Gary Kubiak Won’t Coach Broncos Thursday
After being hospitalized on Sunday night with a complex migraine, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak won’t lead the club on Thursday night against the Chargers, Denver announced today. Special teams coach Joe DeCamillis will serve as the Broncos’ interim head coach for that contest.
[RELATED: Trevor Siemian Expected To Start Week 6]
“We’re really kind of leaving [the timeline] up to the doctors,” general manager John Elway said. “The process for Gary is to worry about Gary this week, so he’s got some different appointments set up, and we want to make sure that Gary takes care of himself.
“He’s going to take this week and take care of some of those issues, and find out if there are some different triggers, or what-not,” Elway said. “But when it comes down to Gary’s health, everybody’s excited about what the prognosis is.”
According to the Broncos, doctors want Kubiak to recuperate through next Monday, meaning he wouldn’t have been in a position to coach even if Denver was playing a typical Sunday game. Kubiak has already gone through one health scare during his coaching career, as he suffered a “transient ischemic attack” and collapsed during halftime in a 2013 contest.
PFR extends its best wishes to Coach Kubiak as he recovers, and hopes to see him back on the field very soon.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Trevor Siemian Expected To Start Week 6?
8:45pm: Kubiak said that Siemian was close to playing today, an indication that the quarterback should be ready for Thursday.
“He did everything he could for us all week, but we had to make a decision that at the end of the week, when it’s time to go, he tried to get there,” Kubiak told Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post. “He worked extremely hard to get there. We just didn’t think he was ready.”
7:20pm: Siemian is seemingly putting the brakes on the reports from earlier today. The quarterback told Troy Renck of TheDenverChannel.com that he’s unsure if he’ll be available on Thursday night, adding that he’ll continue his treatments and see how he feels (Twitter link).
2:49pm: While the Broncos will roll with first-round rookie Paxton Lynch against the Falcons today, Trevor Siemian is expected to be ready to start at quarterback on Thursday Night Football, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Broncos To Start Paxton Lynch Week 5]
Siemian, 23, has performed better than many expected in his first action as a starter, completing two-thirds of his passes for more than 800 yards, six touchdowns, and three interceptions while helping the Broncos to an undefeated start. Had he been healthy enough to play today, there’s no question Siemian would have started. In other words, there’s no quarterback controversy in Denver as Siemian recovers from a sprained AC joint in his non-throwing shoulder.
In an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio last week, head coach Gary Kubiak said that the team will play the situation by ear. “It’s going to be a day-to-day thing,” Kubiak said. “He’s very sore (Monday) and, obviously, it’s not going to affect his ability to throw the ball. But what happens, all the mechanics of your body and the movement, the torque, that’s what he’s going to have to work through.”
Still, Siemian’s injury does give the Broncos a convenient excuse to get a look at Lynch, whom they traded up in the draft to acquire. Atlanta shouldn’t provide much in the way of a challenge, as the Falcons rank 30th in both DVOA against the pass and adjusted sack rate, per Football Outsiders.
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Josh Doctson Likely To Avoid IR
Redskins first-round receiver Josh Doctson didn’t play in today’s win against the Ravens, and he’s expected to be sidelined for several more weeks as he deals with an Achilles injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, Doctson is not expected to be placed on injured reserve.
[RELATED: Redskins Sign Donte Whitner]
Earlier this week, Washington head coach Jon Gruden didn’t rule out an eventual trip to IR for Doctson. We’ll have to wait and see if this thing gets any better the next week or so and go from there,” said Gruden. “I hate to put him on IR and then he’s better tomorrow, you know what I mean, because he’s such a valuable, big play type guy. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.”
The 22nd overall pick in this year’s draft, Doctson has only managed to appear in two of the Redskins’ five games to this point. In those two contests, Doctson has hauled in two-of-six targets for 66 yards, but hasn’t found the end zone just yet. Washington isn’t wanting for wide receivers without Doctson, as the club still boasts DeSean Jackson, Pierre Garcon, and Jamison Crowder.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Lions TE Eric Ebron To Miss Several Weeks
Lions tight end Eric Ebron is expected to miss “a couple weeks” as he continues to deal with knee and ankle injuries, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Justin Forsett To Visit Lions]
Earlier this year, Ebron gave a scare to Lions fans everywhere when he was carted off the field after suffering an injury. The early fear was that Ebron tore his Achilles, but it was apparently just an ankle injury of a lesser variety.
