Saints Bringing Sheldon Rankins Back From IR
The Saints are designating Sheldon Rankins as their player to return off of injured reserve this season, coach Sean Payton told reporters (Twitter link via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com). Rankins, a first-round pick in the spring, was placed on IR in August when he suffered a broken fibula. 
Prior to the injury, Rankins was expected to compete with Nick Fairley, Tyeler Davison, and John Jenkins. Instead, the Louisville product has been busy rehabbing. Now, he is finally getting closer to making his NFL debut. When the Saints bring Rankins off of IR, that will open up a 21-day practice window in which they can evaluate him. If he is not activated within those three weeks, he can not be brought back this year. Rankins is expected to being practicing today.
After topping the Panthers 41-38 over the weekend, the Saints will travel to Kansas City this week to take on the Chiefs.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/18/16
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Steelers announced that they have signed offensive tackle Brian Mihalik to the team’s active roster off the Lions‘ practice squad. To make room, offensive lineman Matt Feiler was cut loose. Mihalik spent the 2016 offseason and part of training camp with Pittsburgh.
- The Panthers have re-signed tight end Scott Simonson, as Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. To make room for him, the Panthers have cut defensive end Lavar Edwards, who recorded one sack this year. As Person notes (Twitter link), that’s more than the combined total that starters Kony Ealy and Charles Johnson (0.5) have between them.
- The Colts announced that they have elevated wide receiver Tevaun Smith from their practice squad to the 53-man roster. Smith will take the place of fellow wideout Quan Bray, who’s now on IR with an ankle injury (via Kevin Bowen of the team’s website). Bray has only three catches this year, but he is the Colts’ primary return man.
- The Seahawks announced that they have placed defensive tackle Garrison Smith on IR and signed defensive tackle Sealver Siliga to the 53-man roster.
- The Saints have released cornerback Tony Carter from IR, tweets Nick Underhill of the Advocate.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/18/16
Tuesday’s practice squad transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB/KR Asa Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: DB Darius Hillary, WR Jordan Leslie
- Cut: E.J. Bibbs
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Quentin Gause, TE Steven Scheu (Twitter link via Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post)
- Cut: WR Mose Frazier, LB Richard Cliett
Detroit Lions
- Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: WR Marcus Leak, CB Frankie Williams
New England Patriots
- Signed: G Jamil Douglas (Twitter link via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com)
- Cut: OL Ian Silberman
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DL Royce LaFrance (Twitter link via Nick Underhill of The Advocate)
New York Giants
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott
- Cut: DB Doran Grant
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: OL Don Cherry
- Cut: G Darrell Greene
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: WR DeAndre Smelter
- Cut: WR Dres Anderson
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: DT Justin Hamilton (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times)
- Cut: DE Sterling Bailey
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: RB Russell Hansbrough (Twitter link via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times)
Eric Decker’s 2017 Season In Question
Jets wide receiver Eric Decker underwent hip surgery today, according to a press release from the team. Once he’s off crutches, he’ll have to undergo a procedure on his shoulder. He’ll need six months to recover from the hip operation followed by eight months for his shoulder, though he’ll be off crutches sooner than six months from now. It’s not clear what his total timetable is for recovery at this time, but it’s very possible that he could miss the beginning of the 2017 season as he bounces back from two major surgeries. 
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Decker appeared in three games for Gang Green this season and totaled nine catches for 194 yards and two touchdowns. He enjoyed his best season as a Jet last year, catching 80 passes for 1,027 yards and 12 touchdowns.
The Jets, sans Decker, fell to 1-5 last night in a one-sided contest against the Cardinals. Next up is a Sunday tilt with the Ravens.
Falcons To Place Derrick Shelby On IR
The Falcons are placing Derrick Shelby on IR with a torn Achilles, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The defensive end has been dealing with a calf injury that is apparently more serious than initially thought. 
Shelby, 27, left the Dolphins to sign with the Falcons in free agency this past offseason. Shelby, who took over for Cameron Wake after his injury, started eight games and performed well. PFF rated the former UDFA as its No. 23 overall edge-rusher despite Shelby starting just one game in his previous three seasons. Fellow Miami defector Olivier Vernon got all the headlines, but the Falcons were nonetheless excited about what Shelby could do this year.
In a related move, the Falcons are promoting rookie safety Sharrod Neasman from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, as Alex Marvez of NFL.com tweets.
Packers Place CB Sam Shields On IR
The Packers are placing cornerback Sam Shields on injured reserve, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter). Shields himself seems to have confirmed the news via social media as well. 
