Latest On Eagles OT Lane Johnson
Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson‘s appeal of his 10-game PED suspension has concluded, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links). As expected, no decision has yet to be announced, but Johnson’s attorney Steve Zashin did release a statement.
[RELATED: LB Nigel Bradham Arrested]
“There are a number of issues related to Lane’s appeal,” said Zashin. “Many of those issues strike at the heart of substantive player protections. We await the decision of the arbitrator. In the meantime Lane will prepare and play as scheduled.”
f the Eagles are without Johnson for more than half the season, it would be a crushing blow to their O-Line and offense as a whole. Johnson, the fourth overall pick in 2013, has been a starter for the Eagles since the team drafted him out of Oklahoma, playing primarily at right tackle before spending some time at left tackle in 2015.
In his three years with the Eagles, he has only missed four games due to his first PED suspension. This past season, Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson 24th among offensive tackles, out of 81 qualified players at the position.
The Eagles expect Johnson to be available for Sunday’s game against the Lions, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. But if Johnson’s ban is upheld, Philadelphia is considering employing Halapoulivaati Vaitai as a starter at right tackle in order to leave Allen Barbre at left guard, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Falcons Release O’Brien Schofield
O’Brien Schofield‘s reunion with the Falcons didn’t last long, as Atlanta has cut the veteran linebacker to make room for new addition A.J. Hawk, the club announced today. The Falcons also officially placed linebacker Sean Weatherspoon on injured reserve after he suffered an Achilles injury on Sunday.
[RELATED: Falcons Sign A.J. Hawk]
The Falcons made Schofield an offer early on in the offseason, but he held out for more money. Schofield appears to have misjudged the market as the Falcons did not improve their offer and interest from other teams was mild to say the least. The Patriots met with Schofield in August and the Jets hosted him on a visit in September, but neither meeting led to a deal.
Schofield, 29, followed Dan Quinn from the Seahawks to the Falcons, signing a one-year, $1.7MM deal with Atlanta last year. He finished the year with 28 tackles, four tackles for losses, two sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and one forced fumble.
Because they signed Schofield after the start of the regular season, the Falcons won’t be on the hook for the rest of his minimum salary.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Audition Bryan Stork
The Browns worked out free agent center Bryan Stork today, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cleveland is in dire straits at the center position, as former first-round pick Cameron Erving is banged up, while recent waiver claim Austin Reiter is done for the year.
[RELATED: Josh Gordon To Remain On Suspended List]
In late August, Stork was supposedly on the verge of being released by the Patriots. However, the Redskins got word that Stork was about to be cut and worked out a trade with the Patriots. Hours later, it was learned that Stork was thinking about retirement. The Redskins convinced Stork to continue playing football, but he wound up failing the physical. Ultimately, the trade was rescinded, the Redskins lost the backup center (or maybe even starting center) they desperately needed, and the Patriots lost out on getting a conditional seventh-round pick.
Stork, 26 in November, emerged as the Patriots’ starting center just four weeks into his rookie season in 2014. In 2015, Stork suffered a concussion which limited him to just eight games.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Bills have released tight end Jim Dray and promoted fellow tight end Gerald Christian from the practice squad, the club announced today. Dray, 29, is a seven-year veteran who inked a one-year deal with Buffalo over the offseason. Though he’s posted 56 career receptions, Dray didn’t garner a single target with the Bills.
- The Browns announced that they have promoted tight end Connor Hamlett from the practice squad while waiving safety Don Jones. Jones had been a key special teams cog for Cleveland, but he hadn’t received a single defensive snap thus far.
- The Lions waived tight end Orson Charles, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Detroit signed another tight end — veteran Clay Harbor — earlier today, so Charles is no longer need on the roster.
- The Colts announced that they have promoted rookie linebacker Trevor Bates from the practice squad to the active roster. With veteran Sio Moore out of the picture after being cut earlier today, it’s possible that Bates could carve out a role.
- The Buccaneers promoted wide receiver Jeremy Butler to the active roster. In eight games with Baltimore last season, Butler posted 31 receptions for 363 yards.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: P Michael Palardy (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com)
- Cut: LB Davis Tull
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: WR Corey Washington
- Cut: WR Matt Hazel
Chicago Bears
- Signed: RB Raheem Mostert (Twitter link via Brett Tessler)
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: OL Mike Liedtke (Twitter link via Tessler)
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: S Lee Hightower (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of FOX59)
New York Giants
- Signed: QB Logan Thomas
- Cut: LB Deontae Skinner
New York Jets
- Signed: S Ronald Martin
- Cut: FB Julian Howsare
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: DE James Cowser
- Cut: DL Demetrius Cherry, LB Darnell Sankey (Twitter link via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com)
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: T Brett Boyko, LB Deon King, WR Kevin Norwood
- Cut: TE Austin Traylor
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DE Sterling Bailey
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Russell Hansbrough (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
- Cut: WR Jonathan Krause (Twitter link via Auman)
Jets Not Planning QB Change Right Now
Jets head coach Todd Bowles told reporters that he doesn’t “foresee any changes right now” at the quarterback position, meaning that Ryan Fitzpatrick will continue to start, according to Kimberley A. Martin of Newday (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Jets Considered Placing Eric Decker On IR]
Save for a solid performance in the New York’s only win (Week 2 against the Bills), Fizpatrick has played extremely poorly throughout the 2016 campaign. At the risk of piling on, Fitzpatrick ranks 31st in completion percentage, 32nd in QB rating, 30th in DVOA, 32nd in DYAR, and — unsurprisingly — 1st in interceptions. His 10 picks are tied for the eighth-most through four games since the merger in 1970, and no signal-caller has thrown as many interceptions through a quarter of the season since Daunte Culpepper in 2005.
