Greg Olsen To Return To Practice
Panthers TE Greg Olsen, who has been on injured reserve since suffering a broken foot in Week 2, will return to practice tomorrow, as Olsen himself said during the FOX pregame show today (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). Olsen, who is serving as a FOX analyst for today’s Rams-Vikings contest, indicated he would be on the field tomorrow and hopes to play against the Jets next week.
His return would be a boon for a team that traded away No. 1 wideout Kelvin Benjamin at the trade deadline and recently lost rookie Curtis Samuel for the season. Carolina is very much in the thick of things in the NFC South, sitting at 7-3 and just a half game behind the division-leading Saints, and Olsen could help the club at least secure a playoff berth. Quarterback Cam Newton and Olsen have had a great rapport during their time together in Carolina, with both players now among the league’s best at their respective positions.
Ed Dickson has served as the Panthers’ top tight end in Olsen’s absence, but outside of one monster game against Detroit, he has not been able to replicate Olsen’s production. Last year, Olsen had 80 catches for 1,072 yards and three touchdowns, which was his third consecutive season with 1,000 yards or more (and his fifth straight season with over 100 targets).
Between Olsen, Devin Funchess, and Christian McCaffrey, the Panthers should be able to cobble together enough of a passing game to stay in the playoff hunt.
NFC Notes: Clayborn, 49ers, Lions
Falcons defensive lineman Adrian Clayborn was prepared to hang up the cleats last offseason, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Clayborn suffered a torn biceps in Atlanta’s playoff win over the Seahawks in January, which marked the third time that he had endured a season-ending injury, and he was ready to retire rather than risk more pain and frustration. However, his fiancee (now wife) convinced him to give it another shot, and Atlanta is reaping the benefits. In addition to his otherworldly (and perhaps cathartic) six-sack performance against Dallas last week, Clayborn has rated as the 10th-best edge defender in the league (out of 110 qualifiers) per Pro Football Focus. He will be an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, and he could be on the verge of a very nice payday.
Now for more from the NFC:
- 2017 was always going to be a rebuilding year for the 49ers, and Cam Inman of the Mercury News offers his thoughts as to each current player’s future with the club. He suggests, for instance, that the team may prefer to let oft-injured Jimmie Ward test a soft free agent market but may want to re-sign fellow free agent-t0-be Daniel Kilgore.
- Kyle Meinke of MLive.com says he would not be surprised if the Lions simply cut Eric Ebron this offseason. While Ebron is due an $8MM salary under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, that salary is guaranteed for injury only, so Detroit could move on from him with no penalty (assuming, of course, he does not get hurt in the meantime). Theoretically, the two sides could attempt to work out some alternate arrangement — after all, Ebron would not get close to $8MM on the open market — but given that Ebron seemed anxious for a fresh start when his name was bandied about at the trade deadline, it sounds as if Ebron may be playing his last games as Lion.
- In the same piece, Meinke says it is hard to imagine Lions head coach Jim Caldwell getting the axe after the season, even if the team fails to qualify for the playoffs. However, Meinke predicts that Detroit will let impending free agent center Travis Swanson, who has performed poorly this season, hit the open market while sliding Graham Glasgow from guard to center.
- Ty Montgomery‘s re-aggravated rib injury is more painful than the original injury that he suffered earlier in the year, as ESPN’s Josina Anderson tweets. Anderson said the Packers running back, who will miss today’s contest against the Ravens, will try to practice later this week with the hopes of suiting up for Green Bay’s Week 12 game against Pittsburgh, but it does not sound particularly promising right now.
- Mike Pettine, who is currently serving as a consultant with the Seahawks, would be one of Matt Nagy‘s top choices for defensive coordinator if Nagy lands a head coaching job this offseason, as Michael Lombardi of The Ringer tweets. Pettine served as the Browns’ head coach from 2014-15, and he was previously a defensive coordinator for the Jets and Bills. Nagy currently works as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator and is expected to be one of the hottest head coaching candidates in 2018.
La Canfora’s Latest: Bills, P. Manning, Giants, Goodell
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor is likely to be an attractive trade chip this offseason due to his relative youth, upside, and athleticism (not to mention his reasonable salary). Taylor is due a $6MM roster bonus in the first week of free agency this March, and even when he inked his current deal, it was speculated that Buffalo could cut Taylor before having to pay out that bonus. So while teams theoretically could wait for the Bills to release Taylor — they did just bench him, after all — La Canfora’s sources indicate that the ability to land him at a reasonable contract and secure his rights for at least 2018 would lead to someone giving Buffalo something of reasonable value.
