Bears Lose Kyle Long For Season
The Bears have lost star offensive lineman Kyle Long for the season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Long, the leader of the O-line, will leave a void that goes far beyond performance.
Long suffered a right ankle injury on Sunday and had to be carted off of the field. Based on that alone, the feeling in Chicago was that Long would be out for an extended period of time. Left guard Josh Sitton expressed frustration with Long’s unfortunate injury as the Bears have had bad luck in that department all year.
“It seems like we’ve got somebody freaking hurt every game,” he said (link via Patrick Finley of the Sun Times). “It sucks watching him down there on the ground. It’s tough to see one of your friends, one of your teammates and a helluva competitor, he was down there and he was in a lot of pain. It was tough to see.”
Long has only missed a pair of games during his three-plus years in the league, including the Bears’ Week 8 contest against the Vikings. The 27-year-old has been playing through a torn labrum in his left shoulder since the beginning of the season. Ted Larsen filled in for Long two weeks ago, and he’ll presumably slide into the starting right guard spot during his teammate’s absence. This would leave the Bears with a pair of lineman, Mike Adams and Eric Kush, on the bench.
Long signed a four-year, $40MM extension with the Bears in September. The 2013 first-round pick has been named to three Pro Bowls, and he was also a second-team All-Pro in 2014.
Bills Place Eric Wood On IR
The Bills announced that they have placed Eric Wood on injured reserve. To fill his spot, cornerback Marcus Roberson has been promoted off of the practice squad. In a related move, center Dalton Freeman has been signed to the p-squad. 
Wood expressed hope last week that he could return if the Bills make the playoffs, but he’s either not healthy enough to do that or the 4-5 Bills felt that they needed the help at cornerback instead. Wood suffered a broken leg earlier this month and after the injury Rex Ryan lamented the loss of “the best center in the league.” While many would disagree with Ryan’s sentiment, it’s clear that he will be missed on the O-Line. Ryan Groy will likely continue in the starting center role.
Roberson was just promoted from the Bills’ p-squad in late October but lasted only one game before reverting back to the 10-man crew. Roberson will now resume his spot on the roster behind corners Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby, Nickell Robey, Kevon Seymour, and Corey White.
Chiefs To Sign Jarvis Jenkins
Jarvis Jenkins is signing with the Chiefs, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The veteran was let go by the Jets late last week. 
After notching four sacks last season, Jenkins parlayed his success into a two-year, $6MM deal with the Jets. Unfortunately, he could not recreate that performance in green. Jenkins was not the super sub the Jets were hoping for at defensive end and he was handed his walking papers on Friday. Soon after, he auditioned for the Patriots, but he did not leave New England with a deal.
Pro Football Focus’ numbers indicated that Jenkins was a roughly average interior defender last year. So far this year, his disappointing play has backed up those advanced metrics and then some. He’ll look to do a 180 in KC as he joins Kendall Reyes, Dadi Nicolas, and David King behind starters Jaye Howard and Chris Jones. It’s worth noting that Howard was out of action this past weekend and it’s not immediately clear whether he’ll be ready for Week 11.
Buccaneers OL Evan Smith To Miss Time
Buccaneers offensive lineman Evan Smith suffered a grade-2 MCL sprain, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He is expected to miss about three weeks. 
The loss of Smith comes at a bad time for Tampa Bay with left guard Kevin Pamphile and center Joe Hawley also nursing injuries. Both players were sidelined for Week 10 and it’s not immediately clear whether they will be in action for Week 11 against the Chiefs.
Hawley, 28, has only been so-so according to the advanced metrics, but he is the anchor for Tampa Bay’s O-Line and his tough, gritty style is missed on the field. If he remains out while Smith nurses his sprain, the Bucs will likely have to turn to Ben Gottschalk to bridge the gap. It also stands to reason that the Buccaneers could add an offensive lineman if all three players are ruled out for this weekend.
Previously known as Evan Dietrich-Smith, Smith de-hyphenated his name prior to the 2015 season. He discussed the change with Joe Kania of Buccaneers.com.
