McDonald on Matt Schaub’s Sore Elbow
Raiders’ quarterback Matt Schaub has some soreness in his throwing elbow which kept him out of Sunday’s practice, reports Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune (via Twitter).
Dennis Allen said that the injury was not serious, and not a cause for concern. He noted that Schaub will be evaluated daily and is expected to return soon.
The short term beneficiary of this injury is rookie quarterback Derek Carr. David Carr‘s younger brother was a second-round pick, and will be getting first-team reps with Schaub sidelined for the time being (via Twitter).
Schaub brought up the soreness for the first time yesterday.
McDonald draws comparisons to the quarterback situation from last season, when Matt Flynn was set to be the starter after being brought in via a trade with the Seahawks. That was before a sore elbow held him out of practice towards the end of the preseason. Flynn would never regain a hold of his starting job, as Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin shuffled back and forth in and out of the lineup (via Twitter). Flynn would eventually be released, allowing him to rejoin the Packers later in the season.
If Carr impresses with the first team, it could accelerate his path to the starting job the Raiders hoped he would eventually take.
Broncos Cut Winston Justice, Ten Others
The Broncos have released 11 players, as they move toward the Tuesday deadline to reduce the roster to 75 players, reports Brian McIntyre of NFL.com (via Twitter). One notable name from this wave of cuts is Winston Justice, who the team re-signed earlier this offseason. Justice was set to be a backup in 2014.
Here is the full list of players released by the Broncos today, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter):
- Winston Justice OT
- Brennan Clay RB
- Jerodis Williams RB
- Greg Hardin WR
- Greg Wilson WR
- Jerrell Harris LB
- Charles Mitchell CB
- Will Pericak DL
- Bryn Renner QB
- Jamar Chaney LB (terminated/injured)
- Chase Vaughn LB (waived/injured)
That brings the team down to 77 players, with three more cuts to come in the next two days. Klis notes that receiver and returner Jordan Norwood also seems destined for the waived/injured list, which would bring it to 76 players.
Cam Newton Could Miss Season Opener
Panthers’ star quarterback Cam Newton was diagnosed with a hairline fracture in his ribs, which would put him in doubt for the season opener against the Buccaneers, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
Newton has already been ruled out of Thursday’s preseason game against the Steelers, but the team hopes to have him back in time for the first game of the regular season.
Although starters do not necessarily play in the preseason finale, Newton was expected to see some action according to head coach Ron Rivera, writes John Breech of CBSSports.com.
Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer is more optimistic, writing that Newton could rejoin the team as early as next week.
Person did take to Twitter to give an overview of the team’s current quarterback depth chart going into the final preseason game. With Newton out with cracked ribs, and fourth stringer Matt Blanchard concussed, that leaves only Derek Anderson and Joe Webb healthy for the game.
To add to the confusion, Anderson’s wife is pregnant and due any day now, so there is potential that he might also be forced to miss the game for the birth of his child. That would leave former wide receiver Webb as the only option under center.
While this is not an ideal situation, making sure Newton is healthy and able to play during the regular season is the priority. After a tumultuous offseason, any time missed by their starting quarterback could be disastrous to a team that will struggle on offense even with him, given the lack of talent on the offensive line and with the reeceivers.
“No Chance” Of Mark Sanchez To The Rams
With Sam Bradford out for the season with a torn ACL, the Rams will have to turn to backup quarterback Shaun Hill to lead them through the season in a brutal NFC West.
Other options have been open, including Eagles’ backup quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez spent three years under the tutelage of Rams’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during their time with the Jets, with the duo advancing to two AFC Championship games in three seasons.
Despite the obvious connection, Tom Pelissero of USA Today is told there is “no chance” of Sanchez being moved to the Rams this season. Sanchez has a chance at a fresh start under Chip Kelly’s offense, and is no interested in grabbing a starting job on a Rams team expected to finish last in their division (via Twitter).
Head coach Jeff Fisher is adamant that the team is content going forward with Shaun Hill, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). “Shaun (Hill) is our guy,” said Fisher. “We have around our QB position as much talent as we’ve had since we’ve been here.”