Indeed, aside from the $6MM roster bonus, Taylor is owed a fairly modest $10MM base salary, and it’s not as if the free agent QB market is likely to set the world on fire. Plus, there will be plenty of teams who are unable to address their QB needs in the draft. La Canfora names the Jaguars, Broncos, Cardinals, and Saints as potential landing spots for Taylor, and he says the Bills will be doing their own homework on the 2018 quarterback draft class. He also says the Bills could continue to look to trade Cordy Glenn this offseason.
Now for more from La Canfora, who has again treated us to a bevy of Sunday morning notes:
- Taylor might draw plenty of trade interest this offseason, but La Canfora writes that the Bills had been weighing the decision to start Nathan Peterman over Taylor for weeks, and the team’s slow starts and inability to throw the ball downfield ultimately forced the change.
- We have heard plenty of speculation about the Browns‘ desire to bring future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning on board in some sort of high-level capacity, and La Canfora writes that club owner Jimmy Haslam is serious about recruiting Manning and could be willing to offer him a small stake in the team as incentive to take on a team president/top executive role.
- Although Giants ownership recently indicated that head coach Ben McAdoo would at least get the opportunity to finish out the season before they make a decision on his future with the club, La Canfora says the club’s evaluation will not be limited to the coaching staff. He believes ownership could also make changes to the personnel side of team operations, suggesting that GM Jerry Reese could be on the hot seat.
- La Canfora says that Roger Goodell never demanded $50MM per year and use of a private jet for life as part of his contract extension, as was reported last week. Instead, the structure that Goodell agreed to weeks ago will pay him a base salary of $20MM per year, with a chance to hit $200MM over five years if all incentives are met (Goodell had been earning about $40MM per year under his present contract). His new deal is still awaiting a formal signing/announcement.
Ronald Darby Issues Statement On Jameis Winston
The Uber driver who has accused Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston of groping her in March 2016 has said that she and Winston were alone in her vehicle at the time of the alleged incident, whereas Winston’s representatives say there were several people in the car, and that Winston was in the backseat. Now, Eagles cornerback (and Winston’s former collegiate teammate) Ronald Darby has spoken out on Winston’s behalf, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
Darby, whom the Eagles acquired in a trade with Buffalo this offseason — but who has only suited up for one game this season due to an ankle injury — issued a statement this morning indicating that he was one of the other passengers in the vehicle. He said:
“I felt the need to come forward and clarify some inaccurate accounts of the evening of March 13, 2016 when myself, a friend and Jameis Winston took an Uber ride in Arizona. There were three of us in the car, not just one as has been reported. Myself and Jameis were in the backseat. I am confident that nothing inappropriate in nature happened in the car that evening and Jameis did not have any physical contact with the Uber driver. The accusations are just not true.”
Darby and Winston were teammates at Florida State in 2013 and 2014, and both were selected in the 2015 draft (Winston, of course, was the first overall pick in that draft, while Darby was taken with the 50th overall selection). And, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, this marks the second time that Darby has witnessed an incident that resulted in Winston’s being accused of sexual misconduct. Darby was in Winston’s apartment the night Winston was accused of sexually assaulting a fellow FSU student in 2012.
Schefter also reports that the NFL has still not informed the NFL Players Association that there is now an investigation of one of its players, which the league is required to do. While everyone knows that the investigation has been launched, and the league’s informing the NFLPA of the same is largely just a formality, the fact that it has not been done is an inauspicious start to what many expect will be another messy, drawn-out process.
AFC Notes: Osweiler, Cousins, Jim Harbaugh
The Broncos have tried to tinker their playbook a bit to suit Brock Osweiler‘s strengths, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). However, Rapoport calls tonight’s matchup with New England Osweiler’s final audition, and if he should continue to struggle, Paxton Lynch — who is reportedly getting healthier — will be given the chance to show what he can do.
