Extra Points: Jets, Goodell, Burfict, Prosise
The Jets have no plans to bench Josh McCown in favor of youngster Christian Hackenberg, as NJ.com’s Connor Hughes writes. “This isn’t Triple-A,” quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates said Tuesday. “We’re going to play the best players that give us an opportunity to win at all positions. That’s our philosophy. Josh is our starter.”
Though just 1.5 games behind Buffalo for the AFC’s last wildcard spot, New York is sitting last in the East with a 4-6 record and might be better served seeing what the team has in Hackenberg or Bryce Petty sooner rather than later with McCown, at 38 and on a one-year deal, obviously not the team’s future at the position.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- League spokesman Joe Lockhart says the impetus for signing commissioner Roger Goodell to a new deal despite having 18 months remaining on his current contract were a series on notable events on the horizon, according to ESPN’s Jim Trotter (Twitter link) Those milestones include the new collective bargaining agreement in 2020 and network TV deals in 2021 and 2022. “Sense that getting an extension beyond those dates was in the best interest of (NFL),” Lockhart said.
- Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict will not be suspended for making contact with a referee in Sunday’s game vs. Tennessee, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Instead, it will be reviewed using the standard process for a possible fine. Burfict was ejected from the game after picking up a pair of personal-foul penalties on one drive midway through the second quarter.
- 49ers safety Adrian Colbert could possibly miss the team’s upcoming game with Seattle after breaking his thumb vs. New York, coach Kyle Shanahan tells reporters and ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (Twitter link). The injury, which will require surgery, was sustained early in the first quarter but Colbert managed to play the rest of the way. Should he not be ready for the Seahawks, Antone Exum and Dexter McCoil are potential replacements, according to NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco (Twitter link).
- Jaguars safety Tashaun Gipson is happy to have left Cleveland and hopes Jacksonville can “hang 40 on them” when the team’s meet up this weekend, writes ESPN’s Michael DiRocco. The veteran defender spent his first four seasons with the Browns before joining the Jags in 2016 and apparently still harbors some ill feelings to the organization, which he also criticized for not drafting Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson.
- Seahawks running back C.J. Prosise could return in time for the postseason, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. The coach said the injury will have Prosise sidelined six weeks, but he must sit out eight games after being placed on IR.
Buccaneers Work Out Senquez Golson
Tampa Bay worked out 2015 second-round cornerback Senquez Golson and 2016 seventh-round defensive end Alex McCalister, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link). 
Golson, who has yet to step on the field in his first three seasons, was released from the Steelers before the start of the 2017 season. He suffered a hamstring injury on the first day of practice in pads at training camp and had to be carted off the field. In an unfortunate trend, the cornerback also was injured and had to be carted off the field on the first day of padded practice in 2016 with a Lisfranc injury. That came on the heels of missing his rookie campaign with a shoulder injury.
After registering 10 interceptions in 2014 and 16 during his three-year stay at Ole Miss, Golson entered the NFL Draft with significant upside and impressed Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake. “What I measure defensive backs on is how tough they are. They have to check that box for me. I suspect he’ll do that,” Lake said after the pick.
Colts Activate Safety Clayton Geathers
The Colts activated safety Clayton Geathers from the Reserve/PUP List the team reported today. It also waived linebacker Joshua Perry. 
Geathers, who suffered a season-ending neck injury in Week 15 of 2016 vs. Minnesota, underwent surgery on a bulging disk in March and was placed on the reserve/physically unable to perform list on Sept. 2. The third-year safety returned to practice following the Colts’ 27-0 loss to Jacksonville in Week 7.
A fourth-round selection out of Central Florida in 2015, Geathers appeared in 15 games as a rookie before emerging as the team’s starting free safety in 2016. He tallied 58 tackles, five passes defensed and forced a fumble in nine games before sustaining the injury.
Geathers will be a welcome addition to a defensive secondary that has permitted the second most passing yards in the league.
Browns Notes: Gordon, Thomas, McCarron, Hue, Currie
On the heels of his reinstatement into the NFL, Josh Gordon detailed his extensive drug use and recovery in a revealing Q&A with GQ.
In the piece, Gordon admits he was a highly functioning addict who would drink “a couple shots” before games, including his back-to-back 200-yard performances during his standout 2013 campaign. Gordon said his drug use began in the seventh grade with marijuana and Xanax, and he believes he has had something in his system for every game of his career.
When asked why his recovery this time is different, the receiver said, “Every time I would try to stop, it would be for the wrong reason. … Last time, I wanted to do it to save my career. Just for the job. [Now] I have the positive reinforcement and motivation of having a daughter and stuff like that, but kids can’t save you in that aspect. Only thing saving me at this point and time, and the difference between now and then, is that I’m doing it for myself. And I want something more for myself.”
Gordon will be allowed to begin practicing with the Browns on November 20, with the hopes of getting back on the field for the team’s Week 13 matchup with the Chargers.
Here is the latest from Cleveland:
- Browns head coach Hue Jackson issued no comment on his relationship with the front office when addressing reporters, including 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland’s Keith Britton (via Twitter), on Monday. The comment stemmed from the team’s fiasco in attempting to acquire A.J. McCarron from the Bengals and executive vice president Sashi Brown‘s comments earlier in the day. Brown also noted the botched deal for the quarterback made last week a tough one from a public relations perspective, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.
- It occurred to some with the Browns during the McCarron talks that Jackson could be back in Cincinnati next season with the team’s second- and third-round picks from the deal, CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets. Whether Jackson is with the Bengals or another team, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the coach looking for another job after winning just one of his first 23 games in Cleveland.
- Brown also said the raise to Joe Thomas had been talked about before the veteran’s injury, the Akron Beacon Journal’s Nate Ulrich tweets. As previously mentioned, Thomas was given $3MM in new money last week.
