Limited Trade Market For Sheldon Richardson?
Prior to the trade deadline, the Jets dangled Sheldon Richardson to interested teams. Ultimately, they didn’t find the level of interest they anticipated and Richardson remains in green and white. Two GMs tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that they expect much of the same this offseason when/if the Jets seek out trades for Richardson. 
[RELATED: Richardson Says He’s The “Odd Man Out”]
No one denies Richardson’s talent, but his off-the-field troubles are worrisome to teams, including the Cowboys who explored a deal for him earlier this week. Furthermore, Richardson is slated to hit the open market after the 2017 season and teams will only give up so much for a player that could amount to a one-year rental.
Another thing to keep in mind is that teams are generally more desperate for help at the trade deadline than they are during the offseason, when there are more options. If the Jets were unable to work out a deal for Richardson now, one has to wonder if the market could actually be weaker in the early spring. At the same time, if Richardson stays out of trouble and performs at a high level in the second half, it’s possible that his stock could be boosted.
Lions HC: Ameer Abdullah Could Return
Could Ameer Abdullah return from IR this season? Lions coach Jim Caldwell told reporters today that he’s not ruling it out (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein). 
There are two important caveats to keep in mind with Caldwell’s comments. One is that linebacker Jon Bostic returned to the practice field this week and was seen running on Wednesday. The Lions can only bring one player back from IR and Bostic certainly seems primed to be that guy. Secondly, Caldwell is notoriously coy when it comes to his interactions with the media. Publicly, he says he’s not shutting the door on Abdullah coming back, but that should perhaps be taken with a grain of driveway salt.
In the first month of the season, Abdullah was diagnosed with a torn ligament in his left foot. Typically, that injury is a season-ender. Heading into the season, the Lions were hopeful that Abdullah would anchor their backfield, but he was ultimately shut down after two appearances.
Since then, the Lions have shuffled through a number of different looks in the backfield as Theo Riddick and Dwayne Washington have also dealt with injuries. Assuming everyone is healthy for Sunday, the Lions will be starting Riddick with Washington, mid-season pickup Justin Forsett, and the agile Zach Zenner in support.
Eagles Release WR Josh Huff
The Eagles announced that they have released wide receiver Josh Huff. 
Yesterday, coach Doug Pederson indicated that Huff was likely to play on Sunday against the Giants. However, the team has decided to cut ties with the Oregon product instead. After Huff was found with a gun that he was not licensed to carry in New Jersey along with six hollow point bullets, the Eagles have reached the logical conclusion on the matter.
Although he’s a talented player, Huff has not performed exceptionally well since entering the league as a third-round choice in 2014. Even as the Eagles’ receiving corps struggled this season, Huff found himself a distant third on the WR depth chart behind Jordan Matthews and Nelson Agholor.
Huff’s release should open the door for Dorial Green-Beckham to have an increased role on offense. It also seems likely that Bryce Treggs, now the de facto No. 4 WR in Philadelphia, will be active on Sunday. Running back Wendell Smallwood previously split kick return duties with Huff, but he will probably be the sole kick returner starting this weekend.
Eagles GM Howie Roseman is scheduled to address reporters shortly and he is expected to make a statement regarding Huff’s release.
Bengals To Sign Wallace Gilberry
The Bengals have agreed to sign Wallace Gilberry, according to a source who spoke with Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer. The Bengals will have to make a corresponding move to carve out a spot for him on the 53-man roster. 
Gilberry auditioned for the Bengals during their bye week workouts and made a good impression on coaches. Fullback Marcel Reece, defensive tackle Jordan Hill, and tight end Justice Cunningham also showed their stuff for the Bengals on Wednesday.
Gilberry joined the Lions this offseason and was being used as a situational pass rusher. After four games, he was sidelined by an abdominal injury. Detroit subsequently placed him on IR before releasing him on Oct. 11. Before that, the 31-year-old played for the Bengals from 2012-15, starting in 19 games for the team and recording 16.5 of his 35.5 career sacks with Cincinnati.
Saints’ Sheldon Rankins To Debut This Week?
Finally, we could be on the verge of seeing Sheldon Rankins‘ NFL debut. Saints coach Sean Payton tells reporters that he anticipates Rankins playing this week, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Rankins, the Saints’ first-round pick in this year’s draft, has yet to take the field after suffering a broken fibula in the summer. Initially, the word was that Rankins would be sidelined for six-to-eight weeks starting in late August. However, the Saints played it safe with the young defensive lineman, pushing his debut off until November.
