Texans Release Bullough, Mumphery
Texans receiver Keith Mumphery and inside linebacker Max Bullough have been released, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Different off-the-field issues have led to both players being jettisoned from Houston. 
Bullough was suspended four games for a PED violation back in May. In a statement, Bullough indicated that a tainted supplement was to blame for the positive test, but that excuse apparently did not fly with Texans brass. The Michigan State product appeared in every game for Houston last season and even made three starts. He had just 19 tackles in total, however, and only saw the field for 240 defensive snaps.
The Texans used a fifth round pick on Mumphery in 2015 but only recently learned that he was expelled from Michigan State for a sexual misconduct violation. The local prosecutor declined to press charges when the accuser could not be reached, but the university booted him from the program for violating the policy on “relationship violence and sexual misconduct.” More than two years after the alleged incident, Mumphery now finds himself out of work in the NFL.
Vikings’ Joe Berger Likely To Retire After 2017
Vikings center Joe Berger realizes that he’s getting towards the end of his career. The 35-year-old says that 2017 will probably be his final NFL season. 
“You never know what the circumstances are going to be, but in my mind, that’s the way I’m looking at it,” Berger told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “It’s year 13 and it’s been fun. It’s a young man’s game, though.’’
Berger first broke into the league as a sixth-round pick of the Panthers, but never wound up taking the field for them. After trudging along in a largely reserve role for the Dolphins and Cowboys, he found a more permanent home with the Vikings in 2011. In 2015, he became a full time starter at center and that’s the role he’ll likely reprise for the third straight season this year.
In 2016, Berger saw time at center, left guard, and right guard. Listed as a guard by Pro Football Focus, he was given a strong overall score of 85.0 and ranked as the 12th best guard in the NFL. In the year prior, he pulled down a career best 88.0 mark. Berger is doing the best work of his playing career, but it sounds like he wants to leave the game with his health in tact.
“Not everybody gets the opportunity in this game to walk away on their own,” Berger said. “So, for [Chad Greenway] to have a great career like he did, all (with the Vikings), to be able to step away on his own with his timing, if I were able to get that opportunity, that would be great.”
Bengals Sign Rookie RB Joe Mixon
Joe Mixon is officially a member of the Bengals. The team announced that the running back has inked his four-year rookie deal. 
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From a talent perspective, Mixon was one of the best running backs available in this year’s class. However, his baggage dragged him further down the boards of several teams and completely off the board for some. Mixon, of course, was caught on video striking a woman while on campus at Oklahoma. Mixon and the woman reached a civil settlement one week before the draft, but that was not enough to quell the concerns of teams around the league. Ultimately, the Bengals took a chance on Mixon at No. 48 overall.
“In making our decision, we took a risk. In this case, the risk has an upside as well as a downside,” Bengals owner Mike Brown said. “We believe Joe has put this behind him and that he can turn into the player and community member that creates a plus for Cincinnati. We are going to do everything in our power to make this happen. Our hope is that time will prove that this opportunity is deserved, and perhaps – if given a chance – Joe can write a chapter in Cincinnati sports history that both he and Cincinnati can be proud of.”
Without the off-field concerns, Mixon would have been a mortal lock for the first round. In 2016, Mixon rushed for 1,274 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground for the Sooners, adding another 538 yards and five scores in the passing game.
Mixon is the ninth of the Bengals’ eleven draft picks to sign. Third round defensive end Jordan Willis and fifth round offensive lineman J.J. Dielman are the remaining stragglers.
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Chris Johnson Wants To Continue Playing
CJ2K says that he still has some yards left in him. The veteran running back made it clear today that he wants to continue playing in 2017. 
“I want to play. A few teams are interested and we’ve stayed in close contact with the Cardinals,” Johnson told SiriusXM (Twitter link).
Johnson, 32 in September, has taken a backseat to David Johnson in the Arizona backfield as of late. Before going on injured reserve with a groin ailment last October, CJ accrued just 25 carries in four games. Back in February, the veteran indicated that there was mutual interest between him and the Cardinals, but he wanted to see if he could find a club that would give him more playing time.
“I need to be involved,” the speedster said. “At this point in my career, I don’t want to sit on the sideline. I want to get in the game.”
Be that as it may, it doesn’t sound like Johnson was able to find much in the way of outside interest. CJ2K has six 1,000-yard seasons (including a 2,000-yard campaign) and three Pro Bowl nods on his resume, but teams probably feel that he’s a bit limited at this point in his career. His desire for playing time is understandable, but his best and only chance at that will be to hook on as a third or fourth running back and wait for an injury.
In addition to starter David Johnson, the Cardinals also have running backs Kerwynn Williams and rookie T.J. Logan on the roster. Andre Ellington remains with the team, but Arizona plans to convert him to wide receiver.
Dwight Freeney To Return To Falcons?
