NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Gettleman, Baalke
Bears kicker Connor Barth missed a pair of field goals during his team’s six-point loss earlier today. Through five games, the 30-year-old has connected on five of his eight attempts, and Barth has been around the league long enough to recognize that the Bears will probably explore the kicker market.
“Nothing surprises me these days,” he told Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It’s the NFL. So just gotta go back to work. Like I said, those are kicks I usually make. I gotta make them.”
Coach John Fox was non-committal when discussing Barth’s roster status, but he wasn’t ready to lay all of the blame on his kicker.
“We look at everything every week,” coach John Fox said. “But I don’t think that’s on one guy, by any stretch.”
The veteran was signed by the Bears right before the season, with the 30-year-old replacing long-time kicker Robbie Gould.
We took a swing around the AFC earlier today, now let’s round up a few more notes from around the NFC…
- Ezekiel Ansah has been dealing with a high ankle sprain since Week 2, but according to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter), tests have revealed that the injury is no more serious than that. Caplan reports that Ansah will not require surgery and the Lions are optimistic we will begin practicing soon.
- Kyle Meinke of MLive.com does not expect Lions head coach Jim Caldwell to be fired mid-season, especially since he is still well-respected and even revered by his players. However, he will surely not survive into 2017 if the team does not show dramatic improvement over the remainder of the 2016 campaign.
- The Panthers’ secondary is a mess right now, and as David Newton of ESPN.com writes, there is really no one else to blame but GM Dave Gettleman. Newton observes that the one area Gettleman hasn’t spent money on is the secondary. He has put together that unit in piecemeal fashion with midrange draft picks and older veterans who came cheap, letting starters like Captain Munnerlyn and Josh Norman walk because they didn’t fit into his financial plan. Now, Gettleman’s approach is starting to catch up with him.
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com believes that 49ers GM Trent Baalke is on the hot seat, largely as a result of his repeated failure to address the team’s weaknesses at impact positions. The problem is that there is nothing Baalke can do to strengthen the team for the final 11 games, so if San Francisco does not improve on its own, Baalke’s tenure with the club could be over.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
Evan Mathis To Retire After Season?
Prior to signing a one-year pact with the Cardinals this offseason, guard Evan Mathis was contemplating retirement. He has enjoyed a long and successful career, he won a Super Bowl ring with the Broncos in 2015, and he has nothing left to prove. Ultimately, however, he decided to resume his career with Arizona.
But Mathis suffered an ankle injury during Thursday night’s win against San Francisco, and the team placed him on IR yesterday. Even if healthy, Mathis cannot be activated for at least eight games, and head coach Bruce Arians said earlier this week that the team is considering bringing either Chris Johnson or Tyvon Branch off IR. Of course, teams can only bring one player from IR back onto the active roster, so if Johnson or Branch were to return, Mathis could not come back.
As such, his career could be over. ESPN’s Adam Caplan asked Mathis about the possibility of playing next season, and Mathis replied, “I’m only going to play if someone lets me be a third down pass rusher” (Twitter link). Which means, obviously, that he does not currently plan on playing again.
Needless to say, a lot can change between now and the start of the 2017 season, but all of the reasons that made Mathis consider retirement earlier this year remain valid. The 34-year-old Alabama product has played in 134 regular season games since entering the league in 2005, starting 93 of them. He has been selected to two Pro Bowl squads and was named a First-Team All-Pro in 2013. After suiting up for the Panthers, Bengals, and Dolphins over the first half of his career, Mathis finally came into his own with the Eagles during his age-30 season and was a mainstay on Philadelphia’s offensive line from 2011-14. And, despite playing through various injuries for the Super Bowl champs last season, Mathis still graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 run-blocking guard. PFF ranked him as the ninth-best run-blocking guard this year before he succumbed to injury.
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AFC Notes: Tannehill, Pryor, Siemian
Let’s take a look at some notes from the AFC as we wait for the early slate of Sunday’s games to get underway:
- Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald believes Dolphins QB Ryan Tannehill is now entering the most important stretch of his career. He’s a fifth-year signal-caller playing under an offensive savant in head coach Adam Gase and facing an unprecedented 44-day homestand that features four eminently winnable games. If he cannot excel over the next month, it is difficult to believe that he will ever excel.
- We learned last week that the Patriots tried to trade for Terrelle Pryor prior to the 2015 season, but it does not appear that anyone other than the Browns will get to reap the rewards of Pryor’s success anytime soon. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Pryor is one of the only players that Cleveland will not consider trading as it continues to build for the future. Pryor is apparently pretty comfortable with the Browns, too, as he recently expressed his desire for a contract extension.
- Paxton Lynch may be starting for the Broncos this week, but James Palmer of the NFL Network confirms (via Twitter) what head coach Gary Kubiak has been saying all week: that Trevor Siemian‘s job is secure. Denver’s coaching staff understandably loves Siemian and hopes to have him ready for Thursday night’s tilt with San Diego.