Fisher did respond to the rumors that the team would look outside the organization to find help at quarterback, as reported on the teams official Twitter page. “That’s not true. It doesn’t mean to say that we won’t, but we haven’t done it to this point.”
Fisher and his staff will eventually evaluate the quarterback market to gauge who is available, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). However, Rapoport also notes that the team had the option to sign Sanchez in the offseason, and elected to go after Shaun Hill instead (via Twitter).
Another big name backup, Christian Ponder, was not called when Bradford went down last year, and Pellissero would be surprised if anything had changed that would make the Rams interested this time around (via Twitter).
According to our Pro Football Rumors readers, Redskins’ Kirk Cousins is still the best quarterback by trade.
Raiders Release Seven Players
The Raiders have released seven players, reports Steve Corkan of the Contra Costa Times (via Twitter). Those players are as follows:
- Mike Davis WR
- Rahsaan Vaughn WR
- Kyle Auffray TE
- Emmett Cleary OT
- Torell Troup DT
- Justin Cole LB
- Jansen Watson CB
The team will have to make further cuts to bring the roster down to 75 players by Tuesday.
Eagles Notes: Kelly, Barner, Huff
The Eagles have a lot of former Oregon Ducks on their roster, with alumni of the Pac-12 power making up 12% of the 76-man roster after their recent cuts, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.. This includes former Panther Kenjon Barner, who the team recently traded for. Head coach Chip Kelly, who coached at Oregon previously, is comfortable bringing players from his former program.
“I like having good football players,” Kelly said. “So we think the guys we have here are good football players. There’s another 20 or 30 other Oregon guys that are in this league that are on other teams. They’re good football players.”
Here are some other notes from around Eagles’ camp:
- Speaking of Barner, the addition of the running back has created a very crowded backfield in Philadelphia, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Chris Polk was thought of as the third back, but hamstring troubles led to the team bringing in Barner. They will both compete with Matthew Tucker and Henry Josey for roster spots.
- Another Oregon product, rookie receiver Josh Huff, suffered an AC joint sprain in his shoulder in the preseason game against the Patriots, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Kelly is optimistic about his return, saying that he is not a candidate for the injured reserve list at this point, according to Berman (via Twitter).
- PhillyMag.com rewatched the team’s preseason game against the Steelers, focusing on the defense. Sheil Kapadia wrote the article, and was extremely complimentary of the defensive players. Among the highlights, he noted that Brandon Graham was unblockable, first-round pick Marcus Smith was much improved, and the team was strong overall among the front seven. The corners struggled at times, but the safeties played well with the exception of Chris Maragos, who was beaten for a touchdown.
NFC East Links: Schwartz, Cowboys, Redskins
Giants‘ guard Geoff Schwartz was brought in this offseason to sure up the offensive line, but in light of his recent injury, the team needs to look at potential replacements on the roster, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Rookie center Weston Richburg is the logical replacement, although he was thought of as the center of the future and was already competing to be the starter at the other guard spot with Brandon Mosley. John Jerry and Dallas Reynolds are the other guards on the roster.
Here are some more links from around the NFC East:
- The Giants‘ offensive line is not the only cause for concern heading into the regular season, as the team’s tight ends and their quarterback Eli Manning have struggled as well, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. The team is also short on wide receivers with rookie Odell Beckham Jr. and former practice squad star Marcus Harris struggling with injuries. Harris was thought to be a lock to make the roster before his injury, writes Raanan.
- There are still a few starting spots on the Cowboys‘ depth chart up for grabs, and David Moore of DallasNews.com points out three places where those jobs are up for grabs. The team still has a decision to make at left guard, left defensive end, and middle linebacker.
- The writers of DallasCowboys.com have highlighted two players each to watch going into the Cowboys‘ preseason game against the Dolphins. The players to watch are not necessarily in straightforward position battles, and range from rookie Devin Street to franchise quarterback Tony Romo.
- The Redskins‘ cornerback depth chart is still up in the air, with multiple players impressing so far during camp. Tracy Porter seems to have the slot corner spot locked up, but if his injury history comes back to haunt him, that could open up a roster spot for a player like Chase Minnifield, writes John Keim of ESPN.com. Bashaud Breeland has also had an excellent camp, but must learn how to play the slot before he sees significant playing time.