Seahawks’ Thomas Rawls Set To Return
The Seahawks are on the verge of getting running back Thomas Rawls back in the lineup. Coach Pete Carroll told 710 ESPN Seattle that Rawls is practicing to play this week (Twitter link via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com). 
If all goes well, Rawls will be activated for Sunday’s game against the Eagles. Last week, Carroll indicated that the tailback looked “fast and confident” in limited practice reps and he’ll get the green light if he can do more in the coming days.
In recent weeks, Christine Michael has slipped, leading Seattle to give more work to C.J. Prosise in yesterday’s win over New England. Now, we could effectively see a three-headed committee in the backfield. If Sunday’s game was any indication, Prosise and Rawls could lead the way while Michael takes a backseat.
Rawls, 23, was a revelation during his rookie season, rushing for more than 800 yards and four touchdowns in relief of Marshawn Lynch. He could see a feature role once again, starting this Sunday afternoon.
NFC Notes: Cards, Fitzgerald, Bears, Howard
Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald told San Francisco cornerback Jimmie Ward he tore “something” in the second quarter of yesterday’s game (Twitter link via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com). Fitzgerald will have an MRI today to determine the severity of his injury.
Through nine games this season, Fitzgerald has hauled in 68 catches – second in the NFL to only Antonio Brown – with 687 yards and five touchdowns. Losing Fitzgerald for an extended period would sting for Arizona and they’ll be hoping for the best when those scans come back. In a worst case scenario, Fitzgerald’s 2017 season is still guaranteed thanks to the terms of his recent extension.
Here’s more out of the NFC:
- Bears rookie running back Jordan Howard suffered a possible Achilles tendon injury in Sunday’s loss to the Bucs, coach John Fox said (via Mark E. Ortega of NFL.com). Howard, a rookie out of Indiana, was thrust into a starting role earlier this year when Jeremy Langford was lost to injury. Langford is back in action now, but the Bears were still relying on him as their top ballcarrier. For the year, he has averaged 5.3 yards per attempt. We should know more about Howard’s status soon.
- The Vikings should have traded for a tackle before the deadline, Patrick Reusse of the Star Tribune opines. The Vikings were relying on fragile veteran Jake Long to hold down a starting tackle spot but that plan blew up in their face last week when he suffered an Achilles injury. Before that went down, Reusse believes that cap guru Rob Brzezinski should have figured out a way to carve out cap room to allow Minnesota to add a much-needed lineman. Now, Minnesota is forced to start T.J. Clemmings on the left side.
- Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory was hit with yet another suspension for drug use, but owner Jerry Jones says that the team is not giving up on him.
Bills Notes: Watkins, Wood, Henderson
Here’s a quick look at the Bills:
- Bills coach Rex Ryan says he spoke to Sammy Watkins today and Watkins says he felt “fantastic.” However, trainers are not yet clearing Watkins to practice (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). The Bills placed Watkins on IR in September but got some good news when they learned that he could avoid surgery, leaving the door open for a late-season return. The wide receiver could potentially return as soon for Week 12, but doctors will first have to give him the go-ahead.
- Meanwhile, Ryan has yet to discuss whether Eric Wood will be placed on injured reserve with GM Doug Whaley (Twitter link). Wood expressed hope last week that he could return if the Bills make the playoffs. However, the Bills may prefer to have his 53-man roster spot, particularly at a time when the playoffs are no sure thing for Buffalo. After a four-game winning streak, the Bills have now dropped three in a row, putting them at 4-5.
- Seantrel Henderson, who has been on shaky ground with the Bills organization, could once again find his way to the starting lineup. Ryan told reporters, including Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (on Twitter) that Henderson will be given an opportunity this week after his strong showing on Sunday. Buscaglia (Twitter link) inferred that Jordan Mills‘ starting job could now be in jeopardy with the likely elevation of Henderson. started all 16 games in his rookie season in Buffalo, and had started ten games for the team in 2015 before he was sidelined with Crohn’s. This offseason, Henderson was MIA for a while before returning to the team in the summer. Shortly after coming back, he was hit with a four-game suspension for marijuana use. The former seventh-round pick carries a ~$471K cap number this year and ~$703K in 2017. If Henderson can avoid off-the-field trouble, he could prove to be a remarkable value for Buffalo through next season.
