Broncos FB Andy Janovich Placed On IR
Broncos fullback Andy Janovich had ankle surgery and will be placed on IR, as Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post tweets.
Janovich was taken in the sixth round of this year’s draft. Not only did Janovich make the 53-man roster this year, but he has appeared in all eleven games for Denver this season.
Used primarily for blocking purposes, the youngster has excelled. He is ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 4 fullback in the entire NFL with roughly even marks for his run blocking and pass blocking. He was on the field for 235 total snaps, the second-highest number of any fullback to date. Only Kyle Juszczyk of the Ravens (331 snaps) has seen more burn. The fullback position has been marginalized by many teams around the league, but the Broncos have leaned heavily on Janovich’s blocking.
As the 176th overall pick, Janovich is playing on a four-year deal worth $2.504MM, with a signing bonus of about $164K.
Leon Orr Arrested; Released By Dolphins
Leon Orr is out of a job. After being arrested on charges of misdemeanor marijuana possession and possession of a controlled substance, the Dolphins have released the defensive tackle, coach Adam Gase confirmed to reporters. 
Orr was signed to Miami’s practice squad in September and was bumped up to the active roster in October. The promotion was a big opportunity for the 2015 UDFA out of Florida as he had only three NFL games on his resume heading into this season. Now, it might be a while before he gets his next opportunity to play anywhere.
Orr, 24, was pulled over when cops believed his car to have illegally tinted windows. Upon approaching the car, deputies detected a strong odor of marijuana. From there, they found Orr to be carrying marijuana on his person and discovered marijuana wax and THC-laced liquids in the car.
This isn’t Orr’s first red flag. During his senior year at Florida, Orr was moved out of the starting lineup and responded by walking out on the program. When he returned two days later to apologize, he was told by then-coach Will Muschamp that he was not welcome back. If not for that incident, it’s possible that Orr could have been a Day 3 pick.
Texas RB D’Onta Foreman To Enter NFL Draft
D’Onta Foreman is going pro. The University of Texas running back announced today that he’s declaring for the NFL draft. 
The addition of Foreman makes this year’s crop of running backs even stronger. Tailbacks like Foreman, Leonard Fournette of LSU, Dalvin Cook of Florida State, and Christian McCaffrey of Stanford are all projected to go in the early rounds. As of this writing, many projections have Foreman pegged as a Day 2 prospect, but he could find his way into the first round.
Foreman stands as the nation’s leading rusher with 2,028 yards and he also has 15 touchdowns on the year. He carried the ball 323 times, making him just one of three tailbacks in the country to crack 300 attempts. Foreman averaged an eye-popping 29.36 carries per contest in the team’s eleven-game season. For reference, DeMarco Murray averaged 24.5 carries per game in 2014 for the Cowboys. Foreman’s per game average of carries even eclipses Larry Johnson in 2006 (416 carries, 26 attempts per game), which stands as the NFL’s all-time single-season rushing attempt record.
With size and a workhorse reputation, Foreman is a prospect to watch this spring.
Shane Vereen Returns To Practice For Giants
The Giants could be getting one of their most talented running backs back on the field. Shane Vereen was in attendance for practice today, as Seth Walder of the New York Daily News writes. 
Vereen was placed on IR in September with a triceps injury. After sitting out the necessary eight weeks (and then some), Vereen is eligible to return to action. Without Vereen, the Giants have used Bobby Rainey as their top reserve pass-catching back. Rashad Jennings has been in the lead role, when healthy, and rookie Paul Perkins is finally starting to see some work. If and when Vereen gets back in the game, he will probably take a good deal of snaps from Rainey and maybe even chip into Jennings’ workload.
Vereen’s recovery timetable is not immediately clear, but yesterday’s release of Orleans Darkwa could be a sign that he will be 100% sooner rather than later. The Giants presently have the three aforementioned tailbacks on the 53-man roster with tailback George Winn on the practice squad.
Eagles’ Agholor Still Under NFL Investigaton
Eagles wide receiver Nelson Agholor was not charged in connection with a rape accusation that was made against him this summer, but he is not out of the woods in terms of potential league discipline. The NFL’s investigation is still ongoing, according to Mark Eckel of NJ.com. 
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A source close to the situation says the recently league sent its Director of Investigations, Kia Roberts, to the gentleman’s club where the alleged incident transpired. Roberts went fact finding there last week, at the same time Eagles head coach Doug Pederson decided to bench Agholor against the Packers. When asked about the reason for benching Agholor today, Pederson offered little in the way answers. He did imply that the decision was football-based, however (link):
“I just think he … the biggest thing is just, seeing the way the offense kind of works. Seeing how the game kind of unfolds. How guys react in certain situations. And I wanted him to put himself in the game situations and see how he would react, see how he would play, see how he would run that route. And its a lot easier to do that from a removed position where you can kind of see it from a big picture with calmer eyes where the pressure and stress isn’t on you to perform. That is what I am hoping he takes away from this, and learns from this down the road.”
