49ers Sign CB JaCorey Shepherd
The 49ers announced that they have signed cornerback JaCorey Shepherd. Shepherd will take the place of cornerback Chris Davis, who was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury. 
The signing reunites Shepherd, a 2015 draft pick of the Eagles, with coach Chip Kelly. In college, Shepherd started out as a wide receiver but didn’t find his footing until he was turned into a defensive back as a sophomore. As a junior, Shepherd had 45 total tackles, including two tackles for a loss, and ten pass deflections, putting him on the map nationally. His stats dropped a bit as a senior, but he still showed enough to become a late draft pick.
Davis, a cornerback/kick returner, was forced out of Thursday night’s game against the Cardinals. He was initially listed as questionable for this Sunday against the Bills, but he is now likely done for the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucs To Promote Russell Hansbrough
The Buccaneers are promoting running back Russell Hansbrough from the practice squad to the active roster, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Hansbrough will be in uniform as the Buccaneers get set to face the Panthers tonight. 
Top running back Doug Martin and main backup Charles Sims are listed as doubtful for tonight’s game and neither player is expected to take the field. That leaves former Falcon Jacquizz Rodgers as the Bucs’ starting running back tonight with Peyton Barber and Hansbrough is support.
Hansbrough, a Missouri product, joined the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in May. Barber was able to position himself ahead of Hansbrough in the summer, but both players now find themselves on the 53-man roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Host Terrance Knighton On Visit
Could Pot Roast return to D.C.? Today, the Redskins are hosting Terrance Knighton on a visit, as Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets. With Knighton and Phil Taylor in town, the Redskins are clearly looking to bolster the interior of their defensive line. 
[RELATED: Redskins Hosting Phil Taylor On Visit]
After finishing his contract in Denver, Knighton was expected to cash in following the 2014 season. Instead, he found a mild free agent market and settled for a low-priced one-year deal with the Redskins. As a nose tackle in Washington’s 3-4 scheme, Pot Roast logged 29 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2015. Although he didn’t have quite the same impact last year that he did during his final season as a Bronco, Knighton ranked in the top half of Pro Football Focus’ list of qualified interior defenders, placing 58th out of 123 players. Predictably, PFF assigned Knighton a much better grade as a run defender than as a pass rusher.
This past offseason, he hooked on with the Patriots but was released in late August. Knighton’s release came as something of a surprise, especially given the Pats’ depth concerns on the defensive line. Now, the Redskins need some veteran help on the D-Line and he could circle back there.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Redskins Hosting DT Phil Taylor On Visit
The Redskins are hosting defensive tackle Phil Taylor for a workout today, Mike Jones of The Washington Post tweets. 
[RELATED: Josh Doctson Likely To Avoid IR]
A first-round pick in 2011, Taylor was cut by the Browns at his request before the 2015 season when it became clear that Danny Shelton would be the club’s starting nose tackle. Taylor did not find an NFL home after that and he remained in limbo until February of this year when the Broncos picked him up. Unfortunately, his knee issues popped up again over the summer and Denver ultimately tossed him back into the water.
Taylor, 28, was a starter on defense for Cleveland in 2013, but only played 555 defensive snaps, serving primarily as a run stopper. While he wasn’t a full-time player, Taylor’s performance against the run still placed him a solid 26th among 69 qualified defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He then played just 133 snaps in 2014 before being sidelined with a knee injury.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Ravens Fire OC Marc Trestman
The Ravens are firing offensive coordinator Marc Trestman, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Baltimore is replacing him with Marty Mornhinweg. The team has since confirmed the move via press release.
Trestman’s firing comes one day after the Ravens suffered a 16-10 loss at home against the Redskins. After the game, quarterback Joe Flacco described the offense as “embarrassing” and said that the struggles so far this year have been “frustrating.” Apparently, team brass agreed and Trestman has been sacked five games into the season.
Trestman previously served as the Bears’ head coach from 2013 through 2014. After the Bears finished 8-8 in Trestman’s first year, they took a step back in 2014 with a 5-win season. Trestman was canned after the season, but the Ravens quickly scooped him up as their offensive coordinator.
Last year, the Ravens finished 14th in the NFL in total yards but placed in the bottom third of the league in points scored. Through five games this year, they’re roughly in the same position and the Ravens have opted to make a change. Mornhinweg, who previously served as Baltimore’s quarterbacks coach, will now get bumped up to OC. Mornhinweg has served as an offensive coordinator for three different teams (Jets, Eagles, and 49ers) in his career and is best known for his time as the head coach of the Lions, although that is a period he’d probably like to forget.