Now for more rumors from the AFC (we rounded up some NFC nuggets earlier today):
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes that the Jets‘ chances to acquire Kirk Cousins in the offseason improved after Jimmy Garoppolo was traded to San Francisco, thereby (presumably) taking the 49ers out of contention for Cousins’ services. Of course, it all depends on what Washington does, but Cimini thinks New York will make a major QB acquisition one way or another. He thinks the club will either pursue Cousins or another quality veteran (like Alex Smith, should he become available) or else trade up for one of the top signal-callers in the draft.
- Browns LT Joe Thomas is battling an injured triceps that has knocked him out for the remainder of the season, and he remains undecided about his future, even though Cleveland gave him a pay raise for the 2018 season. As Dan Labbe of Cleveland.com writes, however, the Browns’ outlook could play a role in his decision. Thomas said, “Is it going to be for trying to pursue a championship or are we trying to pursue a playoff berth or are we trying to pursue a first pick overall? Those are all things that could play into that decision.”
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says that, when the 49ers were considering trading former head coach Jim Harbaugh, the Browns offered San Francisco two third-round picks and offered Harbaugh a five-year, $40MM contract. Harbaugh, though, did not want to go to Cleveland, but sources close to the current University of Michigan head coach say his eventual return to the league is “inevitable.”
- Rookie Gareon Conley might be the Raiders‘ most talented corner, but he has only been able to appear in two games in 2017 due to a shin injury that has taken longer than expected to heal. Per Scott Bair of NBCSports.com, Conley’s prospects for the remainder of the year will become clearer this week. If he is able to return to practice, he could work his way back into the mix. If not, Oakland will place him on injured reserve, thereby ending his first professional season.
NFL Workout Updates: 11/12/17
Today’s workout updates:
Green Bay Packers
- Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN,com, the Packers worked out TE Devon Cajuste, who was on the club’s practice squad last season before getting injured.
NFC Notes: R. Wilson, Gruden, Eli, Bennett
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, citing a source close to the situation, reports that the Seahawks violated the league’s concussion protocol by allowing quarterback Russell Wilson to reenter Thursday night’s game against Arizona without going to the locker room and being cleared by a team doctor and an independent physician. However, a league spokesman told ESPN that the NFL has not conducted any interviews yet, so it has not reached any conclusions. The NFL and NFLPA will jointly review the situation over the coming weeks.
If Seattle is determined to have violated the protocol, it could be fined up to $150K.
Now for more from the NFC:
- Every year, it seems, we hear rumors concerning Jon Gruden‘s potential return to the sidelines as a head coach. With his former team, the Buccaneers, sputtering in 2017, and with Dirk Koetter looking less likely to return in 2018, Gruden-to-Tampa Bay rumors will only continue to pick up steam, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. Gruden has mended his relationship with Bucs ownership and still lives about 10 minutes from the team facility, and a source close to him indicated it is possible that Gruden returns to the Bucs.
- The Giants have no plans to bench Eli Manning, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes. Although their long-time signal-caller does not figure to be a part of any long-term rebuild, Rapoport says it would take a catastrophe for Big Blue to sit Manning down this season.
- The Packers released Martellus Bennett with a Failure to Disclose a Physical Condition designation, alleging that Bennett failed to tell the team that he had a torn rotator cuff before he signed with the team this offseason. Bennett, of course, refutes that notion, but Green Bay intends to recoup the signing bonus it paid to Bennett, per Rapoport. Whether the Packers will seek the full $6.3MM bonus or the $4.2MM prorated portion is unclear, but they have over a month in which to file their grievance.
- Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott, whose suspension was reinstated earlier this week, is leaving the country to clear his head and train in an undisclosed location, per Rapoport (via Twitter).
Latest On Roger Goodell’s Contract, Jerry Jones’ Opposition
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that the league’s Compensation Committee will hold a conference call tomorrow to discuss commissioner Roger Goodell‘s contract extension and Goodell’s latest counterproposal requesting a $50MM salary as well as the lifetime use of a private jet and lifetime health insurance for his family. This comes on the heels of a story from Peter King of TheMMQB that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wants to “overthrow” Goodell.
Jones has done his best to hold up an extension for Goodell, which was supposed to be finalized in August. While the general assumption is that Jones became angry with Goodell for the commissioner’s suspension of Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott, Jones himself has said that is not the case, and that his problems with Goodell’s contract extension as currently constructed has less to do with the commissioner and more with the power of the position he holds.