Shields recently suffered a concussion and he has not rebounded from it as doctors hoped he would. By placing him on IR, the Packers are sidelining the cornerback for a minimum of two months. If he recovers in the next eight weeks and the Packers do not elect to bring a different player back from IR, then he could potentially be activated late in the season.
Shields suffered a concussion during Green Bay’s Week 1 victory against Jacksonville, which came less than nine months after his previous concussion in December 2015. Just 28, Shields has now suffered four concussions in the past six seasons. Considered to be one of the better cornerbacks in the NFL when healthy, he signed a four-year, $39MM deal with Green Bay prior to the 2014 season.
Shields described last year’s concussion as particularly scary because he does not remember anything that happened.
“All I remember is going after the tackle and my head hitting the ground. And that was it. I blanked out. I try to keep my head from getting in there, but it’s kind of hard. It’s a physical sport,” Shields said.
Given Shields’ history with head trauma, the Packers aren’t taking any chances with him. Packers coach Mike McCarthy indicated yesterday that the team would consider adding a cornerback, though it’s not a certainty since the team does not want to leave itself thin elsewhere.
RGIII Won’t Require Surgery
Good news for RG3. Doctors say that the Browns quarterback’s left shoulder is showing signs of healing and believe he will not require surgery, sources tell ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington. However, Griffin’s prescribed plan of action could change if he suffers an unforeseen setback. 
In the Browns’ season opener, Griffin went down with a fractured coracoid bone in his left shoulder. The initial word was that it would be “very tough” for Griffin to return, but today’s news could mean that the door is open for him to return this season. Technically, Griffin could suit up on Nov. 10 against the Ravens. However, it’s too early to tell whether that is a realistic possibility for the 26-year-old.
Cody Kessler, a third-round pick, has taken over the starting quarterback job in Cleveland. The gig was initially handed to Josh McCown when Griffin went down, but the veteran suffered a serious injury of his own last month.
Thanks to injuries and a bizarre final season in Washington, Griffin has appeared in just 10 games since the end of the 2013 season.
49ers Bring CB Will Redmond Back From IR
The 49ers announced that they are bringing cornerback Will Redmond back from injured reserve. Redmond becomes the team’s one short-term IR player for the season, meaning that they cannot bring anyone else back from IR. The team now has a 21-day window to monitor him in practice. If all goes well, he could debut as early as Dec. 6 against the Saints. 
Redmond, a third-round pick out of Mississippi State, tore his ACL last October. The defensive back showed plenty of talent while in college, but the 49ers still weren’t convinced that he was fully healthy.
The cornerback was late to sign his contract and did not put pen to paper with SF until June. The 22-year-old (23 in December) saw action in three seasons for the Bulldogs, playing in 27 games and making seven starts — all of which coming during the 2015 season. He made 25 tackles and two interceptions for Mississippi State last season, and despite the lack of experience as a starter decided to leave school early.
VIkings Cut OL Isame Faciane After DUI Arrest
The Vikings are releasing offensive lineman Isame Faciane from the practice squad, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. The news comes after Faciane was arrested last week on suspicion of drunk driving. Taking his place on the 10-man practice squad will be cornerback Tre Roberson. 
Police pulled Faciane over when he was spotted weaving around construction barriers in an effort to drive the wrong way down the highway. Faciane was given a citation and, days later, handed his release from the Vikings.
“My thoughts are that it’s disappointing and that’s one of the things I’m trying to get rid of around here, making sure that our fans are being represented in the right way,’’ Mike Zimmer said yesterday about the arrest. “It was stupid and we’ll see.’’
Roberson, a former quarterback at Illinois State, hooked on with the Vikings this offseason. He has been moved on and off the team multiple times this fall.
Colts Sign TE Chase Coffman
The Colts announced that they have signed tight end Chase Coffman. The deal could be a sign that tight end Dwayne Allen will be out for an extended period of time. 
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Allen suffered a sprained ankle during Sunday night’s disappointing loss to the Texans. Officially, Allen is “week-to-week,” but it doesn’t sound like we should expect to see him suit up on Sunday against the Titans. For however long Allen is out, Coffman will provide depth at tight end behind Jack Doyle and Erik Swoope.
The good news is that Doyle has been having a strong year and should be able to capitalize on additional targets while Allen is sidelined. On Sunday, Doyle caught all four of his targets for 53 yards and one touchdown. His best game this year came in Week 3 against the Chargers when he caught six passes for 65 yards.