- Safety Justin Currie has a workout scheduled for Friday, the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson tweets. Signed to the Browns’ practice squad in December 2016, the Western Michigan product was released in the preseason and has yet to sign with another team.
Buccaneers Activate QB Ryan Griffin
Tampa Bay activated Ryan Griffin from the injured reserve list and released third-year cornerback Ayodeji Olatoye to make room for the quarterback on the 53-man roster, the team announced today. 
The move did not come as a surprise after it was announced starting quarterback Jameis Winston would be sidelined for at least two weeks due to a shoulder injury. Griffin, who was placed on IR after suffering his own shoulder injury in the team’s second preseason game vs. Jacksonville, returned to practice on October 18 and has been throwing for the scout team. He will serve as Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s backup until Winston returns to the field.
In 2013, Griffin was signed by the Saints after going undrafted coming out of Tulane. After spending two seasons on the team’s practice squad and a brief stint on the 53-man roster as a rookie, Griffin was released in 2015 and claimed by the Buccaneers. The fifth-year quarterback has yet to attempt a pass in a regular season game, and completed 4-of-9 passes in the 2017 preseason before being sidelined.
Chargers Activate LB Denzel Perryman
The Chargers activated linebacker Denzel Perryman to the 53-man roster, and waived linebacker Josh Keyes and tackle Tyler Marz, the club announced today. 
Perryman was assigned to the Reserve/Injured-Designated for Return list after undergoing ankle surgery following an injury in the team’s first preseason game. Coach Anthony Lynn expects the third-year linebacker, who has been practicing with the team since Week 7, to make his 2017 debut against the upstart Jaguars in Week 10.
The third-year linebacker will be a welcome addition to a Los Angeles defense that has allowed the second-most rushing yards (1,081) and fifth-most yards per attempt (4.6) through the first nine weeks of the season. Perryman amassed 71 tackles, two sacks and an interception in 12 games (11 starts) in 2016.
NFC Notes: Lions, Bucs, Cowboys, Seahawks
Tight end Eric Ebron is the biggest name being floated around by the Lions with the trade deadline looming, according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. General manager Bob Quinn has been aggressive since assuming the job nearly two years ago, and even pulled off a midseason deal in 2016 when he traded Kyle Van Noy to the Patriots, Meinke notes. A first-round pick out of North Carolina in 2014, the athletic tight end was expected by many to have a breakout campaign following a career year in 2016 but that has not been the case. Ebron has tallied more than two catches in a game just once this season but still possesses freakish physical traits that could lead a team to take a shot on the fourth-year pass catcher. Ebron is signed through 2018 and is due to earn $8.25MM next season.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- Jameis Winston reinjured his shoulder against the Bills in Week 7, Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter confirmed in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). “[Jameis] was doing better, he played very well, especially in the second half against Buffalo,” Koetter said. “We did have that one sack-fumble in the first half, and he did kind of reinjure it, and so that’s what led to him not throwing on Wednesday or Thursday this week.” Despite missing two days of practice, Winston took all reps on Friday and will start vs. Carolina in Week 8.
- The Cowboys are not looking to move any of their receivers, team vice president Stephen Jones said in a radio interview with 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link). Jones added the team has not specifically been asked about Cole Beasley‘s availability in a trade. After posting a career-high 75 catches in 2016, Beasley has hauled in just 16 grabs in the team’s first six games this season. It also doesn’t bode well for the slot receiver’s future in Dallas that the team drafted Ryan Switzer, a near carbon copy of Beasley, in the 2017 NFL Draft. Beasley is signed through 2018 and is due to make $3.25MM next season.
- The Seahawks are paying Dion Jordan $7.2K and Malik McDowell $5K per week while the two are on the NFI list, tweets Joel Corry of CBS Sports. Though a team doesn’t have to pay a player on the NFI list since the injury occurred away from the field, Seattle was able to come to terms with the two defenders. Jordan returned to practice this week, so the team has three weeks to activate him to the 53-man roster or he will not be eligible to play again this season. McDowell is still out indefinitely.
AFC East Notes: Pats, Ayers, Jets, ASJ, Fins
In the wake of Dont’a Hightower‘s season-ending injury, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes Akeem Ayers would be a logical candidate for the Patriots should the team look to add a hybrid-type linebacker. Reiss notes that Ayers, who was a part of New England’s Super Bowl-winning team in 2014, was in for a workout prior to the start of the season but the Patriots decided to pass at the time. A second-round selection in 2011 by Tennessee, Ayers last played with the Colts in 2016 and posted two sacks and an interception.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Despite Josh McCown performing well, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty could see action down the stretch should the Jets falter with a tough upcoming schedule, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes. Cimini notes that though McCown ranks 13th in passer rating (91.5), the fact remains that the 38-year-old quarterback is not in the team’s long-term plan. The veteran also is owed $125K per start, so New York could save a little money while also getting a better look at the team’s two young signal-callers.
- Austin Seferian-Jenkins is happy in New York and would love to be with the Jets for the foreseeable future, the tight end told Connor Hughes of NJ Advance Media.”I would love to be here long term,” Seferian-Jenkins said. “I love this place. I consider this home for me.” After being cut from the Buccaneers in 2016 following an arrest for suspicion of DUI, the tight end was signed by the Jets and has reignited his promising career with a touchdown in three consecutive games this season.
- Dolphins starting left guard Anthony Steen had surgery on his left foot and will be out indefinitely, Hal Habib of the Palm Beach Post reports. Miami used undrafted rookie Jesse Davis in Steen’s stead on Thursday vs. Baltimore, and Habib speculates veteran Ted Larsen, who started the season on IR with a torn biceps, could see time at the spot.