As a senior at Louisville, Rankins totaled 58 tackles with 13 sacks for a loss and six sacks. The No. 12 overall pick was a popular choice in Defensive Rookie of the Year predictions and while he may not have enough time to win the award this year, he could have a major impact on New Orleans’ D-Line. So far this year, New Orleans has given up the fifth-most yards per game (397.4) to opposing offenses.
Practice Squad Updates: 11/2/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves.
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: TE Nic Jacobs
Chicago Bears
- Signed: OL Williams Poehls
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Connor Hamlett
Denver Broncos
- Signed: RB Terrell Watson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: RB Brandon Burks (via Packersnews.com)
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: OL Zach Sterup
- Signed: OL Joe Cheek
- Cut: CB Tyler Patmon (Twitter link via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Bills Cut CB Marcus Roberson
The Bills announced that they are releasing Marcus Roberson from the active roster, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. In other moves, kicker Marshall Morgan released from the practice squad while adding long snapper Reid Ferguson. 
Roberson was just promoted from the Bills’ p-squad over the weekend in advance of Sunday’s game against the Patriots. The 24-year-old did not record an official statistic in the 41-25 defeat. If he clears waivers, it’s possible that he could circle back to Buffalo’s taxi squad. With Roberson gone, the Bills will continue ahead with corners Stephon Gilmore, Ronald Darby, Nickell Robey, Kevon Seymour, and Corey White.
In other Bills news, the team placed safety Aaron Williams on injured reserve this week. The team also welcomed back wide receiver Percy Harvin.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Brady, Harvin, Bills
Football is a strange business and Patriots quarterback Tom Brady is aware of how quickly things can change. In the wake of the surprising Jamie Collins trade, Brady was asked if he knows he could be traded at some juncture. “Absolutely. You can’t be around this long and not realize the world will keep spinning,” Brady said (Twitter link via Doug Kyed of NESN). Of course, there’s no reason to expect the Patriots to move on from Brady anytime soon.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Percy Harvin is back in the NFL, but it doesn’t sound like he was ruminating on the decision for long. The Bills called Harvin on a whim to see if he might want to play again and, after brief consideration, he decided to jump back in, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. Harvin could make his 2016 debut against his former team on Monday night when Buffalo heads to Seattle.
- Some that played with Collins believed that he did not have to grind as hard as others on the team because he is so athletically gifted, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss writes. In the Patriots‘ hard-working culture, that rationale likely didn’t fly with Bill Belichick. Reiss also hears from other ex-teammates that Collins was fully engaged, despite talk to the contrary. Of course, Collins’ pending free agency was also a factor in the trade. Earlier today, Collins personally denied asking for “Von Miller money” in his talks with New England.
- Prior to the deadline, the Jets had trade talks with the Cowboys about Sheldon Richardson.
- Dolphins star safety Reshad Jones has been playing through a torn rotator cuff for two seasons. Jones finally got the much-needed surgery and he will be out for the remainder of the season as he recovers.
Patriots Sign TE Matt Lengel
The Patriots have signed tight end Matt Lengel off of the Bengals’ practice squad, as Jim McBride of The Boston Globe tweets. 
Lengal was part of the Bengals’ final round of cuts before they reached a 53-man roster. Soon after, he hooked on with their practice squad for the 2016 season. Now, he has an opportunity to see some NFL action with the Patriots.
Lengel, an Eastern Kentucky product, can give the Patriots a big receiving target at 6’7″. He went undrafted in 2015, an expected outcome after tearing the same ACL in both 2012 and 2013. Lengel will slot behind Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett on the Patriots’ depth chart. Barring injury, we probably won’t see much of him on the field.
The Patriots are on their bye week. Lengel will have extra time to learn the playbook between now and their next game on Nov. 13 against the Seahawks.
Cowboys Made Offer For Jets’ Richardson
We didn’t see any major trades go down on the actual day of the deadline, but there was still plenty of chatter leading up to the afternoon. One deal discussed was a potential trade of Sheldon Richardson to the Cowboys. Dallas made an offer, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter), but it was not to the Jets’ liking. 
We heard yesterday that the Jets went from being unlikely to move Richardson to actively shopping the defensive lineman. The Cowboys got on the phone with Gang Green to discuss Richardson, an indication that they were yet again willing to roll the dice on a talented but troubled defensive lineman. Acquiring Richardson would have meant giving up something significant in the trade and also committing serious dollars to keeping him beyond 2017. Clearly, the Cowboys are still open to taking chances when it comes to improving their front seven.
Now that the deadline is over, the Cowboys will not be able to reopen Richardson talks until the offseason. In the meantime, it sounds like Dallas will be keeping close watch on the midseason free agent market for defensive line help.