Texans LB Brian Cushing Tears MCL
The Texans won the first game of their season by defeating the Bears today, but in doing so they suffered an injury to one of their key defenders. Linebacker Brian Cushing tore his MCL during today’s contest, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), and while Rapoport says Cushing will be sidelined for six weeks, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports Cushing is merely week-to-week. Cushing will not require surgery.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports it’s a Grade 2 MCL sprain and notes the veteran linebacker will be out between four and six weeks.
For the time being, the Texans will likely turn to Akeem Dent and Max Bullough at inside linebacker next to Benardrick McKinney. Dent has far more NFL experience, but Bullough was the first to enter the game once Cushing sustained his injury. Bullough, a 2014 undrafted free agent, appeared in 13 games last season, but mostly played on special teams, as he saw action on less than 15% of Houston’s defensive snaps.
Cushing, 29, has missed time with injuries in the past, but he’s been pretty healthy as of late, as he played in 30 of 32 possible games over the past two seasons. The Texans’ next opponents are the Patriots, Titans, Vikings, Colts, and Broncos.
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PFR Originals: 9/4/16 – 9/11/16
The original analysis and content produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- After Tim Tebow signed with the New York Mets in order to pursue his dream of a baseball career, Zach Links joined the ensuing conference call with Tebow and Mets general manager Sandy Alderson. Alderson, for his part, emphasized that signing Tebow was not a public relations move, while Tebow revealed that he’s actually been interested in trying out baseball for more than year.
- The PFR staff made its predictions for the 2016 season, projecting postseason teams, Super Bowl winners, and individual awards. The Cardinals, Seahawks, Panthers, and Patriots are among the favorites to win the championship in our opinion, while many of our writers think that Aaron Rodgers can return to form and capture the MVP crown.
- PFR has continued to look back at the offseasons for all 32 clubs, examining the major signings, departures, trades, and other notable offseason events for each team. We covered two clubs over the past week:
- Zach rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.
Anthony Davis Returns To 49ers
Offensive lineman Anthony Davis returned to 49ers practice this morning, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, and will likely be available for the team’s Monday night contest against the Rams. Davis was reportedly considering retirement (again) yesterday, but this news would seem to end any talk of Davis hanging it up.
[RELATED: Keshawn Martin Visits 49ers]
Davis, a career right tackle, was expected to move to guard following his reinstatement to the NFL. That doesn’t appear to be the plan any more, according to Niners Nation, which reports that Andrew Tiller will start at right guard, while Davis will serve only as the San Francisco’s backup offensive tackle. Reports yesterday indicated that Davis had some reservations about moving inside, which is a different outlook than he expressed earlier this summer.
“I can play anywhere on the line,” said Davis in August. “Like I was saying, we want the best five on the field, and Trent is not going to play guard. He’s a giant man and I knew I could adapt to guard. I feel like that would help us.”
Davis, 26, was the 49ers’ first-round pick in 2010, coming off the board No. 11 overall. Prior to his retirement, he started 71 games at right tackle for SF, playing all 16 regular season contests in his first four years before being limited to seven games in 2014. Davis dealt with hamstring and knee issues, and also battled concussion problems, which may have contributed to his decision to step away from the game temporarily in 2015.
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Keenan Allen Suffers Likely Torn ACL
For the second consecutive season, Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen‘s season has been cut short by a major injury. Initial tests show that Allen has likely suffered a torn ACL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Video of the play can be viewed here, courtesy of Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports.
[RELATED: Philip Rivers Restructures Contract]
Allen, who signed a four-year, $45MM extension earlier this year, has been a force since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2013, and is still only 24 years old. After topping 1,000 yards receiving and scoring eight touchdowns during his rookie campaign, Allen came back down to earth in 2014, but was on pace for the best season of his career last year. With 67 receptions and 725 yards under his belt through only eight games, Allen suffered a lacerated kidney and was forced to miss the rest of the campaign.
The Chargers had already lost another member of their pass-catching corps, as Steve Johnson is done for the year after tearing his meniscus in August. As such, San Diego’s depth chart will now see free agent signee Travis Benjamin at the top, followed by Tyrell Williams, Dontrelle Inman, and Isaiah Burse. The club has two WRs on its practice squad in Jonathan Krause and Dom Williams that could conceivably be promoted, or the Chargers could turn to the free agent market for help.