South Notes: Jaguars, Bortles, Marks, Saints
As Blake Bortles continues to struggle, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com opines that the Jaguars should decline his fifth-year option. Before the season, the quarterback’s option would have been considered to be a no-brainer. Now, it’s not such an easy decision as the 24-year-old’s play continues to hurt the team. Pro Football Focus has Bortles ranked as the No. 28 QB in the NFL out of 34 qualified players and that score is actually bolstered by his QB runs. Evaluated only on passing plays, Bortles sits at No. 29 behind shaky Denver quarterback Trevor Siemian.
Here’s more from the AFC and NFC South:
- Jaguars defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks is unhappy with his playing time. “[Watching] is not my game,” Marks told Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. “I’ve flat-out done a lot for this organization and to be slapped in the face – I was on the sideline for the majority of the game and I didn’t like it.” Marks played in just 23 of 63 snaps against Houston on Sunday and he said his frustration had been “simmering for a while.” Once considered a key member of the Jags’ D-Line, Marks slipped on the depth chart after an injury-marred 2015 and the signing of Malik Jackson. Marks is eligible for free agency after the 2017 season, but the Jags could also save $4.475MM and eat just $200K by releasing him before June 1st.
- Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley collected on a $250K bonus by eclipsing four sacks for this season, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The 28-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Saints in March and he could be primed for a larger deal this offseason. So far this year, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus have Fairley ranked as the 28th best interior defensive lineman in the league out of 119 eligible players.
- In addition to Twitter, did you know that you can also follow Pro Football Rumors on Instagram? Follow PFR on IG for the best NFL jersey swaps you’ll find anywhere and much more.
Cowboys Won’t Give Up On Randy Gregory
Late last week, we learned that Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory faces a one-year suspension after failing another drug test. Immediately, frustrated fans called for Dallas to cut ties with the troubled youngster. However, owner Jerry Jones says he will stand by Gregory with the hope that he can get his life back on track. 
[RELATED: Randy Gregory Facing One-Year Ban]
“I, of course, know the details of his situation, and I can’t and I won’t comment on details about it,” Jones told Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram. “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.”
Jones went on to say that Gregory still is getting help with his substance abuse problems. Given that Gregory doesn’t turn 24 until next week, the Cowboys owner is holding out hope that he can put his youthful indiscretions behind him and get on the straight and narrow.
Before his latest positive test, Gregory would have been eligible to return to Dallas for Week 16. Now, there is no clear return date for Gregory and football is not presently No. 1 on his to-do list. Barring a successful appeal to the league office, Gregory will not be able to take the field again until late in the 2017 season.
Patriots Work Out Former Jet Jarvis Jenkins
The Patriots worked out defensive end Jarvis Jenkins, tight Kennard Backman, and defensive tackle Davon Coleman, according to a source who spoke with Doug Kyed of NESN (on Twitter). Jenkins is arguably the most notable name of the group, having just been released by the Jets in year one of his two-year, $6MM deal. 
The Jenkins deal backfired on GM Mike Maccagnan and the rest of the Jets’ front office, but he could be a solid value for a rival team like the Patriots. Jenkins could also provide strategic help for New England in advance of their Nov. 27 matchup against Gang Green in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Jenkins had a career-best four sacks in 2015 but didn’t do much to pressure the quarterback this season. He may get a chance to have a stronger second act with the Pats.
Backman appeared in seven games with the Packers last season. After reaching an injury settlement with Green Bay in early September, he recently auditioned for the Ravens and Lions. Coleman was waived by the Giants in late August before the 75-man deadline. He has appeared in four NFL games over the course of his career, all of them coming with the Cowboys.