Buccaneers To Sign DE Darryl Tapp
The Buccaneers have agreed to sign free agent defensive end Darryl Tapp, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).
Tampa Bay is dealing with several injuries along its defensive line, the most severe of which may be to edge rusher Noah Spence, who left Sunday’s contest with a shoulder injury and will likely miss an extended period of time. Ryan Russell is also coming back from a shoulder issue, while veteran Robert Ayers is managing a knee injury (and was able to play in Week 7).
Tapp, 33, has already had multiple stints with the division rival Saints in 2017, but hasn’t actually played a down for New Orleans since last season. He’s been more or less a rotational defensive end since 2009 (with his best and most productive years coming as a starter for the Seahawks in 2007-08), and that’s likely the role he’ll play for the Buccaneers. Tapp, who has 162 career appearances under his belt, will play behind Ayers, William Gholston, and Will Clarke in Tampa.
This isn’t the first time the Bucs have sought to add help on the edge of their defensive line. Free agent pass rusher Lamarr Houston worked out for Tampa Bay earlier this month before signing with the Texans, while the Buccaneers auditioned defensive ends Wallace Gilberry and Owa Odighizuwa alongside Tapp on Tuesday, per veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (Twitter link). Tampa also looked at cornerbacks Josh Johnson, Deji Olatoye, and Raysean Pringle, plus defensive tackle Marquavius Lewis.
Panthers Working Out K Andrew Franks
The Panthers are working out a group of kickers that includes free agent Andrew Franks on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
While incumbent kicker Graham Gano has not been ruled out for next week’s game against the Buccaneers, he is dealing with a knee injury. Gano appeared on Carolina’s injury report late last week, and subsequently had ice on his knee following the Panthers’ 17-3 loss to the Bears on Sunday, tweets Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. Gano converted his lone field goal attempt yesterday, a 36-yarder that represented Carolina’s only points on the day.
The Panthers began the season with rookie kicker Harrison Butker on their practice squad, but he’s since been snatched up the Chiefs (and performed rather well). Franks, meanwhile, was the Dolphins’ kicker for each of the past two seasons, but he converted just 78.4% of his field goal attempts during that time. He’s auditioned for the Redskins, Buccaneers, and Jaguars since being released by Miami, but has yet to land a contract.
Latest On Steelers WR Martavis Bryant
Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant — the subject of recent trade rumors — took to social media and responded to an Instagram user who claimed fellow Pittsburgh pass-catcher JuJu Smith-Schuster is the superior wideout, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. Bryant, who has since deleted the post, “wants out” of Pittsburgh, a source tells Fowler.
“JuJu is no where near better than me, fool,” Bryant wrote. “All they need to do is give me what I want and y’all can have JuJu and whoever else.”
Bryant, who is back in the NFL after being suspended for the entirety of the 2016 campaign, reportedly requested a trade last week, although he has since denied that ask. Either way, the Steelers don’t intend to deal Bryant, although he has struggled this season and is being phased out of the club’s offense in favor of Smith-Schuster. Bryant has manged only 234 yards and one touchdown in seven games, and he essentially rotated with Smith-Schuster in Sunday’s victory. Bryant finished with 36 offensive snaps, while Smith-Schuster — a second-round rookie — played 32.
“JuJu is the future and got great talent and is going to be one of the best to play this game,” Bryant wrote after deleting the original post. “I want him to get his. I just want mines, period, point-blank. Ain’t nobody did nothing to get me back. I worked my a– off to get myself back with no help and little support, period. In due time the process will show.”
Bryant didn’t show up for required team meetings Monday, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and one teammate said Bryant “called in sick.” Whether or not Bryant’s absence today is related to his ongoing situation within the offense is unclear, but the timing would certainly hint that the two are interconnected. Bryant’s agent says the wideout did in fact see a doctor today, however, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
The Steelers don’t plan on disciplining Bryant for either today’s meeting or his comments on Smith-Schuster, as Bouchette writes in a full piece. And — reiterating previous reports to this effect — Pittsburgh “certainly” doesn’t intend to ship Bryant out of town via trade.
Cowboys Working Out Kickers
The Cowboys had to resort to using defensive back Jeff Heath as their placekicker on Sunday after incumbent Dan Bailey went down with a groin injury, but the club won’t ask Heath to play the role of kicker any longer. Dallas is working out free agent kickers Mike Nugent, Jason Myers, Sam Irwin-Hill, and Younghoe Koo, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Bailey is expected to miss several weeks after sustaining a groin strain, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Replacing the 29-year-old certainly won’t be easy, as Bailey owns a 89.9% field goal success rate for his career, and hasn’t missed a field goal or an extra point this season. The Cowboys have garnered 4.1 points of field position from Bailey’s work on field goals and extra points, good for seventh in the NFL per Football Outsiders.
