DeSean Jackson Interested In Eagles Reunion?
The Eagles are expected to pursue DeSean Jackson in free agency this offseason. Apparently, the interest is mutual. A source close to DeSean Jackson believes the wide receiver would be “intrigued” by a possible return to Philadelphia, Tim McManus of ESPN.com writes. 
[RELATED: Eagles To Pursue DeSean Jackson]
As you may recall, Jackson did not have the cleanest breakup with the Eagles in 2013. After catching 82 passes for 1,332 yards and nine touchdowns, Chip Kelly unsuccessfully tried to trade Jackson and ultimately released him. This came right around the same time as a story alleging that Jackson had gang ties that the Eagles found to be troubling.
Years later, Kelly is out of the picture and it sounds like top exec Howie Roseman wants to make things right. It also helps that new coach Doug Pederson is a fan of the 30-year-old. A reunion would make a lot of sense for both sides and it is a situation to watch as we look ahead to March.
The Eagles face the Redskins in Philly on Sunday.
Saints HC Denies Brandon Cooks Trade Talk
Could the Saints consider trading Brandin Cooks? Both Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Adam Schefter of ESPN say that New Orleans could explore such a move this offseason. For what it’s worth, Saints coach Sean Payton says that’s not the case. 
“That’s garbage. It’s a false report,” Payton said (Twitter links via Nick Underhill of The Advocate). “It’s an agent picking up the phone and calling a reporter.”
Meanwhile, Cooks himself denies making a trade demand or doing anything of that nature. Still, Cooks has been vocal about his inconsistent targets as of late and has been voicing frustration about his role in the offense. Payton and Cooks both say that the trade talk is baseless, but it’s fair to wonder if Cooks is frustrated enough to want out.
Reportedly, the idea of a Cooks trade isn’t new. League sources told Schefter that a trade between the Saints and Patriots was brewing earlier this season that would have shipped Cooks to New England in exchange for linebacker Jamie Collins. Of course, that deal didn’t go down and Collins wound up being sent to the Browns instead.
So far this year, Cooks has 58 catches for 809 yards and six touchdowns. That means he is on pace for roughly 78 catches and 1,079 yards, which isn’t too far behind his numbers from last season. But, after seeing five targets in Week 10 against the Broncos and zero targets in Week 12 against the Rams, Cooks isn’t completely satisfied with his role. Someone might want to let Cooks know that the target volume typically runs hot and cold in a Drew Brees offense.
No Deadline For Aldon Smith Decision
According to some reports, the NFL is overdue for a determination on Aldon Smith‘s status. It has been said that the NFL has to decide within 60 days on a player’s application for reinstatement after violating the substance abuse policy and it has been more than two months since Smith filed the necessary paperwork. However, there is no deadline for the league to reach a decision on the Raiders linebacker, an NFL spokesman tells Mike Florio of PFT. 
[RELATED: Aldon Smith Pushing For Return]
“No. All parties make every effort to be in a position for the league to make a decision within 60 days. Every step of the process must be completed,” the spokesman wrote in an email.
Smith applied for reinstatement 65 days ago, so the league apparently contends that they have made “every effort” to give the situation some closure, but they have yet to tie up all of the loose ends. Ultimately, the two sides may have different interpretations of the substance abuse policy’s Appendix B:
“All individuals involved in the process will take steps to enable the Commissioner to render a decision within 60 days of the receipt of the application [for reinstatement].”
The union may read that as a firm 60 day deadline for a decision while the league sees more flexibility in the language. The Raiders are eager to get Smith back on the field, but they may have to wait while a chess match is played out at 345 Park Avenue.
Giants’ Jason Pierre-Paul Has Groin Surgery
Jason Pierre-Paul had sports hernia surgery and groin repair, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). He’ll be out for a minimum of six weeks. That means he would be out for the first round of the playoffs and possibly the second as well. The recovery time frame is 6-8 weeks, so a playoff return isn’t even guaranteed, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY tweets.
JPP has been the Giants’ premier pass rusher this year and he’ll be sorely missed as the team makes its playoff push. Currently, the Giants sit at 8-4 and project to have the first Wild Card spot in the NFC. With the Buccaneers (7-5), Redskins (6-5-1), Vikings (6-6), and Packers (6-6) on their heels, the Giants can’t afford to slip up over the final month of the season. The Giants take on the Cowboys, Lions, and Eagles before what could be a pivotal regular season-finale against the Redskins in Week 17.
Pierre-Paul is in the midst of one of his best NFL seasons. Through 12 games, Pro Football Focus has him ranked as the seventh-best defensive end in the league.
Cowboys’ Randy Gregory Won’t Practice This Week
Despite previous reports to the contrary, the league has informed the Cowboys that Gregory won’t be allowed to practice with the Cowboys this week, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. It’s not immediately clear whether or not Gregory will be able to play in Week 16, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.
Gregory was recently handed a one-year ban, but that suspension is under appeal. While he’s in that gray area, the Nebraska product is hoping to take the field against the Lions in Week 16.
[RELATED: Rolando McClain Banned Indefinitely]
Originally, Gregory was slated to return right around this point in the season, but that was before his latest positive drug test. The ban has put his NFL future in flux, but owner Jerry Jones says that the Cowboys are not giving up on the youngster:
“I, of course, know the details of his situation, and I can’t and I won’t comment on details about it,” Jones said. “But I am not giving up on Randy Gregory for the Cowboys and certainly not giving up on him as a person in life — at all. Not that it makes any difference that I do, but I do not dismiss him from our future.”
