PFR Originals: 9/27/15 – 10/4/15
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:
- Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.
- In our Community Tailgate series, we post topics for discussion and encourage readers to voice their thoughts in the comments section. This issues discussed by Luke Adams last week:
Week In Review: 9/27/15 – 10/4/15
The headlines from the past week at PFR:
Key News:
- Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger will miss four-to-six-weeks after spraining his MCL.
- The Bills will be without RB LeSean McCoy, who will miss about a month with a hamstring injury.
- The Panthers acquired DE Jared Allen from the Bears in exchange for a conditional 2016 sixth-round pick.
- DE Jason Pierre-Paul will report to the Giants within two weeks.
Trades:
- Patriots – acquired LB Jon Bostic from the Bears in exchange for a 2016 sixth-round pick.
- Ravens – acquired WR Chris Givens from the Rams in exchange for a 2018 seventh-round pick.
- Saints – acquired TE Michael Hoomanawanui from the Patriots in exchange for DE Akiem Hicks.
Injuries:
- Chargers – Johnnie Troutman, G (IR)
- Chiefs – Phillip Gaines, CB (IR)
- Eagles – Andrew Gardner, G (IR)
- Packers – Andrew Quarless, TE (IR-DTR)
- Panthers – Charles Johnson, DE (IR-DTR)
- Washington – Shawn Lauvao, G (IR)
Extended:
- Browns – Austin Davis, QB (through 2017)
Signed:
- Broncos – Tyler Polumbus, T (link)
- Colts – Josh Johnson, QB (link)
- Eagles – Caleb Sturgis, K (link)
- Steelers – Chris Boswell, K (link)
- Texans – Nick Novak, K (link)
- Washington – Mason Foster, LB (link)
Released/Waived:
- Bears – Brock Vereen, S (link)
- Chargers – Donald Brown, RB (link)
- Rams – Isaiah Pead, RB (link)
- Steelers – Josh Scobee, K (link)
LeSean McCoy To Miss 3-4 Weeks
Rookie running back Karlos Williams will shoulder the load in Buffalo for an extended period of time, as LeSean McCoy will miss an additional three-to-four weeks while dealing with his hamstring injury, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Per Garafolo, an MRI showed a new tear in McCoy’s hamstring, meaning he’ll be shelved for awhile longer.
McCoy originally suffered the injury during training camp in August, but he had been playing through the pain — albeit with mixed results — through the first three weeks of the season. As Garafolo notes, the recovery timeline is based on McCoy being fully healthy; presumably, if he’s willing to return at less than 100%, he could be back on the field a bit sooner. But for now, Williams, along with Anthony Dixon and Cierre Wood, will garner most of the carries for the Bills.
If McCoy does miss four weeks, he’d be absent for Buffalo’s games against the Giants, Titans, Bengals, and Jaguars. The Bills have a bye week following the Jacksonville contest, so a Week 9 return could make some sense for McCoy.
Colts To Start Matt Hasselbeck Vs. Jaguars
Andrew Luck will be among the Colts’ inactives when the club faces the Jaguars later today, the club announced, meaning that veteran Matt Hasselbeck will be thrust into the starting quarterback role. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Indianapolis performed tests on Luck’s injured shoulder and found no structural damage, so it’s possible that Luck’s injury is of the short-term variety.
Today’s contest will mark the first that Luck has missed during his career, as he had started 51 straight games since entering the league in 2012. The 26-year-old had been laboring through his worst season yet, completing just 56% his passes en route to a 5:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweeted last Sunday that many coaches and executives around the league believed that Luck was injured, and obviously his subpar statistics gave some validation to that claim.
Hasselbeck, now 40 years old, will earn his first start since 2012. Since signing with the Colts prior to the 2013 season, Hasselbeck has appeared in seven games in relief of Luck, attempting 56 passes for 431 yards and two scores. The former Seahawk will try to manage the Colts’ offense as the club attempts to even its record at 2-2.
Ben Roethlisberger Sprains MCL, Out 4-6 Weeks
9:08 pm: In addition to an MCL sprain, Roethlisberger also suffered a bone bruise, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link).
9:00pm: ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms La Canfora’s report regarding Roethlisberger’s injury. Schefter presents a different timetable, though, as his source expects Roethlisberger to miss six weeks (Twitter link).
