Bears’ Trevathan, Houston Suffer Injuries
The Bears got some good news today when they learned that quarterback Jay Cutler only suffered a sprain and not a fracture in his thumb. However, the news isn’t so good when it comes to their front seven. Linebackers Danny Trevathan and Lamarr Houston both suffered serious injuries on Sunday, coach John Fox told reporters today. 
Trevathan will have surgery for a thumb injury, though it is not a season-ender (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com). Meanwhile, Houston’s knee injury is serious, though the team is waiting for the MRI to make an official determination on him (Twitter link via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com). In the case of Houston, it sounds like his injury could result in him being placed on IR.
Trevathan spent his entire four-year career with the Broncos before reuniting with Fox and joining up with the Bears this offseason. He started 15 games in 2015, compiling 109 tackles and a pair of interceptions. The 26-year-old also had a standout performance in the Super Bowl, grabbing a pair of fumble recoveries in Denver’s victory over Carolina. Trevathan recovered well from a knee injury that limited him to only three games in 2014 and, thankfully, this latest setback won’t shut him down for the year.
Houston was considered to be on the 53-man roster bubble this offseason but ultimately made the cut. Last year, Houston appeared in all 16 games for the Bears, recording 42 tackles and a career-high eight sacks.
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Bears QB Jay Cutler To Miss Several Games?
12:20pm: Coach John Fox says it doesn’t appear that Cutler will have thumb surgery in the short term, Patrick Finley of the Sun Times tweets. He called Cutler “day to day” but coaches don’t always tell the truth when it comes to star players with injuries.
10:38am: The Bears are “preparing for a lengthy absence” for quarterback Jay Cutler after he injured his thumb, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Now, it remains to be seen whether Cutler will have surgery. If Cutler goes under the knife, he will presumably be out for even longer. 
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Cutler suffered his injury in the season opener against the Texans, a source tells Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times. The quarterback played through last night’s loss to the Eagles with that ligament damage in his right thumb and exacerbated the problem. Typically, this kind of injury results in a three-to-four week absence, Jahns hears.
Cutler, 33, left Monday night’s game after throwing an interception in the third quarter. Before his early exit, Cutler completed 12 of 17 passes for 157 yards. He was also sacked three times.
Without Cutler, the Bears will lean on free agent pickup Brian Hoyer. Hoyer is coming off of the best season of his career as he completed 60% of his passes for 2,600+ yards while throwing 19 touchdowns against seven interceptions. After leading the Texans to a 5-4 record in his nine starts, however, Hoyer had a dreadful showing against Chiefs in the playoffs.
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Chargers Sign Dexter McCluster
In need of help at running back, the Chargers will sign free agent Dexter McCluster, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. San Diego has been evaluating its options after losing Danny Woodhead for the season. 
McCluster was let go by the Titans on Sept. 2 as they trimmed down to a 53-man roster. He was one of several surprising cuts in Tennessee as the new regime cleaned house by cutting a number of high-profile names. McCluster averaged 4.5 yards per carry last season in Tennessee and averaged 8.4 yards per reception, but the Titans saw a better use for his roster spot.
The Chargers, meanwhile, need a pass-catching threat to partner up with sophomore Melvin Gordon and they see McCluster as a viable fill-in. . The 28-year-old logged 31 receptions last season and has finished with no fewer than 21 catches in any of his six NFL campaigns. As a special teamer, McCluster took back 24 punts in 2015 and finished 13th in the league in yards per return (9.0), so he can also offer help in the third facet of the game, if needed.
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49ers’ Ray-Ray Armstrong Done For Season
The 49ers announced that inside linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong will be placed on IR with a pectoral injury, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. Armstrong suffered the injury during the Niners’ Week 2 loss to the Panthers. 
San Francisco claimed Armstrong off waivers from the Raiders in 2015. The linebacker and special-teamer made headlines last year for illegally taunting a police dog before a game against the Steelers. Police alleged that Armstrong lifted his shirt, pounded his chest, and barked at a police dog before telling its handler to let it off the leash. He theoretically could have faced third-degree felony charges for his actions but, ultimately, the Alleghany County sheriff and prosecutor did not pursue the case.
On the field, the Niners were happy with what they saw out of Armstrong in five games last season and he was retained this spring prior to the free agent perior. In the season opener against the Rams, Armstrong notched his first career interception as San Francisco rolled to a 28-0 victory. Now, the Niners will have to replace him on the depth chart.
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Appeal Date Set For Eagles’ Lane Johnson
Finally, Lane Johnson has a date for his appeal. The Eagles tackle will have his case heard on October 4th, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. In the interim, Johnson will play on Sunday against the Steelers. Then, the Eagles have Week 4 bye. 