Nugent is — by far — the most experienced of the kickers Dallas is working out, as he’s appeared in 153 games during his 12-year NFL career. He lost out to Aldrick Rosas in the Giants’ kicking battle this summer. Myers and Koo, meanwhile, were released this season after struggling with the Jaguars and Chargers, respectively. Irwin-Hill has never appeared in an NFL game, but he did spend the summer in Cowboys’ camp.
Browns Place OT Joe Thomas On IR
Browns stalwart left tackle Joe Thomas suffered a torn triceps in Sunday’s loss to the Titans and will miss the remainder of the season, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) was the first to report Thomas had likely torn his triceps. The Browns have since placed Thomas on injured reserve.
Thomas, 32, had not missed a single offensive snap since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2007. That streak is now over at 10,363, but that figure stands as a testament to Thomas’ amazing consistency and resiliency. And Thomas, a nine-time All Pro, hasn’t yet hit a decline, as Pro Football Focus ranked him as the No. 3 offensive tackle in the league through seven weeks.
The winless Browns turned to Spencer Drango to replace Thomas on Sunday, making the 2016 fifth-round selection the first player other than Thomas to man left tackle in Cleveland since 2006. Drango will presumably continue on the blindside for Cleveland — which ranks a mediocre 18th in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate — but the Browns could also conceivably take a look at fellow tackle Zach Banner, a fourth-round rookie whom Cleveland acquired off waivers from Indianapolis.
With Thomas done for the year, any chance of the Browns reaping draft pick compensation for him via trade is eliminated. Cleveland reportedly had “no intention” of dealing Thomas, who has been oft-mentioned in trade rumors given the Browns’ lack of success on the field and his status as the club’s best player, and Thomas’ health questions would render any theoretical discussions moot. Thomas is signed through the 2018 season, and has a $8.8MM base salary on the books for next season.
Ravens Sign TE Gavin Escobar
The Ravens have signed tight end Gavin Escobar and released offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom, the club announced today.
Escobar, 26, never lived up his to second-round draft status, as he managed only 30 receptions and 333 yards over four seasons with the Cowboys. He inked a minimum salary benefit contract with the Chiefs in March, but was part of the club’s final cutdowns in September. Since then, Escobar has been on the workout circuit, and while he’s auditioned for a number of clubs, he hadn’t found a deal until now.
Baltimore currently has four tight ends on its roster, with Ben Watson, Nick Boyle, Maxx Williams, and Vince Mayle serving as the club’s depth at the position. Watson and Boyle have done most of receiving work for the Ravens this year, while Williams was inactive for Sunday’s contest with an ankle injury. Williams’ health questions could have conceivably led Baltimore to inking Escobar.
Bergstrom, meanwhile, was sent to Baltimore in a preseason trade but has since bounced on-and-off the Ravens’ roster. He’s appeared in four games this season but played just 32 total snaps.
Latest On Jay Cutler, Dolphins’ QB Situation
Confirming reports from Sunday night, Dolphins quarterback Jay Cutler did indeed suffer cracked ribs in Miami’s Week 7 win over the Jets, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Cutler is initially expected to miss two-to-three weeks while recovering from the injury.
With Cutler sidelined, Miami is meeting with free agent quarterback David Fales, per Rapoport (Twitter link). Fales spent the summer with the Dolphins, and also worked under Miami head coach Adam Gase when the pair was in Chicago. Given that history, Fales should have enough familiarity with Gase’s offense in order to serve as Matt Moore‘s backup on Thursday night. If signed, Fales will have been chosen over Dolphins practice squad quarterback Brandon Doughty.
Despite Cutler’s struggles to begin the 2017 season, he’s expected to remain Miami’s starter under center when he returns from injury, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Moore could certainly change that with excellent play over the next several weeks, but the Dolphins plan to re-insert Cutler when he’s available. Cutler, who un-retired to join Miami, hasn’t performed well this year, as he ranks 28th in quarterback rating and 29th in adjusted net yards per attempt.
Texans OT Duane Brown Ends Holdout
Texans offensive tackle Duane Brown has ended his holdout and reported to the club, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Brown, 32, hasn’t played a single game for Houston this season as he continues to push for a new contract. His decision to rejoin the Texans doesn’t necessarily mean the team’s front office has decided to cave on a new deal, and in fact there’s no indication that’s the case. Instead, Brown is likely reporting in order to gain credit for the 2017 season, as he needed to appear in eight games to do so.
