49ers QB Thad Lewis Out For Season
49ers quarterback Thaddeus Lewis suffered a torn ACL and is out for the season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Colin Kaepernick Unlikely To Start]
Lewis was forced to exit from the Niners’ preseason opener on Sunday night with a leg injury, but the severity of the issue was not immediately apparent. Before his night ended prematurely, Lewis completed 12-of-21 passes for 97 yards against the Texans.
In March, Lewis inked a one-year, $760K minimum salary benefit deal with SF. Although the deal included $25K in playing-time incentives and a $428K split salary, it doesn’t appear that the pact called for much in the way of guarantees.
Lewis, 28, was on the Eagles’ roster when Chip Kelly was their head coach last season and the two reunited in San Francisco this spring. Lewis has appeared in seven NFL games, though none since 2014, making six starts with five touchdowns against four interceptions.
With Lewis out of the equation, the Niners are left with Blaine Gabbert, Colin Kaepernick, and Jeff Driskel at quarterback.
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Steelers’ Gradkowski Suffers Hamstring Injury
The Steelers could find themselves on the market for a quarterback as the season approaches. Today, the team learned that backup Bruce Gradkowski has suffered a sizable hamstring tear, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler. 
As shown on Roster Resource, the team’s quarterback depth chart also features Landry Jones and free agent addition Dustin Vaughan. While Jones is considered to be Ben Roethlisberger‘s primary backup, Vaughan has never taken an NFL snap. Pittsburgh may want to have a more proven third-string option at QB and one has to imagine that they will examine the free agent and trade markets with that in mind.
Gradkowski, 33, missed all of 2015 with shoulder and hand injuries and it sounds like 2016 could also be a lost year for him. For his career, Gradkowski has completed 375-of-709 passes for 4,057 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 24 interceptions. Gradkowski has never completed more than 55% of his passes in a season.
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Bills Sign Kroy Biermann
2:03pm: The Bills have formally announced the signing.
10:13am: Defensive end/outside linebacker Kroy Biermann is on his way to Buffalo to sign a one-year deal with the Bills, source tells ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Bills’ Reggie Ragland Done For Season]
Last season, Biermann was expected to be a contributor in the defense rolled out by new Atlanta coach Dan Quinn. However, Biermann wound up being relegated to a smaller role and made zero starts after starting in 15 contests the previous year. For the year, Biermann recorded 51 total tackles and 2.5 sacks. In total, Biermann was on the field for less than 50% of the team’s defensive snaps.
This offseason, the Lions looked at Biermann as a defensive end but ultimately decided against signing him. Biermann also visited the Bills in March and even though he did not sign a deal during that visit, he circled back to them today.
In 2014, the 30-year-old started a career-high 15 games for the Falcons, racking up 77 tackles and 4.5 sacks to go along with a forced fumble. The numbers showed that he was an above-average run defender and held his own as a pass rusher. Now, he’ll try to get back to that form in Buffalo.
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NFC North Notes: Quarless, Lions, Packers
In a statement announcing the Lions’ signing of Andrew Quarless, Lions GM Bob Quinn addressed the tight end’s July 2015 gun charge.
“We are aware of the upcoming NFL suspension of Andrew Quarless,” Quinn said. “We have thoroughly researched the incident that caused the suspension and have talked at length with Andrew about this. Andrew has been forthright and honest about the situation and he has gone through the process within the legal system. As an organization we are comfortable with adding Andrew to the roster and look forward to seeing him compete for the rest of the preseason.”
Quinn said in January he’d have a zero tolerance policy when it came to “domestic violence and dangerous weapons” but he has obviously softened his stance.
Here’s more out of the NFC North:
- It’s a bit disingenuous of Quinn to sign Quarless after making a big deal of his supposed zero tolerance policy for the Lions, Kyle Meineke of MLive.com writes. At the same time, Meineke fears that the team’s bending of the rules could be a sign that Eric Ebron‘s injury is worse than originally thought, necessitating this tight end addition.
- The Packers auditioned former New Mexico State running back Jermicheal Selders, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Colts and Chargers also have also expressed interest in Selders, who ran a 4.41 second 40-yard-dash in his Green Bay audition.
- On Monday, we learned that the Lions will be forced to place wide receiver Andre Caldwell on IR.
- The Bears signed a pair of offensive linemen late last week.
- Before re-signing with the Bengals, safety George Iloka thought long and hard about an offer from the Vikings.
Saints’ Sheldon Rankins Suffers Broken Fibula
Saints first-round defensive lineman Sheldon Rankins is believed to have suffered a broken fibula based on the initial tests conducted, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If that’s the case, the first-round pick is likely a candidate for the IR-DTR list, which would allow for a mid-season return to action.
Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that Rankins is likely to be sidelined for about six weeks. Another person familiar with Rankins’ injury said the initial prognosis has him missing 6-8 weeks, Schefter tweets. 
Rankins has more tests on the docket to learn what other damage there could be besides the broken fibula (link). If those tests come back clean, a return is possible.
Scouting guru and PFR contributor Dave-Te Thomas has been looking forward to Rankins’ debut for some time now.
“Rankins is a strong tackler who will strike and deliver a blow,” Thomas wrote for NFL Draft Report. “He is conscious of wrapping the outside leg of ball carriers to prevent the opponent from leaning forward to gain extra yardage after that initial hit…As a pass rusher, Rankins can beat you with either his speed or power. He has very good body control and excellent hip snap. His hand usage and quick burst off the snap lets him consistently pressure the quarterback. He also has very good confidence in using his rip and club moves on the bull rush and has very good agility to spin away from the initial block and stymie the counter moves.”