Having said that, the Jets don’t have a plethora of other options to turn to, especially given that they’ve committed $12MM for one year of Fitzpatrick. Geno Smith has never shown the ability to be an above-average starter, while second-round pick Christian Hackenberg clearly isn’t ready to start. Bryce Petty, meanwhile, is still on the roster as New York carries four quarterbacks, but it’s not clear if he’s recovered from a preseason shoulder injury.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cardinals To Promote QB Zac Dysert
The Cardinals will sign quarterback Zac Dysert off their practice squad, a move that could indicate the club has doubts about Carson Palmer playing on Thursday night against the 49ers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: Cardinals To Re-Sign Kerwynn Williams]
Arizona planned to be “very, very careful” with Palmer after he left yesterday’s contest with a head injury. Palmer is now in the concussion protocol after being sacked during the fourth quarter of what turned out to be the Cardinals’ third loss of the season. Head coach Bruce Arians said yesterday that he doesn’t expect Palmer to play on Thursday if he can’t practice during the week.
The defending NFC West champions are now two games behind both the Rams and Seahawks after being a surefire playoff pick by most experts. Arizona would turn to Drew Stanton, as they did after Palmer exited yesterday, against San Francisco if Palmer is unable to play.
Dysert, 26, is now on his sixth roster after being chosen in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. He was added to Arizona’s practice squad in early September. In his three-plus years in the league, Dysert has never attempted a regular season pass.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bills’ Shaq Lawson Will Be Ready In Week 7
Bills rookie pass rusher Shaq Lawson will be able to play as soon as his stay on the PUP list ends following Week 6, head coach Rex Ryan told reporters, including Joe Buscaglia of WKBW. Per Ryan, Lawson will be “ready to roll.”
[RELATED: Sammy Watkins Likely To Have Second Surgery]
However, Lawson isn’t expected to jump right into a full-time role, according to Buscaglia, who writes that Lawson will likely play as a situational player as he gets acclimated to the NFL. Initially, it was expected that Lawson would miss 4-5 games, but he’ll need some additional time to recover from shoulder surgery. Buffalo took Lawson with the No. 19 overall pick in this year’s draft while many other teams were said to have moved him down their boards due to his ailment.
In his evaluation of the Bills’ rookie class for PFR, scouting consultant Dave-Te Thomas spoke highly of Lawson:
When healthy, Lawson has been a terror – whether in a relief role or during his lone year as a starter. Through his first two seasons, he recorded 79 tackles (47 solos), an impressive figure for relief duties. However, he delivered 23 of those tackles for losses and brought down eleven other opponents for no gains on running plays. He also registered twenty-one third-down stops from 2013- 14 and recorded five touchdown-saving tackles.
Buffalo will get another defender — defensive tackle Marcell Dareus — back even sooner than Lawson, as the Dareus will return in Week 5 after serving a four-game suspension.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/3/16
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:
- The Giants worked out safeties Rahim Moore and and Dion Bailey, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New York is looking for defensive back help given the large amount of injuries to its secondary, and the club has also auditioned Will Allen, Donte Whitner, Jeron Johnson, and Shamiel Gary. However, the Giants don’t expect to sign anyone until tomorrow at the earliest.
- The Redskins auditioned safety Cedric Thompson, Caplan tweets. Like the division rival Giants, Washington is also on the hunt for secondary options after corner-turned-safety DeAngelo Hall was lost for the season. The Redskins worked out fellow safeties Josh Evans and Jerome Couplin last week.
- The Patriots took a look at wide receivers B.J. Daniels and Shaq Evans, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Daniels, a former college quarterback, has spent time on five other clubs’ rosters over the past three-plus seasons.
- Offensive lineman Mike Liedtke will meet with the Ravens on Tuesday, as agent Brett Tessler tweets.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Buccaneers are waiving wide receiver Freddie Martino and linebacker Josh Keyes, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Martino saw time in the last two games but did not record a catch.
- The Bears re-signed defensive end C.J. Wilson, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wilson was just released over the weekend, but now he’ll trade roster spots with running back Raheem Mostert, who was waived earlier today.
- The Panthers are re-signing wide receiver Brenton Bersin, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Bersin was waived a few days ago so that Carolina could add more defensive line depth. The man who originally replaced Bersin — defensive end Larry Webster — has now been cut, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.