Ebron finished last season with 47 receptions for 537 yards and five touchdowns, all career highs for the former first-round pick expected to play a larger role for a Lions offense without Calvin Johnson this season. In four games this year, Ebron has soaked up 18 of 25 targets for 210 yards and one touchdown.
With Ebron sidelined, Detroit will lean on Khari Lee, Cole Wick, and the recently-signed Clay Harbor at the tight end spot.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
5 Key Stories: 10/2/16 – 10/9/16
Brady is back! After finally serving his four-game suspension for DeflateGate, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was officially activated for Sunday’s game against the Browns, becoming one of 14 NFL players to come off suspension this week. 
Brady reportedly won’t push the DeftlateGate matter any further, meaning that the issue appears to be finally concluded. One of the quarterbacks that helped out in Brady’s absence — third round-rookie Jacoby Brissett — is no longer on the active 53, as he’s been placed on injured reserve after undergoing thumb surgery.
Quarterback changes coming? 49ers head coach Chip Kelly left open the possibility of benching Blaine Gabbert after his putrid performance against the Cardinals on Thursday night. While some Niners players reportedly want Christian Ponder to start in Week 6, San Francisco will also consider Colin Kaepernick, who is apparently close to restructuring his contract with the club. Meanwhile, the Bears could opt to go with Brian Hoyer even after Jay Cutler returns from his thumb injury, as Cutler has fallen out of favor with Chicago coaches.
Big play Bene is no more. Just days after Julio Jones torched the Panthers for 300 yards, the club made a somewhat drastic move, waiving cornerback Bene Benwikere. Last year, Benwikere appeared in 13 games (four starts) before a broken leg shut him 
down for the season. In total, the cornerback had 59 tackles, nine pass deflections, and one sack on the year last year. This year, he had ten tackles and four passes defensed before being bounced by Carolina.
Ravens say goodbye to Forsett — for real this time. Baltimore had already released running back Justin Forsett prior to the season, but that was a procedural move that didn’t cost the veteran any money. This time around, however, Forsett is gone for good, as the Ravens’ running game is being turned over to Terrance West and rookie Kenneth Dixon. Forsett will meet with the Lions on Monday as he hunts for a new gig.
Rams and Cardinals admit mistakes. Just four games into a three-year contract, cornerback Coty Sensabaugh earned his walking papers from Los Angeles. Sensabaugh never graded highly in any advanced metrics, and his multi-year pact with the Rams was curious from the get-go, and the club ended up paying him $5.5MM for a quarter-season. Meanwhile, the Patriots cut bait with guard Jonathan Cooper, whom they acquired along with a second-round pick in exchange for edge rusher Chandler Jones.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PFR Originals: 10/2/16 – 10/9/16
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- 49ers head coach Chip Kelly left the door open for a quarterback change in Week 6, as Blaine Gabbert isn’t getting the job done in the Bay Area. With that in mind, Connor Byrne asked which signal-caller should start for San Francisco against the Bills next week. So far, Colin Kaepernick and Christian Ponder have each garnered about 45% of the vote.
- Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.
Rob Gronkowski’s Hamstring Still “Not Right”
Rob Gronkowski hasn’t gotten off to a fast start in 2015, and it’s clear that he’s still affected by injury as the Patriots reach the quarter mark of the season. A source told Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link) that Gronkowski’s hamstring is “not right,” and also expressed concern that the star tight end’s injury “has not come along like they thought it would.”
[RELATED: Patriots Release TE Clay Harbor]
Gronkowski missed the first two games of the season, but was activated in advance of New England’s Week 3 contest against the Texans. However, as Garafolo notes, Gronk has been mostly used a blocker (a task at which he excels) rather than as a receiver. He’s only been targeted three times, and he’s managed just one catch for 11 yards.
Those numbers are a far cry for Gronkowski’s usual All Pro production level, but the Patriots have also been dealing with a fluctuating quarterback position, starting Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett while Tom Brady has been suspended. Brady, of course, will return this week against the Browns, perhaps enabling Gronk to return to his usual form.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/4/16
We’re a quarter of the way through the regular season, and clubs are constantly updating their emergency lists of players. Let’s take a look at the latest reported auditions and visits, which we’ve divided by conference due to today’s sheer volume:
AFC
- The Raiders took a look at linebackers Danny Lansanah and Tyrell Adams, according to Caplan (Twitter link). Oakland eventually settled on Perry Riley as its new linebacker.