King’s report is largely in accord with Jones’ assertions. King says Jones is right in that Goodell’s current contract, which pays him around $35MM annually with no performance aspect to it, is “excessive bordering on avaricious.” Furthermore, Jones contends that even if the current proposed contract for Goodell is approved — a contract that will make 88% of Goodell’s compensation incentive-based — the vague parameters of the incentives will allow Goodell to earn the same salary he has been earning anyway, regardless of the overall performance of the league. So, while Elliott’s suspension may have plenty to do with Jones’ discontent, it is not the only basis for it (Jones is also displeased with the fact that Goodell seems generally “suspension-happy”).
As such, Jones threatened to sue the league in a November 2 conference call, a threat that understandably rankled his fellow owners. King points out that Jones has taken unpopular stances before, and has ultimately prevailed, but this time, he does not have many partners in his struggle to overthrow the current way of doing business in the NFL. Indeed, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, Jones is losing credibility with, and influence over, other owners. Although Schefter’s report indicates that other owners are displeased with the outlandishness of Goodell’s most recent demands, it does not sound as if Goodell will walk away on his own, and it is similarly unlikely that there will be enough owners to force him out.
Interestingly, La Canfora notes in a separate piece that Goodell’s confidants and advisers are urging him to simply sign the proposed contract now and put the matter behind him, but King says there is not presently a contract to sign. King reports that the Compensation Committee and Goodell are still cleaning up a few points that go beyond mere formalities — like the private jet, for instance? — and that it could be a couple of weeks before Goodell can put pen to paper.
Presumably, tomorrow’s conference call will lend a little more clarity to this story. As of right now, though, it still seems as if Jones is waging a war that he is unlikely to win, and that Goodell will remain the league’s commissioner for the long haul (while being handsomely compensated for his efforts, even if a jet is not a part of the package).
Contending Teams Interested In Vontae Davis
A number of teams, including two who are in playoff contention, have reached out to former Colts cornerback Vontae Davis to express interest in bringing him aboard for a playoff run, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.
After a strange couple of weeks for the veteran defensive back, he was released by Indianapolis a few days ago due to a lingering groin issue and has elected to undergo surgery that will sideline him for six to eight weeks. Davis is reportedly unsure as to how quickly he will be ready to suit up after the surgery, though he does remain open to the possibility of playing again this season for a playoff club.
The interested teams clearly think that the groin issue, moreso than age or general decline, is to blame for Davis’ mediocre performance over the past season-and-a-half. He currently rates as the NFL’s No. 94 cornerback out of 117 qualifiers, according to Pro Football Focus, and last year, PFF had Davis as one of the ten worst qualified corners in the league. That represents a major drop for a player who earned an excellent 95.1 overall score in 2014 and followed it up with a strong 81.9 mark in ’15.
Nonetheless, if the surgery can help him return to something close to his former self, he could be a strong addition to a playoff team. Although Schefter did not name the clubs that have reached out to Davis, the Seahawks, who recently lost Richard Sherman for the year, would be a logical destination.
Drew Brees’ Future With Saints Uncertain
The Saints have been a pleasant surprise this season, jumping out to a 6-2 record on the strength of a largely young and talented roster that should continue to grow together for the next few years. Future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Drew Brees, however, may not be in New Orleans beyond this season.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) says the Saints are unsure as to whether Brees, who will be a free agent at season’s end, will be back in 2018. There have been no contract talks this season, and those talks will not commence until the season is over. Brees, of course, will want to be paid well, but Rapoport says he is missing some throws that he usually makes and that the team has noticed a slight decline in the 38-year-old’s overall performance.
That decline, however, is not manifesting itself in Brees’ statistics. His 71.6% completion rate is the best in the league, and while he is averaging under 300 passing yards per game for the first time since 2010, his quarterback rating of 105.0 is the highest it has been since 2011. He has also thrown 13 touchdowns against just four interceptions and has generally looked like the same great player he has always been for the Saints.
Rapoport says that Brees does not want to play for anyone other than the Saints, so if the two sides cannot agree to a new deal in 2018, it will be interesting to see whether No. 9 simply elects to call it a career. Speculatively, however, it seems that New Orleans will not squander all of the young talent it has at other positions by discarding the best player the franchise has ever had — and who is still pretty darn good — in favor of a less talented and/or more unproven signal-caller. But until the ink is dry on a new contract, this will be one of the more intriguing storylines to follow when the calendar flips to 2018.