If Gregory’s appeal is unsuccessful, he’ll be suspended for most or all of the 2017 calendar year.
Bucs Promote WR Josh Huff
The Buccaneers announced that wide receiver Josh Huff is being promoted from the practice squad to the active roster. Huff hasn’t been in an NFL game since October when he was with the Eagles. 
[RELATED: Bucs Place Cecil Shorts On IR]
Huff, a third-round pick in the 2014 draft, was cut from the Eagles following an arrest for gun and marijuana possession. Soon after, the Buccaneers scooped him up and signed him to the practice squad. At first, this had the look of a low-risk, high-reward type of acquisition. As it turned out, the Buccaneers actually made a significant investment in the speedy receiver. Huff was earning $31K/week on the taxi squad and that’s good coin, particularly when considering that he was making $36/K week in Philly.
Huff’s first test with his new team will come against the Saints. When he faced New Orleans last year as a member of the Eagles, he had four catches for a career-high 78 yards and a touchdown, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
The Bucs were in need of a wide receiver after placing Cecil Shorts on IR.
Colts LB D’Qwell Jackson Suspended Four Games
The Colts are losing a starting linebacker for the rest of the regular season. D’Qwell Jackson has been handed a four-game ban for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, according to a team announcement. 
Obviously, this is a big blow to the 6-6 Colts as they fight to keep their playoff hopes alive. Now, they will likely move Edwin Jackson into a starting role. The Colts also have ILBs Antonio Morrison and Deon King in reserve.
Jackson has appeared in and started in all 12 of the Colts’ games so far this season. This year, he has 78 total tackles with one sack and two fumble recoveries. He’s doing alright in terms of traditional stats, but the advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus say he’s just the 79th best linebacker in the NFL out of 89 qualified players. In fact, Edwin Jackson is ranked higher at No. 74. For what it’s worth, Morrison and King have weak grades in their limited sample size this season.
This isn’t Jackson’s first misstep. In March, he was found guilty of simple assault, stemming from a February 2015 altercation with a delivery driver.
Jets Waive RB C.J. Spiller
The Jets announced that they have waived running back C.J. Spiller and wide receiver Jeremy Ross. Spiller was handed a pink slip after recording two carries for five yards last night. He is now seeking his fourth team this year. 
Spiller was signed on November 1st, moments after the Jets claimed Knile Davis off waivers from the Packers. To sign Spiller, the Jets bounced Davis, making his stay in New York just three hours long. Spiller only got a month-and-change, but that’s a reminder things could have been worse for him.
The 29-year-old started the campaign with the Saints and he was quickly signed by the Seahawks following his release by New Orleans. The former first-rounder only had three rushes for nine yards during his two-game tenure in Seattle, and he added another five catches for 43 yards and a touchdown. Not long ago, Spiller was viewed as a starting-caliber back. Now, it’s not clear if he has a place in the NFL.
Lions Sign RB Joique Bell
The Lions announced that they have signed running back Joique Bell. At the same time, they have placed tight end Brandon Pettigrew on the physically unable to perform list and placed defensive end Armonty Bryant to injured reserve. 
[RELATED: Lions Add CB Asa Jackson]
Bell has been on the open market since late October when the Bears released him. Bell, a sixth-year veteran who has spent the majority of his career with the NFC North rival Lions, appeared in four games for the Bears and totaled just three carries. Between his release from the Lions in February and his deal with Chicago, the 30-year-old sat on the open market for several months. Can he find success again with the Lions? That remains to be seen, but he won’t be counted on for as many carries this time around. He’ll now slot in as the team’s No. 4 RB behind Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington, and Zach Zenner.
The Lions were hoping to get Brandon Pettigrew off of the PUP list and back on the field before the end of the season. Unfortunately, the big tight end couldn’t stay healthy. Detroit will have to make do without their best blocking TE for the rest of the month and – if they qualify – the playoffs.
Bryant was just activated after serving a three-game suspension. Unfortunately, he suffered a knee injury over the weekend. Bryant, 26, enjoyed something of a breakout season in 2015, racking up career-highs in sacks (5.5), tackles (40), and forced fumbles (two). In five games for Detroit this year, Bryant racked up five total tackles and three sacks.
In other Lions news, the team has plucked cornerback Asa Jackson from the Ravens.
Lions Sign Asa Jackson From Ravens’ P-Squad
The Lions are signing cornerback Asa Jackson off the Ravens’ practice squad, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jackson will take the place of nickel corner Quandre Diggs who was lost for the season this week. 
Jackson played under Teryl Austin in Baltimore when Austin served as the Ravens’ defensive backs coach. Now the defensive coordinator for the Lions, Austin put in a good word for Jackson. The Ravens waived Jackson ten days ago to make room for tight end Nick Boyle and re-signed him to taxi squad. That move allowed the Ravens to keep Jackson in the fold, but it also allowed him to get scooped up by rival teams.
Jackson, 26, has had multiple stints the Ravens. The former fifth-rounder has 18 career games on his resume and he’s totaled 30 tackles and three passes defended in that time.
Detroit’s pass defense has been among the worst in the NFL this year, and in fact ranks dead last in passing DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.