Dunne On Replacements For B.J. Raji
An unfortunate injury to Packers’ nose tackle B.J. Raji has left the team looking for a way to replace his size and athleticism in the middle of their defense. The arm injury has been confirmed to be torn biceps, and will more than likely force him to miss the season, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
As big of a loss as this is for the defense, the team is not yet panicking, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (via Twitter). The team has a number of in-house replacements, including Josh Boyd, Letroy Guion and undrafted rookie Mike Pennel, according to Dunne.
Guion was one of the favorite free agent signings this offseason, but has missed virtually all of training camp with a variety of hamstring problems. He was thought of as a possible PUP candidate, but Dunne notes that the team might not feel comfortable waiting that long to see him in action now without Raji (via Twitter).
Dunne also notes that former Packer Ryan Pickett is an option (via Twitter). Pickett, who played nose tackle and defensive end for the team since 2006, is a free agent who has expressed interest in continuing his career with the Packers, as Dunne wrote earlier this offseason.
However, Dunne also mentioned that the team would most likely stand pat with what they have, knowing they have the option to play more nickel packages, which would put Mike Daniels and Datone Jones on the field, and alleviate the need for a true nose tackle (via Twitter).
Johnny Jolly, another former Packer defensive lineman, is also not currently in the team’s plan as a replacement for Raji, (via Twitter).
Lions Cut Six Players
The Lions’ have released six players today, on their way to cutting the roster down to 75 men, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter). The players who were cut are as follows:
- Alex Bullard, guard
- A.J. Dalton, guard
- Greg Hickman, defensive tackle
- Steven Miller, running back
- Kris Redding, defensive ends
- Conner Vernon, wide receiver
The team has also placed wide receiver T.J. Jones on the physically unable to perform list, reports Twentyman (via Twitter).
The team will have to cut seven more players on their way to the 75-man roster, and have until Tuesday at 4 P.M. to do so, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter).
NFC West Links: Sam, Williams, Harvin, Brown
As the final cut from 75 to 53 is only a week away, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch takes some time to break down where everyone on the Rams’ roster stands. Thomas divided each player on the roster into one of three categories: safe and sound, on the bubble, or probably not. The big name that is still on the bubble is rookie defensive end Michael Sam. With a crowded defensive line, Sam has only a week left to make his final impression and land on the team’s roster.
Here are some other links from around the NFC West:
- While Brian Hoyer has earned the starting job for the Browns, Rams‘ head coach Jeff Fisher is looking forward to seeing a lot of Johnny Manziel, writes Steve Korte of the Belleville News-Democrat. “I’m hoping he gets to play a lot,” Fisher said. “He’s an outstanding athlete, and he’ll test our defense if he breaks the pocket and takes off running.”
- 49ers‘ Ian Williams had won the starting nose tackle job last season before being sidelined with an injury, but he is healthy again and head coach Jim Harbaugh thinks he looks better than he did before the fractured leg, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “Just in the movement, in the quickness, the burst of separation, driving to the ball,” Harbaugh said. “He looks better than before. That’s what I’ve seen so far.”
- Seahawks‘ receiver Percy Harvin has flashed his playmaking ability this preseason, and has fans imagining what he could do if he stays healthy for a full season, writes Dave Boling of the News Tribune. “The Seahawks finished 18th in the NFL in offensive gains last season,” writes Boling. “Harvin will get them near the top 10 with his efforts alone.”
- Harvin has drawn praise from his fellow Seahawks as well, with quarterback Russell Wilson touting his top target, writes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “What Percy brings to the offense is grit, and a desire to get into the end zone, a desire to get the ball in his hands and make something happen,” said Wilson. “Every time he touches the football, he’s either going to run over you or run by you, one of the two. That’s what he brings to the table, his explosive mentality.”
- Cardinals‘ rookie receiver John Brown has taken camp by storm, and Peter King of Sports Illustrated is the latest to join the bandwagon of praising the young Division II wideout. King notes that he has had success working in a number of different packages and should be heavily involved in the offense this season.