Rams To Start Jared Goff
The future is now in Los Angeles. The Rams are starting Jared Goff on Sunday, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The team informed Goff and previous starter Case Keenum in a meeting this morning. 
Over the weekend, it was reported that Keenum would likely be given the hook if he struggled against the Jets on Sunday. After the 9-6 victory, coach Jeff Fisher refused to blame Keenum for the unproductive offensive showing.
“I don’t believe it’s the quarterback play,” Fisher said. “I think it’s collectively. It’s always a possibility when [Goff’s] time comes. But I thought Case did a nice job.”
Keenum didn’t throw any interceptions against Gang Green, but he also didn’t throw any touchdowns. Even though Fisher did not hammer Keenum for his play, it appears that the team is not content with treading water at the QB position. Goff is green, but it’s not as though Keenum has been setting the world on fire with his play. The Rams will turn it over to the No. 1 overall pick with an eye on winning this season and evaluating their future.
Goff’s first test comes against the Dolphins who have rebounded from a 1-4 start with a four game winning streak. They are now above the .500 mark, though they have allowed 364.3 yards per game to opposing offenses. In terms of pass defense, Miami has surrendered only 235.6 yards per game, which actually puts them in the top ten.
Photo via PFR on Instagram.
Bills Sign James Ihedigbo
Finally, James Ihedigbo has found work in 2016. The veteran defensive back has signed with the Bills, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Ihedigbo comes to Buffalo roughly two weeks after safety Aaron Williams was placed on injured reserve. Williams’ neck injury left the Bills with a less-than-stellar group of safeties to draw from, leading the Bills to add a proven veteran in Ihedigbo. Although Ihedigbo did not play well in 2015, he is not far removed from his career-best season in 2014.
The veteran, who has history with Rex Ryan when they were both with the Jets, finished out 2015 as Pro Football Focus’ No. 64 ranked safety out of 69 qualifiers. The year before that, Ihedigbo was strong as he saw time at both strong safety and free safety. The Dolphins passed on him as a depth option last month, but he could be in store for a feature role in the Bills’ banged up secondary.
To make room, Duke Williams has been cut by Buffalo. The former fourth-round pick took to Twitter to thank Bills fans for their support on Tuesday afternoon. The safety appeared in every regular season game for the Bills last season but has not seen the field in 2016.
Vikings Release Kicker Blair Walsh
After weeks of speculation, the Vikings have given Blair Walsh his walking papers. The Vikings have released the veteran kicker, and are likely replacing him with Kai Forbath, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports tweets. 
Walsh’s struggles have been well-documented and they reach back to last season’s unfortunate mishap in the playoffs. This year, Walsh missed more “easy” field goals and the team decided that they cannot wait any longer for him to get over the yips. Walsh leaves Minnesota with a 75% field goal percentage including one miss inside of 39 yards and two misses inside of 49 yards. Walsh has also missed four extra points from the league’s new extended range. His latest XP miss came during this past weekend’s loss to the Redskins.
Last week, special-teams coordinator Mike Priefer expressed optimism that the team’s kicker tryouts would light a fire under Walsh. He did improve in practice, but the on-field results were still shaky. Now, Forbath will try to do better as he joins his third NFL team.
Browns’ RG3 May Practice This Week
As the Browns seek their first win of the season, they could be on the verge their starting quarterback returning to action. There have been discussions about Robert Griffin III possibly returning to practice this week, sources tell Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Browns Notes: Jackson, Kessler, RG3]
Griffin has been sidelined since September with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. The Browns put RG3 on injured reserve with the hope that they could take advantage of the new IR rules and bring him back later on in the season. This is obviously a lost campaign for Cleveland, but Griffin has been adamant about wanting to play again.
“We’ve got six games left this year, a chance to finish strong, and if I get a chance to be a part of that, I definitely want to,” Griffin said earlier this week.
Browns executive Sashi Brown told reporters yesterday that Griffin is on pace to return, but the decision will ultimately be left up to head coach Hue Jackson. Now at 0-10, one has to imagine that Jackson is eager to get a W and avoid matching the 2008 Lions. The Browns will face the Steelers in Cleveland on Sunday, followed by the Giants and Bengals, all at home.
Steelers Place LB Steve Johnson On IR
The Steelers announced that they have placed linebacker Steve Johnson on IR. To take his spot, the team will re-sign L.J. Fort to the 53-man roster.
In the spring, Johnson signed a one-year minimum salary deal with Pittsburgh and has been yo-yo’d around by the Steelers ever since. While he wasn’t a key part of the Steelers’ defense this year, he was a cog on special teams and the team will have to replace him in the wake of his ankle injury. Johnson, 28, spent his first three NFL seasons in Denver before playing in Tennessee in 2015.
Fort, a five-year veteran, played in seven games for the Steelers this season. He was dropped from the roster last week to make room for the activation of Ladarius Green. The 26-year-old has appeared in seven games for the Steelers this season and has 24 total NFL games on his resume. Prior to joining the Steelers last year, Fort had stints with the Browns (2012) and one game with the Seahawks (2014).
Jerry Jones: Tony Romo To Serve As Backup
Over the weekend, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed that Dak Prescott will start for the Cowboys in Week 11 while Tony Romo serves as the backup. Jones stopped short saying that the rookie will start for the remainder of the season, but in an interview this morning he implied that the job belongs to Prescott and he will not be on a short leash. Prescott “won’t be looking over his shoulder,” Jones said (Twitter link via Charean Williams of the Star Telegram). 