8:45pm: An MRI confirmed an MCL sprain for Roethlisberger, reports CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (via Twitter). There’s no damage to his ACL, and he’s expected to miss four weeks.
4:40pm: Roethlisberger is expected to miss at least four weeks, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
4:28pm: The Steelers are “hopeful” that Roethlisberger’s ACL is intact, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
3:51pm: Roethlisberger didn’t break any bones, but he will need to undergo an MRI to determine if he suffered any ligament damage, tweets Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
3:14pm: Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was carted off the field during today’s game against the Rams after suffering a left knee injury. The club has announced he will not return, meaning that backup Michael Vick will navigate the offense for the remainder of the contest.
Needless to say, losing Roethlisberger for any amount of time would be devastating to a Steelers offense that ranked No. 1 in offensive DVOA during the 2014 season. Reothlisberger had been enjoying a typically outstanding season, completing more than 70% of his passes for more than 700 yards and four touchdowns during Pittsburgh’s first two games, during which the Steelers had posted a 1-1 record.
If Roethlisberger is out for a significant period of time, Vick will continue to act as Pittsburgh’s signal-caller. Vick was signed in late August after Bruce Gradkowski suffered a season-ending injury; Landry Jones, a former third-rounder, would presumably act as the No. 2 from here on out.
Losing Roethlisberger would be the latest blow to the Steelers offense, which missed Le’Veon Bell for two games due to suspension, and continues to play without receiver Martavis Bryant (suspension) and center Maurkice Pouncey (injury).
AFC Notes: Pats, Cooper, Ravens, Haden, Philbin
As the second wave of Week 3 games begin, let’s take a look at a few notes from the AFC…
- In his latest notes piece for ESPN.com, Mike Reiss wonders if the Patriots might be able to work out a trade for a cornerback. New England’s secondary is depleted after losing Darrelle Revis, Brandon Browner, and Kyle Arrington during the offseason, and Bill Belichick has certainly shown a willingness to make in-season deals. Reiss speculates that New England might target Chiefs CB Marcus Cooper, who played just one snap last week and will see even less time given the return of Sean Smith from suspension. Per Reiss, the Patriots tried to claim Cooper off waivers in 2013 but were beaten out by Kansas City.
- Not only did the Ravens fall to 0-3 by losing to the Bengals today, but the club might be without first-round rookie receiver Breshad Perriman for longer than originally thought. Reports had indicated that Perriman was close to a return, but he apparently suffered a setback during pregame warmups earlier today. According to Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun, Perriman was “moving well” as he attempts to come back from a sprained knee, but pulled up lame as he tried to go after a deep ball.
- Elsewhere in the AFC North, Browns cornerback Joe Haden told Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link) that X-rays came back negative on his injured ribs. However, Haden did say that he’ll undergo an MRI tomorrow.
- With the Dolphins record sitting at 1-1, and the club facing a stiff divisional test today against the Bills, several USA Today scribes debated whether head coach Joe Philbin might be on the proverbial hot seat. It’s widely believed that Miami must make the playoffs for Philbin to keep his job.
PFR Originals: 9/20/15 – 9/27/15
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:
- Luke Adams kicked off our 2016 Cap Outlook series by taking a look at the Saints, examining candidates for extensions, restructures, and release.
- Slightly less than half the league has used its injured reserve/designated to return slot, and Luke went over which clubs have utilized the designation.
- Zach Links rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.
- In our Community Tailgate series, we post topics for discussion and encourage readers to relay their thoughts in the comments section. The issues covered by Luke last week:
Week In Review: 9/20/15 – 9/27/15
The headlines from the past week at PFR:
Key News:
- Safety Kam Chancellor ended his holdout after two weeks and returned to the Seahawks.
- The Cowboys placed Tony Romo on injured reserve/designated to return after he fractured his clavicle.
Trades:
- Cowboys – acquired QB Matt Cassel and a 2017 seventh-round pick from the Bills in exchange for a 2017 fifth-round pick.
- Ravens – acquired CB Will Davis from the Dolphins for a 2016 seventh-round pick.
Extended:
- Bengals – Andrew Whitworth, T: through 2016.
- Patriots – Jonathan Freeny, LB: through 2016.
