Ryan will be a game-time decision this week. If Ryan can’t go on Sunday vs. the Seahawks, Matt Schaub is in line to make the start for the Falcons.
Ryan will only be active is he is starting, meaning that Atlanta won’t have him on as an emergency QB. The club will also be without G James Carpenter and RB Ito Smith on offense.
C.J. Mosley’s Season Could Be Over
The Jets’ season…is not going as well as they had hoped. The team’s franchise quarterback has missed significant time. One of their best offensive linemen is in a legal battle with the club. One of the team’s most expensive players is rumored to not like football while other players are being shopped around the league.
More fuel to the dumpster fire: C.J. Mosley, who came to the Jets this past offseason on a five-year, $85MM deal, is out of the line-up and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News hears that Mosley playing again this season is in serious doubt.
Adam Gase was asked about the possibility of Mosley landing on IR and said that he believes “everything’s on the table right now.” The club’s medical team has been doing a “deep dive” into Mosley’s nagging groin injury and the franchise will provide more information after the weekend.
“We’ll know more information after we get through this game as far as what we’re going to be doing, what he’s going to be doing,” Gase said. “So, we’re going to get through this game and I’ll have better information here. So, that’s where we’re at right.”
Jaguars Send Marcell Dareus To IR, Sign Akeem Spence
Marcell Dareus underwent core-muscle surgery earlier this week and he was expected to miss four-to-six weeks as a result. Now, it’s clear that the defensive tackle will be out longer, as the team has placed him on injured reserve.
Dareus will be eligible to return in eight weeks, which brings a probable return date of Week 15. However, if Jacksonville is out of the playoff picture by then, there may not be an incentive to active the veteran.
The Jaguars have signed Akeem Spence to take the roster spot vacated by Dareus. Spence was recently waived by the Eagles.
Golden Tate Talks Lions Tenure, New Home
Golden Tate spent four-plus seasons with the Lions before the team traded him to the Eagles last fall. Tate and the team were negotiating an extension and the franchise made an offer during the 2018 season. Tate declined the offer, feeling that it was not up to par with his worth, and the Lions dealt him away.
“They offered me. I declined it. I think like a day later they traded me,” said Tate (via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). “They gave me an offer that was not what I thought I was worth. I just respectfully declined it, showed up to work the next day and …”
Tate will make his return to Detroit with the Giants taking on the Lions in Week 8. He maintains that he has no hard feelings toward the franchise.
“I understand it’s a business. Since I left, they’ve gotten rid of a lot of guys that were pretty good on that team. It is what it is when you get a new coaching staff, a new head coach who is going to make this his way. Sometimes there are casualties,” Tate said.
Tate admits that he wanted to remain in Detroit but he’s happy with the way things played out. The wide receiver inked a four-year, $37.5MM deal with the Giants this offseason.
“I like it. I really like the group we have,” Tate said. “I don’t like the outcome of all these games obviously. We’re going to change that. Each and every guy in this building shows up to work. You have to appreciate that. I think it’s very, very easy to get down when you’re 2-5. I don’t see guys doing that. I don’t see guys tanking. I see guys still trying to figure it out.”
AFC Notes: Dareus, Broncos, Green, Chiefs, Darnold
Marcell Dareus will undergo surgery today to repair a core muscle injury, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The defensive lineman is expected to miss 4-6 weeks for Jaguars.
Here’s more around the AFC:
- Broncos coach Vic Fangio said it was “possible” that CB Bryce Callahan will miss the rest of the season, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic tweets. Callaham underwent stem cell treatment on his foot last month and the original projection was 4-to-6 weeks.
- A.J. Green did not practice today for the Bengals and isn’t expected to play against the Rams in London, Ben Baby of ESPN.com tweets. LT Cordy Glenn will also not play in the contest.
- DE Frank Clark (neck), DT Chris Jones (groin), LB Darron Lee (illness) and CB Kendall Fuller (thumb) all missed practice for the Chiefs today, Herbie Teope of Kansas City.com tweets. Patrick Mahomes is practicing again for the second-straight day.
- Sam Darnold was limited in practice today, Brian Costello of the New York Post relays (Twitter link). Darnold was a non-participant for the Jets on Wednesday because of a toe ailment.
NFLPA Supports Kelechi Osemele
The Jets and Kelechi Osemele disagree on the best treatment for his injured shoulder. Osemele plans to have surgery to repair it while Jets team doctors feel that it’s an unnecessary procedure and the franchise has fined the offensive lineman for conduct detrimental to the team as a result of the disagreement. Now, the NFL Players Association has weighed in (via Twitter).
“Our union supports every player’s right to a second medical opinion, workers’ compensation and the best medical care,” the statement reads. “It is not appropriate or ethical for employers in any line of work to dictate the medical care and treatment of any employee. We are considering all options to protect Kelechi Osemele, as we would for any of our members.”
Jets coach Adam Gates has refused to comment on the situation. “I haven’t been involved in this. My job is coaching the team,” Gase said (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). Per Cimini, Osemele hasn’t spoken to Gase in “weeks” but the guard has no beef with the coach.
Ravens Sign DB Jordan Richards
The Ravens secondary will look much different during the second half of the season than it did during the first. The team traded for Marcus Peters last week and got Jimmy Smith back from injury. Baltimore also released Justin Bethel on Monday.
Today, the Ravens have made another move, adding Jordan Richards to their secondary, as ProFootballTalk relays. Richards waived by the Patriots after New England picked up Bethel earlier this week.
Richards was a second-round pick by New England back in 2015. In between his two stints with the Patriots, he spent time in Oakland and Atlanta.
49ers LT Joe Staley Close To Returning?
The 49ers may get Joe Staley back sooner than expected. The left tackle broke his left fibula back in week 2, though he participated in individual drills on Wednesday and he could make his return against the Panthers this week, Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports relays.
“I think these next two days are big and we’ll see how he feels on Wednesday,” coach Kyle Shanahan said on Monday. “I do think there’s an outside chance, but hopefully we can get him out on the practice field a little bit this week to where if he feels good and everything then he can go.
“But if not, at least he gets a little bit of work in because it’s going to be hard to get a real practice in the following week because of the Thursday night game versus Arizona.”
San Francisco hasn’t missed a beat since Staley went down. The team is 6-0, including 4-0 in games where Staley hasn’t started.
Lions Sign S Marcus Gilchrist
The Lions are signing Marcus Gilchrist, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press relays on Twitter. The safety started 16 games for the Raiders last season.
Detroit traded away Quandre Diggs earlier this week, which created a need in the secondary. Gilchrist will add depth to a passing defense that ranks 15th, according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA.
Gilchrist was a second-round pick by the Chargers out of Clemson back in 2011. In addition to at-the-time San Diego, the safety has previously played for New York, Oakland, and Houston.
Colts Release Spencer Ware
The Colts have released Spencer Ware, who was previously placed on injured reserve, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com relays, adding that Ware will be free to sign with any team next week.
Ware tore a ligament in his knee this past offseason and while the Colts placed him on the PUP list, the running back was not thrilled with that decision. “I am NOT done for [the] season,” Ware tweeted at the time (via Yahoo Sports). “When things happen you have to adjust and treat accordingly. I’m going to play THIS YEAR, so there are things that need to be done before that happens that’ll put me in the best case scenario. MINOR, MINOR, MINOR setback because of timing.”
It was reported last month, that Ware and the Colts were planning on reaching an injury settlement. Apparently, that has happened and the former Chiefs running back will attempt to play this season.