- Before he signed with the Browns’ practice squad, offensive lineman Mike Liedtke worked out for the Ravens and was scheduled to audition for the Jaguars, according to his agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link). Baltimore also tried out veteran safety Shamiel Gary today, per Jeff Zriebec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Gary has also been linked to the Giants in recent days.
- The Ravens didn’t stop there, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter link): Baltimore also worked out defensive backs Jeron Johnson and Ryan Murphy, linebackers Jamari Lattimore and Andy Mulumba, and guard Ian Silberman.
- Former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum, former Tampa Bay wide receiver Kenny Bell, and long snapper Jon Akemon all worked out with the Chiefs today, according to NFL Draft Diamonds (on Twitter).
- The Titans auditioned defenseive tackle Trevon Coley, wide receivers Donteea Dye and Wendall Williams, and defensive end Farrington Huguenin, tweets Balzer.
NFC
- The Falcons auditioned linebacker Jayson DiManche, kicker Mike Meyer, and punter Michael Palardy, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Palardy, for his part, ended up signing with Atlanta’s practice squad, which could be an indication that active roster punter Matt Bosher is banged up.
- Perhaps bracing for a Lane Johnson suspension, the Eagles today worked out former Washington offensive lineman Josh LeRibeus, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. LeRibeus started 11 games for the Redskins in 2015, but still couldn’t make it past final cutdowns. Philadelphia also looked at guard Matt Rotheram and tackle Pearce Slater, per Balzer (Twitter link).
- The Lions worked out offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds and DL/T Brian Mihalik today, per Caplan (Twitter link).
- Former Denver defensive lineman David Moala worked out for the Panthers today, a source told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Carolina also auditioned DT Bruce Gaston and DE Chris McCain, per Balzer (Twitter link).
- Safety Trae Elston and Shakiel Randolph tried out for the Buccaneers today, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.
- Tight ends Rory Anderson, Joel Ruiz, and De’Runnya Wilson all worked out for the Bears today, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
- In addition to defensive end Sterling Bailey, whom the Seahawks signed to their practice squad, Seattle tried out defensive end Jeoffrey Pagan, linebacker Deion Barnes, and defensive tackle Greg Milhouse, reports Balzer (Twitter link).
- The Cardinals met with free agent tight end Brian Leonhardt, according to Balzer (Twitter link).
Packers Work Out TE Rob Housler
The Packers are in need of tight end depth as Jared Cook continues to deal with a high ankle sprain, so the club worked out veteran Rob Housler today, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Cook left Green Bay’s Week 3 contest against Lions, and is expected to be sidelined through at least Week 5.
[RELATED: Green Bay Packers Depth Chart]
With Cook out, the Packers are down to Richard Rodgers and Justin Perillo at tight end. While that duo can probably get the job done, Housler would add a bit more to the back end of the roster. Housler, 28, is a former third-round pick who averaged 42 receptions per year for the Cardinals from 2012-13. Thing have gone downhill since then, however, as Housler saw only seven combined targets in 2015 with the Browns and Bears.
In addition to Housler, Green Bay also auditioned rookie tight end J.P. Holtz and linebacker Christian French, reports Demovsky.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dallas Police Conclude Aqib Talib Shot Himself
The Dallas Police Department has closed its investigation into Aqib Talib, and has concluded that the Broncos cornerback did in fact shoot himself, as Rebecca Lopez of WFAA tweets. A self-inflicted wound had been the prevailing theory ever since Talib was involved in a firearm incident in June. Talib will not face charges.
[RELATED: Latest On Trevor Siemian]
While one recent report indicated that Talib would not face league discipline for his involvement in the matter, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post reports (Twitter link) that the NFL is still reviewing the shooting. In June, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported that league punishment is coming for the cornerback. Commissioner Roger Goodell is not a fan of firearms, and the fact that Talib was apparently intoxicated — and has a history with weapons – could factor into any disciplinary decision.
On the night of the incident, Talib reportedly told police he was at a park when he was shot, but the police were investigating the evening in full. “Everything was a blur and I was too intoxicated to remember what happened,” said Talib at the time. Authorities never recovered the weapon used in the shooting, and few (if any) witnesses were talking about what happened.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.