- We heard reports earlier today that Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick would be playing for his job this afternoon against Pittsburgh and that the team was prepared to hand the starting job to Geno Smith if Fitzpatrick struggles. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, however, head coach Todd Bowles is ignoring the calls for Fitz to be benched, though he realizes that the Harvard product must improve soon. Bowles said, “[Fitzpatrick] can’t put the game on his shoulders and try to be Superman. If it’s not there, it’s not there. Whether we take the sack or we throw it out of bounds or we punt and move on, ball security is what wins in this league. The big difference between last year’s first quarter and this year’s first quarter is that we got a ton of turnovers (in 2015). And this year, we gave up a bunch of turnovers.”
QB Notes: Kaepernick, Romo, Fitzpatrick
We learned earlier today that Brian Hoyer will remain the starter in Chicago if he continues to play well, regardless of Jay Cutler‘s health. Now let’s take a look at some other teams facing various types of quarterback dilemmas:
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com chimes in on the Colin Kaepernick situation, reporting that the 49ers are indeed mulling a move to pull starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert in favor of Kaepernick. Although head coach Chip Kelly has not yet had conversations with his full staff regarding his quarterback conundrum, he has had informal, exploratory discussions about making a move. There are, of course, several factors that could influence Kelly’s decision, including Kaepernick’s contract situation–a restructured deal would make San Francisco more willing to put No. 7 on the field–and his health. Although Kaepernick is not yet back to his normal playing weight, his arm at least is back to full strength, and he appears more at ease with his teammates then he has in years past. He does not consistently outperform Gabbert in practice, but at this point, a change probably makes sense and could happen soon.
- Despite a great deal of discussion to the contrary, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that there is “zero chance” the Cowboys will start Dak Prescott over a healthy Tony Romo. Romo remains on track to return for the team’s Week 8 matchup against Philadelphia, and the Cowboys believe a healthy Romo will help open up the offense. Although Prescott has played well and is viewed as the quarterback of the future, the Cowboys are running a constricted version of the offense for him, allowing him to be something of a game manager (he has attempted just seven passes that have traveled 20 yards or more in the air). So far all the talk that Romo would become Dallas’ answer to Wally Pipp, that does not appear to be the case.
- In a separate piece, La Canfora writes that the Jets have seen enough of Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s turnover issues and that Gang Green is prepared to make a change if Fitz does not reverse the trend immediately. La Canfora says that Fitzpatrick is essentially playing for his job against Pittsburgh this week, and with Geno Smith showing some signs of life in practice, the team would not be averse to handing the reins to Smith if Fitzpatrick struggles against the Steelers (the Jets believe that neither Bryce Petty nor Christian Hackenberg is ready to become the next young quarterback to take the league by storm).
- Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer believes that, if Robert Griffin III is able to play again this season, the Browns will give him a chance, regardless of how Cody Kessler is performing at that point (unless, of course, Kessler is playing at an Aaron Rodgers level). However, it is unlikely that RGIII will be healthy enough to return this year, so Cleveland will probably not have to make that decision.
Latest On Jay Cutler, Brian Hoyer
Jay Cutler is nearing a return from his thumb injury, but he may not have a job to come back to, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Brian Hoyer has played reasonably well in Cutler’s absence, leading the Bears to a victory over division-rival Detroit last week, and La Canfora reports that Cutler has fallen out of favor with some on the coaching staff. He writes, “There were some heated words exchanged between coaches following Cutler’s last appearance, sources said, about whether he should have been out of that game sooner, and Cutler’s status in the Bears’ locker room has long been under debate.”
This report jives with head coach John Fox‘s comments earlier this week, when he stated that Hoyer will remain the starter if he continues to play well. And with the Jaguars and Colts next on the docket for the Bears, there is a good chance that Hoyer will indeed continue to play well, at least for the next several weeks. While Hoyer will never be the type of quarterback that can take a team to the promised land, at this point he appears to be just as effective as Cutler, and he comes at a fraction of the cost.
After all, although Cutler is signed through 2020, he has no more guaranteed money left on his deal after this season, so it will be easy for Fox and GM Ryan Pace–who inherited Cutler from the prior regime–to release Cutler and begin the search for a long-term solution under center while using a quarterback like Hoyer as a placeholder.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com lends support to La Canfora’s story, tweeting that, “This is Brian Hoyer’s job to win. If he continues to thrive, he’ll start. Door is open.” Barring some sort of unexpected turnaround, then, it appears that Cutler will not be Chicago much longer. To paraphrase a Chicago Tribune story from several weeks ago, the end of Jay Cutler’s tenure with the Bears feels as real as it ever has.