One intriguing option for the Bolts may be James Jones, who spent time with the club this summer before being released. Seyi Ajirotutu and Vincent Brown also have a history with the Chargers, but neither is likely to make much of an impact. Veterans such as Roddy White and Nate Washington are available, but the free agent with the highest upside is probably Rueben Randle, who was released by the Eagles last month.
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Latest On Packers’ Release Of Josh Sitton
The Packers shocked the NFL world by releasing Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton during final cutdowns, and while there’s been some speculation as to what Green Bay was thinking with the move, confusion is still abounds regarding the club’s decision. However, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel yesterday attempted to make some sense of the situation, and ultimately came to the conclusion that general manager Ted Thompson & Co. made a mistake by parting ways with one of its best players.
[RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Wants To Play Past Age-40]
Sources tell McGinn that the Packers told Sitton is mid-August that extensions for David Bakhtiari, J.C. Tretter, T.J. Lang, and Eddie Lacy would be the priority, meaning Sitton wouldn’t be getting a long-term deal any time soon. While Sitton may have been upset at that news, he never showed, as far as McGinn could tell. And while Green Bay had mentioned a possible Sitton trade to at least one team, serious discussions didn’t occur until final cutdown weekend.
At that point, the Packers told Sitton he would be released if the club couldn’t find a trade partner. Green Bay, per McGinn, was “apoplectic” that it couldn’t locate another team willing to part with draft compensation in order to acquire Sitton. The Saints expressed some interest, but their cap problems and lack of a fifth-round pick prevented them from making a deal.
With a trade seemingly impossible, the Packers began to worry that Sitton would become a locker room distraction if he was kept on the roster, according to McGinn. If other Green Bay players began to sign extensions while Sitton remained in his contract year, the problem might only get worse, thought the club’s front office.
Still, there’s been no indication that Sitton planned to hold out or become any sort of pariah. And on the whole, McGinn seems correct — the Packers made a massive miscalculation by parting ways with Sitton. Green Bay likely would have recouped a compensatory pick by simply letting Sitton play out the season and find a new home in free agency. Now, the Packers will move forward with Lane Taylor in the starting lineup, and having received noting in return for Sitton.
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Redskins Remain Interested In Pierre Thomas
The Redskins have “maintained contact” with free agent running back Pierre Thomas, according to John Keim of ESPN.com, though it’s unclear at what level of seriousness the club’s interest lies. Thomas finished out the 2015 season with Washington, and the team is still looking for options behind starter Matt Jones.
[RELATED: Offseason In Review — Washington Redskins]
Jones, 23, is entering his first full season as the Redskins’ starting running back after splitting time with Alfred Morris last year. On 144 carries during his rookie campaign, Jones averaged only 3.4 yards per attempt, and as Keim notes, was particularly poor after getting touched, as he ranked 45th in the league with 1.44 yards after contact. Jones wasn’t a factor in the passing attack, either, as he managed only 19 receptions.
Washington’s offensive line didn’t do Jones — or any of the other Redskins running backs — any favors, as the unit ranked 21st in adjusted line yards. The club didn’t make any additions to its front five, although Washington did attempt to acquire center Bryan Stork from the Patriots (the deal was rescinded when Stork failed a physical). And in terms of depth, the Redskins seem to be relying mostly on Jones, as the other running backs on the roster are third-down specialist Chris Thompson and undrafted rookie Rob Kelley.
Thomas, meanwhile, hasn’t been linked to any other clubs since the free agent period opened (aside from the Redskins, of course). After signing on with Washington in December, Thomas rushed for 4.7 yards per carry on 11 totes, adding nine receptions for another 84 yards. Those limited numbers obviously don’t speak to Thomas’ true ability, especially in the passing game — in eight years with the Saints, Thomas averaged 49 receptions per season. The 31-year-old, then, could make sense as a third-down option behind Jones.
If the Redskins are set on adding another back, they could theoretically turn to the free agent market, where a number of options sit unsigned. Veterans such as Ahmad Bradshaw (who could offer a skill-set similar to Thomas), Joique Bell, and Donald Brown are available, as are younger players like Karlos Williams, David Cobb, and Ronnie Hillman.
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Browns Exec: RG3 Not Just Short-Term Option
The Browns signed quarterback Robert Griffin III to a two-year, $15MM deal over the offseason, and while RG3 has been labeled as a “bridge QB” — an option for Cleveland until it can acquire a franchise passer in the draft — executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown views RG3 as part of the Browns’ future. Speaking Friday to reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Brown outlined his vision for Griffin’s time in Cleveland.
