Packers Worried About Jordy Nelson?
The Packers are expressing growing concern about wide receiver Jordy Nelson as he continues his slow start after recovering from a torn ACL during the 2015 preseason, a team source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Specifically, Green Bay is worried that Nelson has not regained his “speed and explosiveness” thus far this year.
[RELATED: Packers Place Eddie Lacy On IR]
As Cole’s report suggests, Nelson hasn’t been quite the offensive force in 2016 that he’s been in seasons prior. After averaging 16.1 yards per reception from 2011-14, Nelson is averaging only 11.9 yards per catch so far this year, indicating that he hasn’t yet posted the kind of chunk plays the Packers have come to expect. Nelson, 31, does the lead the league in touchdown receptions with five, but all of those have come from inside the red zone.
Green Bay’s offensive struggles since the beginning of the 2015 campaign have been well-documented, as last year marked the first time since Aaron Rodgers‘ first season as a starter that the Packers ranked outside the top-10 in offensive DVOA. Much of that dropoff was attributed to Nelson’s absence, but even with the veteran receiver back in the fold, Green Bay sits at just 14th in offensive DVOA six weeks into the 2016 season.
Chip Kelly Denies Interest In NCAA Jobs
49ers head coach Chip Kelly denied that he would entertain any notion of returning to the collegiate ranks after a report earlier this week indicated that Kelly might be interested in returning to the NCAA, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle details. “I’m not going anywhere,” said Kelly in response to the report.
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On Wednesday, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that several college head coaches believed that Kelly would leave the Bay Area after a single season in order to jump back to the NCAA. LSU, Penn State, Texas, and Oregon — where Kelly was previously the head coach — could all be looking for new coaches in the coming months.
In four seasons with the Ducks, Kelly posted a 46-7 record and appeared in a one National Championship game, a loss to Auburn. Since joining the NFL as the Eagles’ coach in 2013, Kelly has registered a 27-26 overall record, earning one playoff appearance during that stretch.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/21/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Chicago Bears
- Signed: FB Paul Lasike
- Placed on practice squad IR: RB Raheem Mostert
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: G Ian Silberman
- Placed on practice squad IR: OT Takoby Cofield
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: G Darrell Greene
- Cut: CB Duke Thomas
Bears’ Brian Hoyer Has Broken Arm
Bears quarterback Brian Hoyer suffered a broken arm during tonight’s game, head coach John Fox told sideline reporter Tracy Wolfson of CBS (Twitter link). The injury was to Hoyer’s non-throwing arm, but he’ll still be sidelined for awhile.
[RELATED: Bears Activate Pernell McPhee]
Hoyer had played well since taking over for an injured Jay Cutler during Week 2, completing more than 68% of his passes for 1,396, six touchdowns, and no interceptions. The 31-year-old had thrown for more than 300 yards in each of his four starts, but the Bears only managed to post a 1-3 record during that time. Hoyer is set to become a free agent at season’s end.
Hoyer may have had a shot to permanently displace Cutler in the Windy City, as Fox indicated earlier this month that Hoyer had a chance to remain the Bears’ starter even after Cutler returned. “Anybody’s that performing well, I don’t think we’re going to be likely to change,” Fox said at the time. Now, Cutler is likely to regain his job once he comes back from a thumb injury.
With Hoyer sidelined, the Bears turned to backup quarterback Matt Barkley, the only other signal-caller on the roster. Chicago will surely add another QB in the coming days, but the club isn’t currently carrying a quarterback on its practice squad.
Latest On Giants’ Josh Brown
The Giants left kicker Josh Brown behind when they traveled to London today, and subsequently signed veteran Robbie Gould to take his place. Whether or not that means the club is bracing for Brown to be suspended is unclear, but the NFL is considering placing Brown on the exempt list, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
[RELATED: NFL To Investigate Josh Brown]
The Giants were unaware of Brown’s journal entries, emails, and letters admitting to domestic violence, a team spokesman tells Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team had not read or heard them until they were brought to light yesterday. However, as Diana Moskovitz of Deadspin writes, the league could have easily obtained similar documents by requesting a copy of the Browns’ divorce file, which is public record.
Additionally, the NFL had been involved in at least one incident involving Brown and his wife, a source tells Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. During the Pro Bowl in January, an intoxicated Brown reportedly pounded on his wife’s hotel room door, leading the NFL to help Brown’s wife in switching rooms.
Mort & Schefter: Trades, Romo, Turner, Lacy
Teams have started to make “exploratory phone calls” in advance of the NFL’s November 1 trade deadline, according to Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. While the scribe duo notes that the NFL never seems the amount of trade activity that does the NBA or MLB, a few more deals could be made this season due to the influx of young general managers around the league. For a complete record of all the deals already consummated this year, check out PFR’s 2016 NFL Trade Tracker.
Here’s more from Mort and Schefter:
- The Cowboys aren’t sure if they’ll bench rookie quarterback Dak Prescott once Tony Romo returns from injury, but Dallas has no interest in trading Romo at this time. Romo is unlikely to be healthy before the trading deadline, meaning no other club would feel safe dealing for the veteran, and the financial ramifications of such a move are untenable from the Cowboys’ perspective. Trading Romo right now would force nearly $32MM to immediately accelerate onto Dallas’ salary cap.