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Justin Forsett To Visit Lions
Free agent running back Justin Forsett will visit with the Lions tomorrow, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Forsett has had an interesting start to the 2016 campaign, as he was released by the Ravens as part of the team’s final cut-down to a 53-man roster before re-signing with Baltimore just two days later (for the same term and salary that he had remaining on his old contract). It became apparent at that time that the two sides had a prearranged agreement that allowed the Ravens to put several other players on IR with a designation to return while assuring Forsett that he would return to the club.
But Forsett struggled mightily as the team’s feature back during the first three weeks of the season, managing just 98 yards on 31 carries. He lost his starting job to Terrance West last week, and West enjoyed a strong outing, posting 113 yards and a score on 21 carries. Between West’s emergence and the impending return of rookie Kenneth Dixon, who was the team’s most dynamic back in training camp and in the preseason before suffering an injury that forced him to miss the first four weeks of the regular season, Forsett became expendable.
The Lions, through, are very thin at the running back position, as starter Ameer Abdullah was put on IR earlier this year and rookie Dwayne Washington is also dealing with injury problems. At 31, Forsett does not appear to have much left in the tank, even though he did not become a full-time starter until his surprising breakout campaign with the Ravens in 2014. However, he is still a strong pass protector and offers some ability as a receiver out of the backfield, so he could be a useful third-down back in Detroit.
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NFC North Notes: Cutler, Kalil, Lions
After Monday night’s ugly loss to Philadelphia, Rich Campbell of The Chicago Tribune writes that the end of Jay Cutler‘s tenure with the Bears felt as real as it ever has. Each year since former head coach Lovie Smith was fired at the end of the 2012 season, the Bears have asked themselves whether they prefer Cutler to an alternative, and each year, the answer has been yes.
However, after looking at the success that rookie Carson Wentz had against them last week, and as they prepare for rookie signal-caller Dak Prescott this week, the Bears’ quarterback calculus could change sooner rather than later. After all, it could be tough for GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox to continue with a 33-year-old quarterback who has a 50-49 record and only one playoff victory in seven-plus seasons in Chicago, particularly a quarterback they inherited who has no more guaranteed money left on his deal as of 2017.
The problem is that a quarterback has not been the best player on the board when the Bears have been on the clock in the past two seasons, and it would not have made sense for the team to reach for a signal-caller when they had a solid quarterback on the roster with guaranteed money still to be paid. But with no succession plan in place, the Bears may have no choice but to grab a QB in the 2017 draft and hope they can find someone to lift them out of their cycle of mediocrity.
Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from the NFC North:
- With Matt Kalil on IR, many have wondered if the Vikings–who demonstrated they were “all in” on the 2016 season with the Sam Bradford trade–could deal for a replacement left tackle, like Cleveland’s Joe Thomas. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Minnesota will not make such a trade.
- Earlier today, we learned there is a good chance that Adrian Peterson could return to the Vikings next year, despite much speculation to the contrary.
- Lions DE Ziggy Ansah is expected to be out through at least next week as he continues to battle a high ankle sprain, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Ansah will get a second opinion on that injury later this week.
- Lions LG Laken Tomlinson has had a very disappointing start to the season, but Kyle Meinke of MLive.com believes Detroit has no other choice but to continue relying on last year’s No. 28 overall selection, as 2016 fifth-rounder Joe Dahl does not appear ready to step into the starting lineup.
Good Chance Adrian Peterson Returns To Vikings In 2017
Adrian Peterson indicated just yesterday that he believes he will return from IR this season, although his prognosis is certainly premature and perhaps overly optimistic, as doctors will have to wait at least one month before determining if the veteran back has any shot at playing again this year.
And, since his potential return to the field in 2016 is very much in doubt, there has already been a great deal of speculation regarding Peterson’s future in Minnesota. As the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote several days ago, Peterson never looked like a great bet to return to Minnesota in 2017 barring some sort of contract adjustment, as he’s set to count for an untenable $18MM on next year’s cap (which is comprised of a $6MM roster bonus on the third day of the 2017 league year, along with $12MM more in base salary and workout bonuses). All of that total can be cleared out by releasing him, and given that Peterson isn’t a perfect fit for offensive coordinator Norv Turner‘s scheme–not to mention the fact that the Vikings are transitioning into more of a throwing team under Turner–it is logical to think that he’ll be playing for a new club next season.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports added his support to that viewpoint his morning, writing that even if Peterson had enjoyed a typical Peterson year in 2016, it was highly unlikely that he would have returned to the Vikings under his current deal. As such, his future with the Vikings will hinge on their ability to renegotiate his contract prior to his $6MM roster bonus coming due in March.