“To be fair to Robert, he’s young in his career in terms of his development as a quarterback,” said Brown. “We will develop him over time. He’s under contract here two years, but we don’t look at it as certainly just a two-year venture or a week-to-week venture.
“This is something we’re going to have to stick by him, put the right pieces around him and help him learn how to play that position as well. So it’s not a short-term kind of look at him.”
Clearly, Brown has no choice but to exhibit confidence in Griffin at this stage of his Cleveland career, and it’s always possible that the Browns perform much better in 2016 than most observers expect. But Cleveland is likely to finish last in the AFC North — the Football Outsiders’ Almanac gives the Browns a mean win projection of 5.2 wins (last in the NFL) and a 41% chance of winning less than four games. Those totals would entitle Cleveland to a top-five draft pick once again, and it would difficult for the club to pass up on a quarterback.
The Browns do have other signal-callers available on the roster, including veteran Josh McCown and third-round rookie Cody Kessler. But every indication is that RG3 will be given a long leash, as Cleveland isn’t in a position to seriously contend anyway. Even Brown didn’t bristle at the notion that his team is “tanking,” though he may prefer a different term.
“The external noise we know is coming and will be there, whether we’re successful or not and we can’t let that bother us,” said Brown. “That just wouldn’t be part of anything we would embrace or be part of. So I appreciate that folks have not seen a strategy quite like this before, but I’d hardly call it tanking.”
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WR Keshawn Martin Visits 49ers
Free agent wide receiver Keshawn Martin met with the 49ers today, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Martin was released by the Patriots during final cutdowns last weekend.
[RELATED: 49ers, Tank Carradine Agree To Extension]
Martin, 25, was traded from the Texans to New England in September, and he ended up appearing in nine games (eight starts) for the Patriots, compiling 24 catches for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Over his four-year career, Martin has 62 receptions for 685 yards and five touchdowns. The former Michigan State Spartan agreed to an extension with the Patriots in January that included $600K guaranteed, so it was a tad surprising to see the club cut bait so soon.
San Francisco’s depth chart is extremely thin behind No. 1 wide receiver Torrey Smith, as Quinton Patton, Aaron Burbridge, and the recently-acquired Rod Streater are candidates to fill the second WR role. Jeremy Kerley, another recent trade acquisition, is expected to start in the slot, but Martin would offer another option to absorb snaps on the outside.
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Bears Sign Kyle Long To Extension
WEDNESDAY, 11:37am: The Bears have officially announced the deal.
SATURDAY, 3:48pm: The Bears have signed guard Kyle Long to a four-year, $40MM extension, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Long will receive $30MM in guaranteed money.
Long, 27, has been a Pro Bowler in each of his three seasons since entering the league, starting all but one game for the Bears over the last three years. After playing at right guard to start his career, the former 20th overall pick shifted over to right tackle during the 2015 season.
As Pro Football Focus’ data suggests, Long wasn’t quite as effective on the end of the offensive line as he was on the interior, and he figures to return to that familiar right guard spot in 2016. Long’s status Week 1 is entirely unclear as he deals with a labrum issue, so if he is absent, the club will have some shuffling to do. For the time being, the Bears have moved free agent signing Ted Larsenfrom center to right guard, while installing Cornelius Edison at the pivot.
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Saints, Drew Brees Close To Extension
WEDNESDAY, 9:43am: The deal is “all but done,” a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 9:30pm: A deal could be signed as soon as tomorrow, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link), while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says the agreement could be a shorter contract.
7:56pm: The Saints are close to reaching an extension with quarterback Drew Brees, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Brees has indicated that he doesn’t want negotiations lasting into the regular season, so if the two sides are going to strike a deal, the time is now.
[RELATED: Saints To Sign Sterling Moore]
A report yesterday indicated that Brees is seeking a four-year deal worth $100MM, numbers that jibe with previous reports about Brees’ contract status. Brees’ asking price is a lofty one for a 37-year-old, especially considering no other NFLer averages $25MM per annum. However, the future Pro Football Hall of Famer hasn’t shown serious signs of aging to this point. Brees, a 16th-year man, is coming off his eighth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes. He also eclipsed the 4,800-yard mark for the fifth consecutive year.
During his 10-year run in New Orleans, the ex-Charger has missed just two games, led the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record, five playoff appearances, and a Super Bowl title to cap off the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, recorded three 5,000-yard seasons, made eight Pro Bowls, and established himself as the Saints’ all-time best player.
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