Waivers:
- Raiders – claimed CB David Amerson from Washington (link)
Signed:
- Bears – Mitch Unrein, DL (link)
- Eagles – Thaddeus Lewis, QB
- Giants – Kenrick Ellis, DT (link)
Other:
- Jaguars placed WR Rashad Greene on IR-DTR (link)
- Chuck Pagano doubts he’ll return to Indianapolis in 2016 (link)
- Cowboys restructure Jason Witten‘s contract (link)
Extra Points: Manning, Wilkerson, Ivory, Texans
In his new book Brady vs. Manning, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News recounts the sequence of events that led to Peyton Manning eventually leaving the Colts following the 2011 season, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Per former Indianapolis GM Bill Polian, the Colts had little to no contact with Manning due to the ongoing lockout, and therefore believed he’d be ready to play following neck surgery. In turn, they didn’t use a draft pick on a quarterback such as Colin Kaepernick or Andy Dalton — either of whom likely would have allowed the Colts to finish better than their 2-14 record.
Also from Myers, Polian says he was willing to carry both Manning and Andrew Luck on the roster, similar to what the Packers did with Brett Favre and Aaron Rodgers. However, Colts owner Jim Irsay was adamant that the club couldn’t pay both QBs, so Manning was eventually released.
Here’s more from around the league…
- The Jets and defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson are at a stalemate in contract talks, but that standstill could actually help New York land a franchise quarterback, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets could slap the non-exclusive franchise tag on Wilkerson next season (at a value of around $16MM), and then trade him, potentially for a pick in the top 10, opines Mehta. Other clubs have made similar moves in the past: the Chiefs with Jared Allen in 2008, the Packers with Corey Williams the same year, and the Patriots with Matt Cassel in 2009.
- A bit more pressing Jets news: running back Chris Ivory believes he’ll be able to play tomorrow against the Eagles, tweets Mehta. However, he will have to prove to both the coaching staff and the club’s medical personnel that he’s able to go.
- The NFL will take a look at the rule that awards possession of the ball to the defense following an offensive fumble through the end zone (as happened with Matt Jones and Washington during Thursday night’s game), per Florio at PFT. NFL VP of officiating Dean Blandino tweeted that giving the ball back to the offense at the spot of the fumble “has merit.”
- The Texans have yet to make a transaction after placing Jeff Adams on injured reserve earlier today, meaning they still only have 52 players on their roster, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Presumably, they’ll make a move before tomorrow’s game against the Buccaneers.
NFC Notes: Brees, Bush, Hicks, Lions
Drew Brees won’t play for the Saints this weekend as he deals with a shoulder injury, but New Orleans’ woes could extend beyond Week 3, writes Jarrett Bell of USA Today. The Saints made several moves to upgrade their offensive line during the offensive line, but Bell questions whether sacrificing a game-changing talent like Jimmy Graham was worth it, noting that finding a weapon like Graham is conceivably more difficult than landing solid offensive linemen. Additionally, Brees’ 2016 cap hit of $27.4MM won’t leave New Orleans much room to bring in reinforcements. Trading Brees could help kickstart a rebuild, but Bell rightly wonders whether Saints fans would accept the club dealing an icon such as Brees.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- 49ers running back Reggie Bush will miss his second consecutive game, as he’s been declared out for Sunday’s contest with a calf injury. As Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com notes (via Twitter), Bush will miss out on $18,750 in per-game roster bonuses for each contest that he misses. The 30-year-old Bush signed a one-year, $2.5MM with San Francisco during the offseason.
- Third-round pick Jordan Hicks will start his first game for the Eagles on Sunday, according to to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. With both Kiko Alonso and Mychal Kendricks dealing with leg injuries, Hicks, a Texas product, will step in next to veteran DeMeco Ryans, who has already expressed faith in Hicks. “He’s a guy who’s kind of above his years,” said Ryans. “To me, it’s not like he’s a rookie. When he stepped in, it’s like we’ve been doing this all summer and he’s a pretty smart guy, and it’s not like he has a big learning curve to hurdle.”
- The Lions rank 25th in the NFL in offensive yards, and Kyle Meinke of MLive.com believes offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi is mostly to blame. (For what it’s worth, Detroit places a more respectable 16th in offensive DVOA.) The Lions scribe covers a plethora of other topics in his mailbag segment, including whether or not Matthew Stafford is still the future at quarterback.