Jones also told 105.3 The Fan that he has had the conversation with Romo about dressing and being the backup (Twitter link). Romo, we’ve heard, is not overly pleased with the situation. Jones said that he thinks Romo will make a great offensive coordinator when his playing days are through, and that’s likely not much of a consolation for the 36-year-old.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow for Romo, but the Cowboys would be hard-pressed to make any other choice as they sit atop the NFL with an 8-1 record.
Matt Kalil Hopes To Stay With Vikings
Matt Kalil‘s season ended in September when a hip injury shut him down for the season. The pending free agent didn’t get a chance to show the Vikings what he could do in his contract year, but he still hopes to remain in Minnesota, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. 
[RELATED: Vikings OT Jake Long Done For Season]
“I’d love to stay here the rest of my career,” Kalil said. “This is the team I started out with in the NFL, and I’ve been playing with these guys. I’ve met a lot of great friends here, my wife is from here. It’d be a good place to finish my career.”
To re-sign with the Vikings, Kalil will probably have to agree to a pay cut. This year, he is earning $11.096MM for what amounted to a two-game season and it’s hard to see the team agreeing to that kind of guaranteed cash again. A one-year deal with a moderate base and incentives could make sense for the Vikings, but Kalil seemed to bristle at the suggestion that his health could impact his leverage.
“I don’t think so,” Kalil said. “I will have a full recovery. That’s what happens. People get hurt in football.”
Under the new IR rules, Kalil could technically return this season, but he says that is not a realistic possibility as he is still healing from his surgery. Kalil’s hip won’t heal until around Christmas and even then, he’ll be a long way from being in football shape.
The Vikings’ offensive line has been ravaged by injuries this season. Over the weekend, tackle Jake Long suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, forcing the team to start T.J. Clemmings at one tackle spot with Jeremiah Sirles at the other. Clemmings has been among the worst blockers in the NFL this year. And, despite a decent start to the year, Sirles has struggled in recent weeks.
Dolphins Examining Branden Albert’s Wrist
After hurting his wrist in Sunday’s game against the Chargers, Branden Albert toughed it out and returned to the game with a cast on his hand. Still, the Dolphins are concerned about the injury in the long term. Albert will go through tests this week and the advice of doctors will determine whether he can keep playing or if he has to miss games. 
“Right now we’re going through the stages of having the hand specialist look at it just to make sure that no further damage can be done,” Adam Gase said (via Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post). “There’s all these little steps you have to go through just to make sure we’re not hurting him for future or affecting his long-term career. We have to go through all those little steps to make sure that we handle everything the right way.”
Albert said that a mid-game X-ray revealed that he did not break any bones. However, Gase would not confirm the tackle’s interpretation of the scans.
With Albert sidelined, the Dolphins saw a possible preview of the future with Laremy Tunsil at left tackle. If Albert is forced to miss additional time, Tunsil will likely hold down that spot with Kraig Urbik taking his place at guard.
After a dreadful start to the year, the Dolphins have put together a four-game winning streak to put themselves at 5-4. Albert and the rest of the offensive line has been a big reason for that success and losing the two-time Pro Bowler could slow their momentum.
Rams DE Robert Quinn Hospitalized
Rams defensive end Robert Quinn went to the hospital on Monday morning with a non-football-related illness, the team confirmed in an announcement. Details of the issue have not been disclosed yet, but coach Jeff Fisher did sound upbeat when discussing Quinn’s early prognosis. 
[RELATED: Doubt Emerging On Rams-Chargers L.A. Deal?]
“I spoke with Rob several hours ago, in addition to Christina, his wife,” Fisher said (via the team website). “He was, in fact, admitted to the hospital this morning for tests. He’s feeling much better. He kept saying to me over and over, ‘Coach, I just want to get back and get my body right and get back to the practice field as fast as I can.’ So, we’re still undergoing tests, and things look encouraging.”
Fisher added that it is “highly unlikely” that Quinn’s current issue is related to any past malady. That would include the benign brain tumor that he was diagnosed with as a teenager.
By the end of the week, we should know much more about Quinn and fellow defensive end Eugene Sims. Sims left Sunday’s game with concussion-like symptoms, leaving Quinn to play an uncommonly high number of snaps. Next up for Los Angeles is a home game against the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon.
Alshon Jeffery Suspended 4 Games For PEDs
5Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been suspended four games for violating the league’s PED policy, the league announced. This suspension comes at a horrendous time for Jeffery as he is poised to be one of the top players on the free agent market this offseason. As it stands now, Jeffery will be out through Dec. 11th against the Lions. Jeffery could postpone the suspension with an appeal and, of course, could get it overturned if he were to win. 
The Bears have been wrestling with what to do about Jeffery this offseason and today’s PED ban could help inform their decision. Through nine games this year, Jeffery has 40 catches for 630 yards and one touchdown, numbers that are not quite on pace with his best work.
The wideout has released the following statement (via Rand Getlin on Twitter):
“As a professional athlete, I have been careful about what I put in my body. I took a recommended supplement to combat inflammation. Unfortunately this supplement contained an ingredient that was on the NFL’s banned substance list. I take full responsibility and I’m deeply upset with myself for not doing the proper research on this supplement.
I want to apologize to my family, the Bears organization, my teammates, and Bears fans. I will work hard to earn back the respect and trust of the Bears nation and look forward to being back on the field.”
Jeffery broke out in 2013, catching 89 passes for 1,421 yards and seven scores on his way to a Pro Bowl selection. He was also extremely productive in 2014 (less yards, more touchdowns), but his 2015 season was cut short by injury. Now, as Jeffery tries to make his case to be one of the league’s highest-paid receivers, he has likely incurred another major red flag.
Jeffery will miss out on $3.4MM+ in salary during the suspension. This spring, his apparent misstep could cost him much more. After today’s revelation, Jeffery might not get a chance to approach the deals of Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas, and Dez Bryant.