Presuming that he’s ready to immediately step in at left tackle, Brown should provide a significant upgrade on the blindside. Houston has turned to Chris Clark (five starts) in Brown’s absence, but he’s offered a sub-par performance thus far, Pro Football Focus ranks Clark as just the No. 52 tackle among 71 qualifiers. While the Texans’ offensive line has played well in the run game, the unit is 31st in adjusted rack rate, according to Football Outsiders.
If the Texans are intent on not reaching a new deal with Brown, they could conceivably still trade him, something the club is reportedly open to doing. Cleveland currently owns Houston’s first- and second-round picks in 2018, so shipping Brown for draft capital could help the Texans recoup some of its lost assets. The Seahawks, notably, have been linked to a potential Brown acquisition.
But “barring the unforeseen,” Brown is set to play for the Texans, and not act as trade bait, tweets Rapoport. His return is coming at a fortuitous time, as Clark is now expected to miss a week or two after suffering a calf injury, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
NFL’s Request For Expedited Ezekiel Elliott Hearing Denied
A judge has denied the NFL’s request for an expedited hearing in Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s suspension case, according to legal analyst Daniel Wallach (Twitter link). The league had been pushing for an October 27 hearing, but the case will instead be heard on October 30 as originally planned.
The most immediate impact of Judge Katherine Failla is that Elliott will be available to play in Dallas’ Week 8 contest against the Redskins, which takes place just one day before the October 30 hearing date. That’s an incredibly important NFC East matchup, especially given that the Cowboys now sit at 3-3 after Sunday’s thrashing of the 49ers (Washington, meanwhile, is 3-2 pending the result of Monday Night Football).
Following that game, Elliott and his team will take his case to Failla. Elliott, of course, is facing a six-game suspension stemming from domestic violence allegations, but last week was granted a temporary restraining order against the NFL that allowed him to stay on the field. If Ellliott’s ban sticks after Week 8, he would miss critical games against the Falcons, Chiefs, Eagles, and Redskins, and wouldn’t be able to return until Week 15.
Elliott is fresh off his best performance of the season, as he totaled 219 yards from scrimmage and scored three times against San Francisco. If Elliott is suspended, the Cowboys would likely turn to a combination of Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden in the backfield.
5 Key NFL Stories: 10/15/17 – 10/22/17
Quarterbacks go down in Green Bay, Arizona. Aaron Rodgers will be sidelined for at least eight weeks after suffering a broken a collarbone in Week 8, and while there’s a chance he could return later this year (and into the postseason), some reports indicate that the Packers aren’t expecting Rodgers back. Green Bay won’t add a veteran quarterback, meaning 2015 fifth-round pick Brett Hundley will handle starting duties. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will be without Carson Palmer for eight weeks, as well, as the veteran signal-caller broke his left arm on Sunday. Like Rodgers, could conceivably play again this season, but if Arizona is out of contention, it’s unlikely he’ll return.
Zeke’s suspension on hold…again. Ezekiel Elliott was granted yet another temporary restraining order last week, ensuring his availability for the Cowboys’ Week 7 contest against the 49ers. Next up is a hearing on October 30, meaning that Elliott should be available in Week 8, as well. However, the NFL is pushing for an expedited hearing (with a target date of October 27). And despite reports to the contrary, the league has no interest in discussing a possible settlement with Elliott.
NaVorro Bowman stays in the Bay Area. After securing his release from the 49ers, Bowman signed on with the Raiders, inking a one-year deal worth $2MM. The veteran linebacker will be able to “double dip,” as the lack of offset language in his San Francisco deal means he’ll be able to collect a paycheck from both the 49ers and Raiders. The Niners had originally agreed to trade Bowman to the Saints a week ago, but Bowman wanted to hit free agency and choose his next club. He had a visit lined up with the Cowboys before signing with Oakland.
Colin Kaepernick alleges collusion. With no teams showing serious interest in Kaepernick despite several injuries around the league, the free agent signal-caller initiated a collusion lawsuit against the NFL, accusing the league’s owners of keeping him unemployed because of his social activism. Kaerpernick has a broader goal in mind, however, as he reportedly wants his lawsuit to lead to the termination of the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. All the latest on Kaepernick and the NFL’s anthem protests can be found here.
Beast Mode suspended. Marshawn Lynch was banned for one game after making contact with an official in Thursday night’s Raiders victory. Lynch, who was ejected following the incident, is appealing the suspension. League spokesman Joe Lockhart seemingly indicated Lynch would also be heavily fined for the contact, but the league is surprisingly not hitting Lynch with a financial penalty.