If Johnson’s suspension is upheld, he will be suspended for ten games, starting with the Oct. 9 contest against the Lions. Then, Johnson would be left with the final three games of the season: Dec. 18 against the Ravens, Dec. 22 against the Giants, and Jan. 1 versus the Cowboys.
Johnson tested positive for PEDs in August but he claims that he took a tainted amino acid. Johnson’s reps were hoping that the B sample on this most recent test would show something different than the A sample, but he learned before Monday night’s game that they matched up. The 26-year-old was already suspended four games for PEDs in 2014, so he is facing a much stiffer punishment this time around.
It’s not immediately clear how the Eagles would change up their offensive line if they’re without Johnson for an extended period of time.
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Browns Sign C Austin Reiter To Active Roster
The Browns have signed center Austin Reiter to their active roster, removing him from the Redskins’ practice squad, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Reiter, a 2015 seventh-round pick, spent most of last season on Washington’s taxi squad. This year, he was cut loose on Sept. 13 before being re-signed to the practice squad. 
Washington’s issues at center are well-documented and they tried to patch that hole up by acquiring Bryan Stork this offseason. Now, however, the team’s plan is to use rookie guard/center Spencer Long behind starting center Kory Lichtensteiger. The Redskins liked have Reiter waiting in the wings in case of an injury, but the Browns swooped in and grabbed him.
Now, Reiter will give the Browns depth after Cameron Erving went down with a bruised lung over the weekend. There’s no word on how long the 2015 first-round pick could be sidelined, but the expectation is that he could miss a month of action.
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Center Bryan Stork Visiting Jets Today
Former Patriots center Bryan Stork is visiting the Jets today, Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Stork was cut loose by New England prior to the start of the season, but there was much more to it than that. 
In late August, Stork was supposedly on the verge of being released by the Patriots. However, the Redskins got word that Stork was about to be cut and worked out a trade with the Patriots. Hours later, it was learned that Stork was thinking about retirement. The Redskins convinced Stork to continue playing football, but he wound up failing the physical. Ultimately, the trade was rescinded, the Redskins lost the backup center (or maybe even starting center) they desperately needed, and the Patriots lost out on getting a conditional seventh-round pick.
Stork, 26 in November, emerged as the Patriots’ starting center just four weeks into his rookie season in 2014. In 2015, Stork suffered a concussion which limited him to just eight games. In 2016, he could join up with the rival Jets in support of starter Nick Mangold.
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Practice Squad Updates: 9/19/16
Here are Monday’s practice squad moves from around the NFL:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: OLB Deiontrez Mount (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of FOX59)
- Cut: CB Tay Glover-Wright.
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Deontae Skinner (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY)
- Cut: QB Logan Thomas
New York Jets
- Signed: TE Braedon Bowman (Twitter link via Darryl Slater of NJ.com)
- Cut: DL Claude Pelon
Washington Redskins
- Signed: DL Bobby Richardson, LB Jason Fanaika, LB Amarlo Herrera
- Cut: LB Lynden Trail, DL Louis Nix III (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post)
Randy Gregory Drops Suspension Appeal
Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory withdrew the appeal of his 10-game suspension for multiple violations of NFL’s Substance Abuse policy, sources tell Adam Schefter and Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gregory, who is in the midst of a separate four-game ban, will be suspended through Week 14. Gregory will be eligible to return in Week 15. 
Gregory, 24 in November, exited rehab last week. While he can return to the Cowboys this season, it’s not a given that he will take the field if he is not in football shape. Over the next month or two, we should get a better idea of where Gregory stands.
Gregory dealt with an ankle sprain early in his rookie season and we didn’t see a ton of action from him in 2015. From a talent perspective, Gregory was considered to be one of the draft’s best talents. However, his off-the-field issues caused him to sink all the way to No. 60, where Dallas grabbed him.
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Lions Release Andrew Quarless
In August, the Lions signed Andrew Quarless with the idea that he could help the team on the other side of his two-game suspension. Oddly enough, on the week where Quarless is finally eligible to return to action, the Lions announced that they have released him. 
The Lions signed Quarless at a time when they were unsure about the status of starter Eric Ebron. Fortunately, Ebron has been healthy thus far this year. The Lions will forge ahead with Ebron as their main tight end with Cole Wick, Khari Lee, and Orson Charles in support.
Quarless, 28 in October, spent most of the 2015 season on the Packers’ injured reserve. An MCL injury sidelined Quarless for about two and a half months, limiting him to five games and just four receptions for 31 yards for the season. He was probably hoping to take the field against his former team this Sunday, but he won’t get that chance now.
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