Dwight Freeney isn’t done with football just yet. Although he does not have a team for 2017, it sounds like that could change rather quickly. 
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“I’ve already been talking to the coaches and going back and forth here and there with the draft picks and free agents,” Freeney said (via Alex Marvez of The Sporting News). “That line of communication is still very open. They say they’re still very interested. I’m planning to reach out to them here soon and hopefully we both believe they want me back and playing for them.”
The Falcons will receive a $4.3MM salary cap credit on Friday and a chunk of that could go towards re-signing Freeney. At one point, that didn’t seem likely at all. Coach Dan Quinn is on record as saying that Freeney would have to participate in the team’s offseason program if he did want to return, but it now sounds like they’ll make an exception for the future Hall of Fame inductee. The good news is that Freeney, who would be entering his 16th NFL season, says that he has been staying in shape with workouts that are not overly strenuous on his joints.
Last season, Freeney played on roughly a third of the Falcons’ defensive snaps in 2016, and posted three sacks and 18 hurries. He can be a valuable edge rusher in a part-time capacity for Atlanta while also helping to mentor younger players like rookie Takkarist McKinley.
49ers Sign CB Will Davis
The 49ers have signed cornerback Will Davis, according to a team announcement. To make room, the team has waived wide receiver Rashad Ross. 
Davis has suffered two ACL tears over the course of his career. The first happened in 2014 as a member of the Dolphins and his second ACL tear went down in 2015, just weeks after the Ravens acquired him via trade. All in all, he has only 20 games to his credit over four seasons, thanks in part to the injury. We have not seen Davis on the field since November of last year when the Ravens cut him loose.
Ross originally signed with the Niners on a Reserve/Future back in January. He will be free to sign with any team unless he is claimed in the next 24 hours.
Colts’ David Parry Still Facing Jail Time
David Parry isn’t totally out of the woods yet. The Colts defensive tackle reached a plea deal in April which gave him two years of probation instead of jail time on potential felony charges. However, he’s still facing separate charges from another court, as detailed by TMZ. 
Back in February, Parry was said to have attacked a taxi cart driver, car(t)jacked said vehicle, and threatened police officers. The Maricopa County Superior Court gave him a break on three of the charges associated with his booze-fueled evening, but the consequences could be much greater when he appears in Scottsdale City Court next month. One of the remaining charges includes Arizona’s “Super Extreme” DUI, which carries a minimum 45-day jail sentence if he is convicted.
Colts GM Chris Ballard has suggested Parry’s place on the roster will be determined by his on-field performance, but a jail stint might hurt his standing with the club. On top of that, there’s also the matter of league discipline. Even without a felony conviction or a jail sentence, it seems like a suspension is in Parry’s future.
Parry, 25, has started in every possible game for the Colts over the last two years.
Colts To Sign RB Christine Michael
The Colts have signed running back Christine Michael, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. To make room, running back Brandon Radcliff has been cut.
The Colts’ running back depth chart is currently headlined by a 34-year-old Frank Gore. Robert Turbin, fourth-round rookie Marlon Mack, and Josh Ferguson are also on the roster. Michael will be competing for one of the spots behind Gore and he could apply some pressure to Ferguson, a 2016 UDFA who didn’t do much after garnering buzz last summer.
Michael was released by the Packers earlier this offseason as a part of the club’s effort to make room for the three running backs selected in the draft.
The Texas A&M product was once viewed as a high-upside player, but it’s not clear what C-Mike can bring to the table at this stage of his career. The running back averaged 5.1 yards per carry in a limited sample for the Seahawks in 2014, but he has not been able to replicate that success in the last two seasons.
This now marks Michael’s fifth NFL team after time spent with the Seahawks, Cowboys, Redskins, and Packers.
Latest On Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott
The NFL’s investigation into Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott could be winding down. The NFL Players Association recently turned over phone records and other documents that league investigators have been seeking in their probe of domestic violence allegations against the running back, Tom Pelissero of USA Today writes. 
The NFL was asking for Elliott’s phone records for a while, but the running back’s camp was reluctant to turn those over and the union was also putting up a battle for fear of setting a bad precedent. As Pelissero notes, phone records also became an issue in the Tom Brady Deflategate case. Ultimately, Brady’s unwillingness to fully cooperate with the investigation led to him being served with a controversial four-game suspension.
Last year, a woman accused Elliott of abusing her on two separate occasions in 2016. However, the 21-year-old was never arrested nor charged for either supposed incident. In one case, a key witness says Elliott’s accuser told her to lie to police about a separate incident. From a legal standpoint, there’s little evidence to pin Elliott for wrongdoing, but the NFL requires much less proof to dole out a suspension or fine. The league is also feeling increased pressure to come down hard on domestic violence cases in the wake of the Ray Rice fiasco.
The NFL opened its investigation in July, meaning that we are nearing its one-year mark.