Bills Place James Ihedigbo On IR
The Bills announced that they have placed safety James Ihedigbo on injured reserve. The team has also released outside linebacker Bryson Albright while promoting safety Shamiel Gary and tackle Michael Ola from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. 
Ihedigbo was looking for work all season long before finally signing with the Bills one month ago. In his four games with Buffalo, the vet made three starts and recorded a total of 15 tackles with one pass deflection. Unfortunately, sustained an ankle injury during Sunday’s loss to the Steelers. Six of those 15 tackles came against Pittsburgh before his early exit. It has been an injury-filled season for the Bills and Ihedigbo is the latest notable to go down.
Gary joined Buffalo’s taxi squad on Dec. 1 after spending time on the Patriots’ p-squad. He has appeared in six NFL games in his career, all of which came with the Dolphins in 2015.
Bill Polian Denies Bears Rumors
Could executive Bill Polian come out of retirement to join the Bears? The Hall of Famer is telling people close to him at ESPN that it’s not in the cards, as Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune writes. 
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“It’s absolutely wrong,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter told WMVP-AM 1000. “He laughed at the idea of it and was trying to figure out the genesis of it because he’s had absolutely no contact with anybody there. There is no job … and he was befuddled how he could be connected to the job.”
In the midst of a 3-10 season, there are big changes coming in Chicago. Whether those changes include a front office shakeup remains to be seen, but if Polian is to be believed, he will not a part of that turnover. Polian, 74, is a longtime friend of the team’s owners, but two of his television colleagues have been told that there have been no conversations between him and the organization regarding a job. Furthermore, the “senior advisory role” that he has been connected to does not currently exist in the organization.
Polian has worked as the general manager of three teams: the Bills, the Panthers, and most recently, the Colts. For now, it sounds like he is content with his second career in broadcasting.
Dolphins Sign QB T.J. Yates
The Dolphins found themselves a backup for Matt Moore. Miami is signing T.J. Yates, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The Dolphins, of course, are down one quarterback as Ryan Tannehill deals with an ACL/MCL sprain. For however long he is out (the Dolphins hope to get him back after two games), Miami will need Yates to hold the clipboard.
Yates, 29, has only started seven games during his regular season career. Interestingly, however, he also has two playoff starts on his resume from his time with the Texans. The Broncos recently worked him out as a possible futures contract candidate, but he has now landed work for the holiday season.
Earlier today, the Dolphins decided to place center Mike Pouncey on IR. They’re also expected to make a determination on Dion Jordan at some point today.
Rams Eyeing Seahawks Coach Pete Carroll
Let the rumors begin. In a city dominated by celebrity gossip, it only makes sense that there will be rampant speculation about the Rams’ head coaching vacancy and several big names bandied about. The “power brokers” within the Rams organization have Seahawks coach Pete Carroll high atop their wishlist, multiple sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. That group includes owner Stan Kroenke and vice president of football operations Kevin Demoff. 
[RELATED: Pete Carroll Fined $200K By NFL]
There are a few important things to note here. One, Carroll is under contract with Seattle through the 2019 season, and the Seahawks aren’t about to give their star coach away to a divisional rival. Secondly, there’s no indication in Robinson’s report that the Rams have reached out to Carroll. Third, it’s not known whether the job would be of interest to the former USC head coach, though some believe that a return to California would appeal to him. Robinson’s report is clear on all of these points: the interest is there, but it is not necessarily mutual, nor is it particularly likely to come to fruition.
“Pete makes sense in a lot of ways,” one source said. “There is already a defensive core in place for him to work with. He has deep coaching ties across [the NFL] and knows how to build an offensive staff that can bring along [Goff]. … He’s a California guy at heart and has a track record there with the L.A. fan base [from his time at USC]. He’s also a great, great coach.”
Would Carroll consider leaving the Seahawks? Would the Seahawks even entertain the notion of sending a Super Bowl winning coach to another NFC West team? And, when push comes to shove, are the Rams ready to give Carroll a record-setting contract and forfeit several draft picks? It’s a situation to keep an eye on this offseason, but the roadblocks here are massive.
For what it’s worth, Carroll responded in the affirmative today when asked if he’d rule out any chance of wanting to coach the Rams (Twitter link via Jack Wang of the Daily News).
Cardinals Sign Scooby Wright To Active Roster
The Cardinals have signed linebacker Scooby Wright to the active roster, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Wright was previously with the Browns’ practice squad. 
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This marks a homecoming for Wright, a former star at the University of Arizona. Wright, 22, was a seventh-round draft selection of the Browns this year but at one point in time he had the makings of a much higher draft pick. In 2013, Wright received Freshman All-American honors from multiple scouting services. As a sophomore, Wright was an absolute monster as he tallied 163 tackles, 29 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, and six forced fumbles. Unfortunately, he was slowed by injuries in 2015 and his draft stock suffered as a result.
The Cardinals hoped to sign Wright as an undrafted free agent, but the Browns beat them to the punch by taking him at No. 250 overall. It took a little while, but the Cardinals got their man. Wright will help provide depth at linebacker after Deone Bucannon was placed on IR.
Vikings’ Adrian Peterson To Practice This Week
Last week, Adrian Peterson said that he would not return to the Vikings if they were not in the playoff chase. After getting a W against the Jaguars on Sunday, Peterson is leaning towards taking the field. Peterson says that he to practice this week (link via John Shipley of the Pioneer Press). 
“I plan on practicing this week to really get my legs under me and get a good feel on where I’m at,” he told Dash Radio. “So, this week is going to be big for me. My plan, and my vision, is to be back for the Green Bay game (on Dec. 24). That’s what I’m envisioning. Of course, the perfect scenario would be we win out and I’m able to rest up for three weeks, and be ready for the playoffs. That’s the perfect scenario. But I’ll be out there this week practicing, and I’ll go from there.”