The Ravens will put a strong emphasis on maintaining balance on offense and sticking with the run game while reinforcing the downfield passing game, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The Ravens can be expected to lean on Terrance West and they could also get Kenneth Dixon more involved as they look to spark their run game.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
49ers Restructure Colin Kaepernick’s Deal?
SATURDAY, 9:30am: Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (via Twitter) has some details on Kaepernick’s new contract.
$2MM in future potential bonuses will now be guaranteed, which is a significant payday for the quarterback. Furthermore, the new contract now features several incentives that are connected to playing time.
FRIDAY, 5:50pm: This is “far from a done deal,” tweets Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Maiocco notes that it could still happen, however.
3:05pm: The 49ers and Colin Kaepernick have reached agreement on a restructuring of his contract, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter links).
The new deal should alleviate concerns regarding the quarterback’s injury guarantees. Meanwhile, it will also give Kaepernick an opportunity to void his deal after this season should he outperform his contract. The deal effectively does away with No. 7’s guarantees in 2017 and could cut off the final three years of the pact. It will also allow the 49ers to receive a compensatory pick if Kaepernick voids the contract and signs elsewhere during the offseason, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
The reworked deal could signal that the team is benching Blaine Gabbert and installing Kaepernick as the new starter. However, there is no official word on that front.
Gabbert is coming off of a disappointing game against the Cardinals and coach Chip Kelly has left the door open to a quarterback change. Kaepernick, the one-time starter in SF, has been a lightning rod for controversy this year. Now, he has an opportunity to make headlines again for his play on the field and not his actions on the sideline.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/7/16
Friday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: Darrell Greene, Matt Rotheram
- Cut: Don Cherry, JaCorey Shepherd
San Diego Chargers
- Signed: DT Ryan Carrethers (via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com)
Pigskin Links: Brady, Titans, Zimmer
Here at Pro Football Rumors, we deliver up-to-the-minute news on NFL transactions and high-quality original analysis. Each week, we also feature some of the best blog articles from around the web in our regular feature, Pigskin Links.
We’re looking for interesting reads on all things football from blogs of all sizes. While PFR is dedicated to player movement, Pigskin Links is open to pieces on all areas of the game. If you would like to suggest your blog post (or someone else’s) for Pigskin Links, send us an email with the link and a brief synopsis at PigskinLinks@gmail.com.
Here’s this week’s look around the football blogosphere:
- Wayniac Nation says Tom Brady‘s return should help the ratings.
- Titans 247 says this is a different 1-3 for Tennessee.
- From The Rafters shows some love for Vikings coach Mike Zimmer.
- With The First Pick ran down the fastest rising prospects in the 2017 draft.
- Cup Of Joe In The D updated its power rankings for Week 5.
Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Email it to Zach or tweet it to him: @ZachLinks.
49ers Players Want Ponder To Start?
After the 49ers lost to the Cardinals on Thursday night, coach Chip Kelly indicated that he is considering benching Blaine Gabbert in favor of Colin Kaepernick. Gabbert’s time as the Niners’ starter could be coming to a close, but it’s not a given that it will be Kaepernick taking over. Multiple anonymous offensive players tell Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com that they prefer Christian Ponder to both players. 
“Ponder is the best option for quarterback on the roster,” said one locker-room source.
After winning in their season opener against the Rams, the 49ers have dropped their last four games. In terms of passing yards gained, they are dead last in the NFL. Gabbert can’t be blamed for all of that given the offensive line’s woes, but it’s not a surprise to hear that he is under the gun given everything that has gone on in the last four contests.
Ponder joined the Niners late in the summer, giving San Francisco three notable QBs from the 2011 draft class. At the time, he says that he was considering retirement. Now, at least a handful of players in the locker room think he should be the No. 1 QB.
“That crossed my mind,” said Ponder in August when asked if he thought he might not get another chance to play football. “My plan was to stay ready for this season anyway and see what happens. If nothing happened all year, it would be time to hang it up. I was going to give myself this season and see what happens.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots QB Jacoby Brissett To Have Surgery
Jacoby Brissett will have surgery on his injured thumb, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With Tom Brady returning this week, the Pats can afford to have Brissett sidelined as he recovers. The quarterback will be placed on IR.
Jimmy Garoppolo got the call when Brady was suspended to start the season and Brissett was tasked with the job once Kiko Alonso‘s big hit left Garoppolo with a shoulder injury. Brissett was steady for the rest of that game against the Dolphins and also led the Patriots to victory against the Texans in the following game. Unfortunately, he was not as sharp in Week 4 when the Patriots were shut out by the Bills 16-0.
Now, the Patriots have their star QB back and Garoppolo should be back in the lineup before long. Brissett will be stashed on IR with an eye on 2017.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.