Carson Palmer To Miss Eight Weeks
Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer will undergo surgery after suffering a broken left arm in today’s game and will be sidelined for eight weeks, head coach Bruce Arians told reporters, including Craig Grialou of 98.7 FM (Twitter link).
Palmer will likely be placed on injured reserve in the coming days, and given the timeline of his injury, he could miss the remainder of the season. The NFL’s IR rules require a minimum absence of eight weeks, meaning Palmer could return for Week 16. But given Arizona’s current standing — the club is now 3-4, and had only a 2% chance of earning a postseason berth before today’s shutout loss to the Rams — the Cardinals may simply opt to shut Palmer down for the year.
Palmer, who will turn 38 years old in December, has flirted with retirement in the past, so it’s entirely possible that today’s injury represents the end of his 14-year NFL career. While Palmer hasn’t replicated his 2015 MVP-level performance this season, he’s been an above-average quarterback, as his 2017 quarterback rating, completion percentage, and yards per attempt average have been in line with his career norms. Palmer is signed through 2018, and is scheduled to earn a non-guaranteed $12.5MM base salary next season.
With Palmer out of the picture, the Cardinals will turn to Drew Stanton as their new starting quarterback. Stanton wasn’t effective on Sunday, as he completed only five of 14 attempts for 62 yards and one interception. However, entering a losing contest midway through is never an easy task, and Stanton will now get two weeks (Arizona is on bye in Week 8) to prepare before taking on the 49ers in November 5 road game.
Stanton will be the Cardinals’ starter, and he’ll be backed up by former first-round pick Blaine Gabbert, who’s been inactive for every game this season after inking a one-year pact in the spring. Arizona doesn’t currently have a quarterback on its practice squad, but the club could conceivably consider an addition in the coming days.
Teddy Bridgewater Eyeing Week 10 Return
The Vikings and quarterback Teddy Bridgewater are targeting a Week 10 return for the fourth-year signal-caller, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link).
Bridgewater, of course, is currently on the physically unable to perform list after suffering a devastating knee injury during 2016 training camp, but he’s impressively battled back and is set to return to the field. The NFL’s PUP rules require a player to be activated within three weeks of initiating practice (which Bridgewater did last Wednesday), so Week 10 is actually the latest Bridgewater can come back.
“I’m very confident. I wouldn’t go out on that practice field if I wasn’t,” Bridgewater said last week. “I definitely believe I’ll play this year. It’s going to take some grit. That’s just the mindset.”
The fact that the Vikings will likely wait until the last possible week before activating Bridgewater speaks to the patience the club is practicing with its recovering quarterback, as Rapoport indicates. But it also sets up a situation where Minnesota could be choosing between Bridgewater, Sam Bradford, and Case Keenum under center. Bradford is expected to play again this season, while Keenum has performed admirably in relief of Bradford in five starts.
Reports on Bridgewater’s status have been positive through a half-week of practice, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com writes. Physically, Bridgewater appears larger and has added mass in his upper body, which is especially noticeable given that his slight stature was a predraft concern. Additionally, Bridgwater’s arm has “wowed” onlookers during his time on the field, per Pelissero.
Texans Open To Trading LT Duane Brown
The Texans are “willing to consider” trade offers for left tackle Duane Brown, who is currently engaged in a contractual holdout, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Brown, who has missed the entirety of the 2017 season in search of a new deal, is reportedly an option for the offensive line-needy Seahawks, who have also been in negotiations with free agent tackle Branden Albert in recent weeks. Whether or not other clubs have been or will be in touch with Houston regarding Brown’s availability is unclear, but the Texans are open to recouping some of the 2018 draft pick capital they’ve already traded away (Cleveland owns Houston’s first- and second-round picks in next year’s draft).
Brown, who is due $9.65MM and $9.75MM over the next two respective campaigns, doesn’t seem any close to working out a new pact with the Texans. In late September, Florio reported there was “no end in sight” between Brown and Houston, while Florio indicated last week that nothing had changed between the two sides.
Houston has turned to Chris Clark (five starts) in the wake of Clark’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.
AFC East Notes: Bills, Glenn, Clay, Patriots
While left tackle Cordy Glenn is no longer listed on the NFL’s injury report after recovering from an ankle injury, he’s not a certainty to regain his starting role along the Bills‘ offensive line, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. Head coach Sean McDermott admitted as much today, noting that Buffalo hasn’t decided whether Glenn will take starter’s snaps against the Buccaneers on Sunday, per Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (Twitter links). While Glenn has lined up with the Bills’ first team during practice this week, the club’s coaching staff is reportedly high on rookie Dion Dawkins, who’s started on the blindside in Glenn’s absence. Still, benching Glenn — who earns $12MM annually and graded as the league’s No. 21 tackle a season ago, per Pro Football Focus — would be a surprising decision by Buffalo brass.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Speaking of Bills‘ injuries on the offensive side of the ball, McDermott indicated he’s “very encouraged” by tight end Charles Clay‘s progress after undergoing knee surgery earlier this month, and said the veteran pass-catcher could return later this season, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Initial reports suggested Clay would miss multiple weeks after going under the knife, and the fact that Buffalo hasn’t placed Clay on injured reserve bodes well for a potential return. Had Clay been IR’d, he would have been eligible to play again in early December. With Clay sidelined, the Bills have turned to Nick O’Leary as their starting tight end — he managed receptions for 54 yards in Buffalo’s Week 5 loss to Cincinnati.
- Patriots linebacker Harvey Langi is likely to miss the remainder of the 2017 campaign after being involved in a car accident last week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Langi and his wife reportedly suffered serious injuries after being rear-ended last Friday, but thankfully the issues are not thought to be life-threatening. Still, Langi’s back injury is apparently significant enough to rule him out for the rest of the season. A highly sought-after undrafted free agent earlier this year, Langi had only appeared in one game for New England.