Agholor recently admitted he’s fighting a “mental battle” on the field and he has been seeing a sports psychologist as of late. The potential for a significant suspension could also be weighing on Agholor, who hasn’t really looked the part of a former first-round pick.
Patriots Designate QB Jacoby Brissett For Return
Jacoby Brissett is returning to practice today, meaning that he will be the Patriots’ player to be designated for return from the injured reserve list (Twitter link via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe). The Patriots now have 21 days until they have to put him on the 53-man roster or shut him down for the year. 
When Tom Brady accepted his four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal, the Pats were forced to turn to youngster Jimmy Garoppolo. When Garoppolo was taken out by a big hit from Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso, New England elevated Brissett to the starting role. Despite concerns that he was too green for the job – and that included ally Bill Parcells – Brissett was a solid fill-in. Unfortunately, he was slowed by a thumb injury and had surgery for it in early October.
The prevailing thought at the time was that Brissett would be stashed on IR with an eye on 2017. However, the Pats did not have a better candidate for return. Notables like tackle Sebastian Vollmer and Jonathan Freeny technically could have been brought back, but their respective maladies made that impossible.
This offseason, the Patriots could hypothetically trade Garoppolo to a QB-needy team and bump Brissett up to the No. 2 job behind Brady.
Cardinals, Patrick Peterson Rework Contract
The Cardinals converted approximately $3.17MM of Patrick Peterson‘s base salary into a signing bonus, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move creates $2.5MM in 2016 cap space. 
The Cardinals are near the bottom of the league in cap room and they needed a bit of a breather in the current year. We are past the trade deadline and there are no real premium free agents left on the board, but the Cardinals should now have enough space to make any minor signings that are necessary for the rest of the season.
Peterson is in the midst of a five-year, $70MM+ extension that was inked in the summer of 2014. That deal now stands as the third-highest in the league amongst cornerbacks in terms of total value and average salary per year. If the full contract is played out, the 26-year-old will not be eligible for free agency until after the 2020 season.
The cornerback got some good news this week when he learned that he did not suffer structural damage to his left knee. Peterson’s knee was hit by the cleat of Falcons receiver Julio Jones on Sunday. The incident was painful, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll miss any time as a result.
Sammie Lee Hill Banned For At Least One Year
Free agent defensive tackle Sammie Lee Hill, has been suspended for a period of at least a year, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hill last played for the Titans. 
Hill, 30, served a four-game suspension as a free agent earlier this season for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. It’s not clear what led to today’s ban, but his history played a role in the lengthy ban.
An MCL injury limited Hill to only ten games (five starts) with the Titans in 2015, and Tennessee expressed no interest in re-signing him during free agency. No other clubs were knocking down Hill’s door, either, as his only known visit came with the Seahawks in March. The Jets took a look at Hill earlier this month, but they did not sign him. It’s possible that we won’t see Hill in the NFL again.
Giants Place Orleans Darkwa On IR
Orleans Darkwa headed to the injured reserve list, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. The running back has been dealing with a leg injury and he’ll need to take some time off to recover. To take his place, linebacker/safety Eric Pinkins has been promoted from the practice squad.
Darkwa entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of Tulane in 2014. After spending time on the Dolphins’ active roster and practice squad, he found his way to the Giants. He has been a low-cost rotational piece for the G-Men ever since. Darkwa’s season ends with 30 carries for 111 yards and two touchdowns..
As Darkwa exits, fellow running back Shane Vereen is getting ready to make his return. The veteran probably won’t suit up this week, but we may see him on the field in December. For now, the Giants have Rashad Jennings, Bobby Rainey, and rookie Paul Perkins at running back. Right now, Jennings is seeing the most action of any Giants back, but the share of carries could tilt towards Perkins down the stretch of the season.
Buccaneers Waive RB Mike James
The Buccaneers have waived running back Mike James, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. By releasing James, the Bucs will clear a spot for newly-signed safety Major Wright. 
James joined the Buccaneers at a time when they could not keep their running backs on the field. First, Doug Martin and Charles Sims went down. Then, fill-in Jacquizz Rodgers suffered a sprained foot. On Halloween, the Bucs welcomed back James, who had some history with the team.
James, 25, managed 79 carries with Tampa from 2013-14, but missed the entire 2015 campaign due to injury. He didn’t make the Buccaneers’ 53-man roster this year, and was waived in the offseason with a settlement. In his most recent stint with the Bucs, James had just four carries for 19 yards. He also added four catches for 22 yards.
The release of James could be a sign that Rodgers will be back this weekend.