- As many as two collegiate teams are eyeing Vikings offensive coordinator Norv Turner for a head coaching position, per Mortensen and Schefter, but it’s unclear if Turner would reciprocate such interest. Turner has never been a head coach in the NCAA, and was last involved in the collegiate ranks in 1984 as USC’s OC. He’s posted a career record of 114-122-1 as a head coach in the NFL.
- Packers running back Eddie Lacy had ballooned back up to 255 to 265 pounds before being placed on injured reserve today, report the ESPN scribes. Lacy worked all offseason to get his weight down, but apparently the pounds had come back. Lacy will undergo ankle surgery and is likely out for the year, although he could conceivably return late in the season.
Browns, Terrelle Pryor Begin Extension Talks
The Browns have engaged in initial extension negotiations with wide receiver Terrelle Pryor, sources tell Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Pryor is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end.
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Pryor, 27, has become an offensive force in his first full season as a wide receiver, posting 33 receptions for 413 yards and three touchdowns. He’s also helped out at quarterback, tossing five passes for 41 yards, and has run the ball as a Wildcat option, putting up 21 yards and a score. And Pryor has expressed a willingness — and more precisely, a wish — to stay in Cleveland for the long-term, as he explained earlier this season.
“I respect him very highly and if Hue Jackson’s here, I’d love to stay here,” Pryor told Cabot in September. “I want to be here if Hue’s going to be here for awhile, because I know this is a building process — and it’s not really. We’re right the there. We’re competing with everybody, we’ve just got to put teams away and I’d like to be where Hue’s at.”
In the midst of a complete personnel overhaul, the Browns have been jettisoning veterans since the club’s new regime took over this spring, and let free agents such as Mitchell Schwartz, Alex Mack, Tashaun Gipson, and Travis Benjamin leave for other teams earlier this year. Whether Pryor is enticing enough to Cleveland’s front office to warrant a new deal is to be determined, but the team has enough money to lure him in. With nearly $50MM available for 2016, and more than $65MM in space free for the 2017 campaign, Cleveland ranks among the league leaders in financial wiggle room.
A restricted free agent, Pryor is currently earning $1.671MM after signing a qualifying offer during the offseason. He’d certainly be in for a raise via an extension, as starting wide receivers pulled in at least $5MM annually on the open market this spring. The Browns would also have the option of assigning Pryor the franchise tag, but that would come at a cost north of $15MM.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/20/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: DT, T.J. Barnes, CB Tyler Patmon (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
New England Patriots
- Signed: LB Trevor Reilly
- Cut: WR Shaq Evans
Latest On Raiders, Las Vegas
As expected, Nevada governor Brian Sandoval signed a bill green-lighting $750MM in public money for a $1.9 billion domed stadium for the Raiders in Las Vegas, as Michelle Rindels of the Associated Press writes. The Nevada Asssembly had approved the funding the bill last week, and the Raiders have now taken a major step towards relocating to Sin City. 
[RELATED: UNLV Stadium Stopgap Option For Raiders?]
“Las Vegas is ready for this. Nevada is ready for this,” said Sandoval. “The best brand on the planet is coming together with one of the best brands in professional sports. It is truly one of those situations where 1+1=3.”
However, even after Nevada cleared a substantial financial hurdle, Raiders owner Mark Davis’ battle with the NFL and his fellow owners isn’t close to its conclusion. NFL ownership sources continue to maintain Davis might not have enough support to reach the 24-vote plateau required for a relocation, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported yesterday.
That vote could is likely to take place within the next six-to-nine months, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who hears that the chances of the Raiders getting the okay to move to Las Vegas are more positive (PFT pegs the odds of a “yes” at 75%). Of course, some owners could have voice concern with the potential move, especially given the prevalence of gambling activity in Las Vegas. But as Florio notes, any such questions raise could merely be a ploy to raise the Raiders’ relocation fee.
Chiefs DE Allen Bailey Could Be Done For Year
The Chiefs are worried that defensive end Allen Bailey could be done for the season due to a shoulder injury, tweets freelance NFL reporter Rand Getlin. Bailey missed time during yesterday’s victory over the Raiders, and after the game, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reported (via Twitter) that Bailey was dealing with a shoulder contusion.
[RELATED: Kansas City Chiefs Depth Chart]
Bailey, 27, is in the midst of his sixth season with Kansas City, but he’s only been a starter for the past two-plus years. After posting 9.5 sacks from 2014-15, Bailey had started all five games in 2016, but hadn’t posted exemplary results. According to Pro Football Focus, Bailey has graded as just the No. 94 interior defender among 116 qualifiers.
If Bailey is forced to miss an extended period of time, second-rookie Chris Jones would seem to be the next man up. Jones, the 37th overall pick in this year’s draft, has only played on roughly a quarter of Kansas City’s defensive snaps thus far, but that percentage would likely rise if Bailey is sidelined. Fellow lineman Nick Williams and Dadi Nicolas are also options to see more playing time.
Meanwhile, star linebacker Justin Houston was cleared to practice over the weekend, and was officially eligible to come off the physically unable to perform list today. Head coach Andy Reid expressed optimism on Houston’s status, telling reporters, including Paylor (Twitter link), that “we’re close” to Houston’s return to the field.