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Patriots Looking At O’Brien Schofield
Former Falcons outside linebacker O’Brien Schofield is still without a team, but he might be closing in on finding his next NFL home. The veteran is currently mulling six offers, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure (on Twitter). Schofield, who worked out for the Patriots last week, plans to make a decision in the next two weeks. 
Schofield would be an interesting pickup for the Patriots after defensive end Rob Ninkovich suffered a torn triceps muscle. Schofield has limited experience at DE, but he could help fortify the team’s front seven with some depth while Ninkovich is out. If all goes well, Ninkovich should return to the team in 4-6 weeks.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn has said that he will not rule out a reunion with Schofield, though one has to wonder why a deal hasn’t happened already if Atlanta wanted him back. Furthermore, Atlanta has already added fellow vet Dwight Freeney. The Redskins seemed to be a logical landing spot for Schofield after edge rusher Junior Galette suffered a season-ending injury, but they’re reportedly not interested.
Schofield finished out the 2015 season with 28 tackles, four tackles for losses, two sacks, 13 quarterback hits, and one forced fumble.
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Buccaneers Sign Demar Dotson To Extension
The Buccaneers have signed offensive tackle Demar Dotson to a three-year deal, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The pact is worth $16.5MM, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The new deal will give the 30-year-old some security, keeping him under contract through 2019. The Bucs have confirmed the deal via press release. 
Dotson, 31 in October, joined the Bucs as a UDFA out of Souther Mississippi in 2009. Eventually, Dotson found his way into the Bucs’ starting lineup, becoming their primary right tackle in 2012. Dotson appeared in every regular season game for them from 2012-2014 but injuries limited him to six games last year. Prior to this deal, Dotson was scheduled to hit the open market after earning $1.75MM in the 2016 season.
In other Bucs news, defensive end George Johnson has been ruled out for the season after suffering a hip fracture. Also, despite trade rumors surrounding backup quarterback Mike Glennon, the Buccaneers are reportedly not shopping him.
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Lions Sign TE Andrew Quarless
The Lions have signed tight end Andrew Quarless, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. As we recently learned, Quarless will be suspended for the first two games of the season following a violation of the league’s personal conduct policy following a misdemeanor gun charge. If he makes the team, the Lions will not get Quarless on the field until Week 3 against the Packers, giving him an opportunity to show his old team what he can do. 
[RELATED: Lions WR Andre Caldwell Placed On IR]
The deal is a low-risk move for Detroit as Quarless’ one-year deal includes no guaranteed cash. Over the next few weeks, Quarless will work to prove his worth to Detroit coaches and, if he cannot leapfrog ahead of UDFA Cole Wick and free agent additions Matthew Mulligan and Orson Charles, he’ll be relinquished back to the free agent pile. If all goes well, Quarless can give the Lions some additional depth at tight end in case Eric Ebron‘s ankle injury lingers.
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.
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Lions WR Andre Caldwell Placed On IR
Lions wide receiver Andre Caldwell has been placed on injured reserve with a broken bone in his hand, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’ll discuss an injury settlement with Detroit and should return in 2016, Rapoport adds. 
[RELATED: Q&A With Lions Beat Writer Justin Rogers]
Caldwell, 31, appeared in 14 games for the Broncos last season, catching 10 passes (22 targets) for 72 yards. While he wasn’t one of the primary targets in Denver, he did also have two touchdowns on the year. Before joining the Broncos in 2012, Caldwell enjoyed a more active role on offense with the Bengals. In his three full seasons there – discounting his seven-game rookie season – Caldwell averaged 38 receptions, 365 yards, and two touchdowns per campaign.
In Detroit, Caldwell was initially slated to compete for time in a group headlined by Golden Tate and offseason pickups Marvin Jones and Jeremy Kerley. Since then, however, the Lions added Anquan Boldin and Andre Roberts to the depth chart. With a loaded group at wide receiver, Caldwell was not guaranteed to make the roster even if he was healthy.
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Bills’ Reggie Ragland Done For Season
SUNDAY, 8:15pm: Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweets that Ragland is set to undergo surgery on Tuesday. The linebacker will have his ACL repaired at the The Andrews Institute in Gulf Breeze, Florida.
WEDNESDAY, 8:26am: Based on the initial tests, Bills linebacker Reggie Ragland is expected to land on IR after suffering a tear in his ACL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport notes that Kiko Alonso had a similar injury and returned, but the odds are not in the rookie’s favor. The Bills have confirmed via press release that Ragland is expected to miss the 2016 season.
[RELATED: Bills, Tyrod Taylor Discussing Two-Year Deal]
Ragland will go under the knife later this week to fix his partially torn ACL, though it is believed that the knee has additional damage (link). Initially, there was some hope that Ragland might only have to miss 6-8 weeks (link), but doctors are now fearing the worst.
The Bills traded up in the second round this year to land Ragland, considered to be one of their top targets. Soon after the draft, Bills GM Doug Whaley boasted that Ragland would be one of three rookies in the team’s starting lineup to start the season. Unfortunately, Buffalo won’t see its top two picks on the field for a while.
“At least three,” Whaley said in May when asked how many of his rookies will be on the field in Week 1. “[First-round defensive end] Shaq Lawson is going to walk in off the bus starting. [Second-round linebacker] Reggie Ragland, and then [third-round defensive tackle] Adolphus Washington — all three of those guys will start right off the bus. And we’re excited for some guys from the fourth through sixth rounds that will contribute for us.”
The Bills have been bracing for bad news on Ragland, as evidenced by the signings of linebackers David Hawthorne and Brandon Spikes.
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