Despite all of that, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Minnesota wants Peterson to retire as a member of the Vikings, and two sources with direct knowledge of the situation indicated that it would not be a surprise to see Peterson back with the club in 2017. After all, the massive $96MM deal that he signed in 2011 was always set to expire at the end of 2017, so it’s not as if player and team haven’t prepared for this moment. Furthermore, the restructure of that deal that Peterson and the Vikings agreed to in July of last year suggests that the two sides can come together to make a tough situation work, just as they did when Peterson was suspended by the NFL for violating the league’s personal conduct policy in 2014.
Rapoport goes on to say that the Vikings have consistently demonstrated loyalty to Peterson since he was drafted in 2007, and they expect that to continue (they may also expect Peterson to pay them back in kind by agreeing to modify his contract). As Albert Breer of TheMMQB tweets, this situation is similar to the one that the Cardinals and Larry Fitzgerald found themselves in several years ago, which ultimately resulted in a satisfactory compromise that kept one of the best players in franchise history with the only club he has ever known. And according to Rapoport, there is a good chance that Peterson and the Vikings will enjoy the same outcome.
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East Notes: Drake, DRC, Revis
The Dolphins will treat rookie running back Kenyan Drake as the starter this week in place of the injured Arian Foster, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport, though, passes along more interesting news regarding Miami’s running back corps and head coach Adam Gase‘s attempts to instill discipline in his new club.
After Gase’s highly-publicized decision to leave Jay Ajayi off the team’s travel list prior to the Dolphins’ regular season opener in Seattle, there was another incident involving the team’s running backs the following week. Both Isaiah Pead and Damien Williams missed a meeting in advance of Miami’s Week 2 matchup against New England, which is why both were inactive for that contest. Drake, it appears, is the only back on the 53-man roster who is both healthy and has not had a lapse in maturity over the past several weeks.
As Rapoport notes, time will tell if more “messages” are necessary or if the Dolphins will begin to fall in line with Gase’s vision.
Now for more from the league’s east divisions:
- Despite his team-friendly deal and his still considerable abilities, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is clearly not in the Giants‘ long-term plans, James Kratch of NJ.com writes. Janoris Jenkins and Eli Apple are entrenched as the team’s top two corners, and it would make no sense for New York to pay $6.5MM for a 30-year-old slot corner after this season (especially when the team could recoup the full $6.5MM by cutting DRC). But there are plenty of cornerback-needy teams for whom Rodgers-Cromartie would represent a significant upgrade, so Kratch opines that the Giants should look to trade DRC prior to this year’s deadline, and if that fails, then the team should release him before free agency begins next year.
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes the Jets and cornerback Darrelle Revis are set for a “contract staredown” after the season. Revis is scheduled to earn $15MM in 2017, including a non-guaranteed roster bonus of $2MM, which is due to be paid on the second day of the 2017 league year in March. Of course, if Revis begins to recapture his prior level of play, his contract may not be as much of an issue, but if he continues to struggle, the team will probably ask him to renegotiate, which Revis has never shown any inclination to do. As Cimini notes, the roster bonus puts a deadline on what could become one of the bigger storylines of the offseason.
- Eagles head coach Doug Pederson expects Dorial Green-Beckham‘s role to increase as DGB continues to learn the offense and get healthy, as Jimmy Kempski of PhillyVoice.com writes. Through the first two games, Green-Beckham has had just six passes thrown his way, though Pederson says DGB was the primary target on several plays in the team’s Week 2 win over Chicago, but the defense dictated that the play go elsewhere.
- If Eagles right tackle Lane Johnson is in fact suspended for PED use–his hearing is set for October 4–Marc Narducci of The Philadelphia Inquirer writes that the team will move left guard Allen Barbre to right tackle and promote Stefen Wisniewski to the starting lineup to take Barbre’s place.
Sam Shields To Miss “A Few More Weeks”
Packers cornerback Sam Shields will not be cleared to play for at least a few more weeks, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets. Shields suffered a concussion during Green Bay’s Week 1 victory against Jacksonville, which came less than nine months after his previous concussion on December 13, 2015. That concussion forced Shields to miss the final three regular season games of 2015 plus the Packers’ NFC wild-card playoff win over Washington before he returned for the divisional playoff loss at Arizona.
Shields has now suffered four concussions in the past six seasons, and as they continue to pile up, one has to wonder about the longevity of his career. Just 28, Shields has established himself as one of the better cornerbacks in the league when healthy, and he signed a four-year, $39MM deal with Green Bay prior to the 2014 campaign. But as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com wrote several days ago, Shields described last year’s concussion as particularly scary because he does not remember anything that happened.
Shields said of that concussion, “All I remember is going after the tackle and my head hitting the ground. And that was it. I blanked out. I try to keep my head from getting in there, but it’s kind of hard. It’s a physical sport.”
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy has not offered any details about Shields’ recovery or prognosis except to say that he going through the league’s concussion protocol and its attendant evaluations.
Shields has posted five interceptions in his career and earned a trip to the Pro Bowl in 2014.
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