- Cornerback Ryan Lewis is now earning an active roster salary rate ($465K) as a member of the Patriots‘ practice squad, and that’s because the Bills recently expressed interest in adding Lewis to their 53-man roster, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Instead of signing with Buffalo, however, Lewis opted to stick with New England’s taxi squad given his familiarity with the Patriots’ coaching staff. Lewis, an undrafted Pitt product who originally signed with the Cardinals earlier this year, managed two sub-4.40 40-yard dash times during the predraft process, but his “lack of experience shows up on tape,” according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/17
Today’s practice squad updates:
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Tim Patrick
- Placed on injured list: WR River Cracraft
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Adam Bighill
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: T Jake Rodgers
- Released: WR Justin Thomas
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DT Ondre Pipkins
Bucs QB Ryan Griffin Returns To Practice
Buccaneers quarterback Ryan Griffin has returned to practice this week, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Griffin is currently on injured reserve as a result of the sprained AC joint he suffered during the preseason.
Tampa Bay carried Griffin through to its initial 53-man roster before placing him on IR, which means he’s allowed to return to the field following an eight-week absence. As such, Griffin can be activated as early as October 30, the day after the Buccaneers’ Week 8 contest against the Panthers. Tampa has a three-week window during which it can place Griffin on its active roster, meaning the deadline to so is November 8.
Griffin, 27, was tendered at the original level as a restricted free agent earlier this year but subsequently agreed to a one-year extension through 2018 that reduced his base salary for the 2017 campaign. Since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane in 2013, Griffin has spent time with the Saints’ practice squad and Tampa Bay’s active roster, but has never appeared in a professional game.
If and when he’s activated, Griffin will serve as the Buccaneers’ third quarterback behind Jameis Winston and Ryan Fitzpatrick. Speaking of Winston, he’ll start for Tampa against the Bills on Sunday despite suffering a minor AC joint sprain in Week 7, as Auman writes in a full piece.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/20/17
Today’s minor moves:
Indianapolis Colts
- Promoted to active roster: RB Josh Ferguson
Washington Redskins
- Promoted to active roster: DL A.J. Francis
Packers Hoping For Aaron Rodgers Return
The Packers are “holding out hope” that quarterback Aaron Rodgers can return to the field later this season, reports Rob Demovsyk of ESPN.com. Green Bay officially placed Rodgers on injured reserve earlier today, and because the NFL’s rule require an eight-week minimum absence, Rodgers wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 15.
Rodgers underwent surgery for a broken collarbone on Thursday, and is now facing a lengthy recovery process. As such, Demovsky admits the Packers’ hope for a Rodgers return is a “long shot,” but it’s not impossible. Green Bay, which currently sits in second place in the NFC North with a 4-2 record, now owns just a 28% chance of earning a postseason berth, down 41% from last week, per Football Outsiders. But if the Packers are able to remain in contention, Rodgers could conceivably guide the club through the regular season’s final two weeks and into the playoffs.
Green Bay will roll with former fifth-round pick Brett Hundley as its starter for the foreseeable future, while former practice squad signal-caller Joe Callahan will be Hundley’s backup. Head coach Mike McCarthy recently indicated the Packers have no intention of adding a veteran quarterback to the mix, but the club did sign undrafted rookie Jerod Evans to its practice squad earlier this week.
Marshawn Lynch Suspended One Game
The NFL has suspended Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch one game for making contact with an official in Thursday night’s game, the league announced. Lynch will appeal the ban, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
League spokesman Joe Lockhart said earlier today that the NFL was exploring all its options with regard to Lynch’s punishment, and they’ve now decided on a single-game ban. Lynch has three days to appeal the suspension, but if no further action is taken, he’ll miss Oakland’s Week 8 contest against the Bills. The Raiders will be granted a roster exemption, meaning they’ll be allowed to add another player to their roster in place of Lynch.
Without Lynch available, Oakland will turn to Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington to man its backfield. Richard and Washington each handled nine carries and played roughly 30% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps after Lynch was ejected last night. While Oakland doesn’t currently have a fourth running back on its 53-man roster, it could promote seventh-round rookie Elijah Hood from the practice squad to cover for Lynch’s one-game absence.
Lynch’s impending fine wouldn’t be his only financial consequence now that he’s been suspended. Lynch will lose $79,412 in weekly base salary, plus an extra $31,250 in gameday active roster bonus money, as a result of his one-game ban.
NFL Exploring Marshawn Lynch Punishment
The NFL is currently exploring its options to punish Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch for making contact with an official on Thursday night, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Lynch, of course, was ejected from last night’s contest following the incident.
“There’s a schedule for fines for offenses,” said league spokesman Joe Lockhart. “There’s physical contact with an official — which is in excess of $30K — unsportsmanlike conduct, unnecessarily entering the fight area. Each (has) a schedule of what the fine would be. In some cases, a suspension is in order. All of this is being reviewed now at the league offices.”
There’s no question Lynch will subject to hefty fines, but whether or not he earns a ban is still up in the air. If Lynch is forced to miss Oakland’s Week 8 contest against the Bills, the Raiders would turn to the same two-headed backfield they deployed last night when facing the Chiefs. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard split time to perfection on Thursday, as each played roughly 30% of Oakland’s snaps and handled nine carries.
As Gehlken notes, Lynch’s impending fine wouldn’t be his only financial consequence if he is indeed suspended. Lynch would lose $79,412 in weekly base salary, plus an extra $31,250 in gameday active roster bonus money, if he’s handed a one-game ban.