Peterson is attempting to come back from a major tear to his meniscus, which isn’t an easy task. Of course, Peterson has defied the odds in the past and has shown that he can recover from injuries faster than your average human.
Now at 7-6, the Vikings have a slim chance beating out the Packers and toppling the Lions for the NFC North crown, but they still have a 19% overall chance of making the playoffs, according to Five Thirty Eight.
Workout Notes: Eagles, Seahawks, Bears
Tuesday is typically the big day for player auditions, but plenty of workouts went down on Monday as well. Here’s the rundown, with all links going to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan on Twitter, unless noted otherwise:
- The Chiefs worked out a number of notable veteran linebackers on Monday.
- Guard Dallas Thomas worked out for the Eagles (link). Thomas, a third-round pick by Miami in 2013, started 26 games during his four-year career with Miami. He was cut earlier this year and has been unable to find work despite auditions with Detroit, Tennessee, Indianapolis, and Chicago.
- The Seahawks worked out linebackers Ron Thompson and Junior Sylvestre (link). Sylvestre was in camp with the Colts the past two years and was on IR last year.
- The Raiders worked out quarterback Keith Wenning, wide receiver Rodney Smith, and linebacker Beniquez Brown (link).
- The Bears worked out fullback Malcolm Johnson (link). He was drafted in the sixth-round of the 2015 draft by Cleveland.
- The Bears also auditioned six other players, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Of those six, five of them were wide receivers and five of them played this past season in the CFL. The group was headlined by Derel Walker, the CFL’s most outstanding rookie in 2015 and a two-time All-Star. The 25-year-old finished second in the CFL this season with 1,589 yards. The group also included CFL standout wide receivers like Greg Ellingson, Kenny Shaw, and Diontae Spencer. Guard Derek Dennis, who spent this past season with the Calgary Stampeders, showed his stuff, as well as indoor league receiver Orlandus Harris. As Biggs notes, the Bears haven’t had a lot of success with CFL imports in recent years.
Chiefs Work Out Laurinaitis, Brinkley, Irving
The Chiefs worked out a host of linebackers on Monday, including a handful of notables. James Laurinaitis, Nate Irving, Jasper Brinkley, Jayson DiManche, Nick Moody, and Miles Burris all showed their stuff for Kansas City (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com). KC could look to sign a linebacker with Derrick Johnson out for the season.
[RELATED: Derrick Johnson Not Considering Retirement]
Laurinaitis inked a three-year, $8.5MM deal with the Saints in the offseason. Expected to provide veteran leadership for New Orleans, Laurinaitis suffered a setback when he went down with a quad injury. He insisted that he was healthy enough to return from IR, but that possibility went out the window when rookie Sheldon Rankins was activated. Last month, the Saints agreed to release Laurinaitis after having paid him roughly $2MM for his six games and 17 tackles.
Irving was speculatively connected to the Colts after D’Qwell Jackson‘s four-game suspension, but Indianapolis wasn’t interested in a reunion. The 28-year-old was dropped by the Colts at final cutdowns despite being in the midst of a multi-year deal. Injuries limited him to eight games (two starts) last year with just eleven tackles. Prior to joining Indianapolis, Irving spent four years with the Broncos, but wasn’t a starter until his final season in Denver.
We haven’t heard much about Brinkley since October when he auditioned for the Patriots. The 31-year-old had 67 tackles and one sack for the Giants last year and he has been exceptionally durable throughout his career. Still, he has been unable to find work so far in 2016.
Dolphins Shut Mike Pouncey Down For Season
Mike Pouncey‘s season is over. After wrestling with how to handle their injured center, the Dolphins will place Pouncey on IR following his meeting with a specialist early Tuesday morning, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. 
The Dolphins feared that Pouncey would do further damage to his surgically-repaired hip if he continued to play this year. And, if they left the decision up to him, he probably would have let his competitive nature overrule the long-term view. Miami took the decision out of the Pro Bowler’s hands, which will hopefully allow him to return pain-free in 2017. Right now, the belief is that his injury is not career-threatening, despite previous reports to the contrary.
Now that the Dolphins have an open roster spot, they are likely to use that room to sign a quarterback. With Ryan Tannehill likely out of action this weekend, Miami will need a backup QB behind Matt Moore. In theory, the team could promote seventh-round rookie Brandon Doughty from the practice squad to fill that role, but Salguero hears that they are more likely to go out-of-house.
The Dolphins are taking the long view with Pouncey, but their season is far from over. According to Five Thirty Eight, the 8-5 Dolphins have a 27% chance of making the playoffs.
Former NFL TE Konrad Reuland Dead At 29
Former NFL tight end Konrad Reuland passed away after suffering a brain aneurysm, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh announced after last night’s game. Reuland’s alma mater of Stanford has also confirmed the tragic news. 
“Just want to offer condolences to his family. We love Konrad Reuland,” Harbaugh said before reading a psalm (link via CSN Mid-Atlantic). “Every single guy in that locker room loves him who knows him.”
Reuland entered the league as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and signed with the 49ers. In 2012, he found his way to the Jets and appeared in every regular season game. In the following year, he had his season with the Jets cut short by a knee injury. After a brief stay with the Colts, he hooked on with the Ravens in November 2014 and cycled between their main roster and practice squad for a long time. In 2015, he saw time in four games for Baltimore. He was in camp with the Colts again this summer, but he did not make the final cut.
We here at PFR would like to extend our condolences to Reuland’s family, friends, and teammates.