49ers’ Joe Staley Suffers Injury
More injury trouble for the 49ers. On Tuesday, head coach Kyle Shanahan disclosed that left tackle Joe Staley has a finger fracture/dislocation. The injury could require surgery, which would rule him out for a couple of weeks. 
[RELATED: 49ers’ Blair Done For Year]
Its already been a trying year for Staley, was out for a while due to broken fibula. Staley returned on Monday night, only to hit the trainer’s room yet again.
Even without the services of Staley, and right tackle Mike McGlinchey, the 49ers’ run game was among the best in the NFL in the first half of the season. There’s reason to believe the 49ers’ line can continue to hold up, but it’s obviously not great news for a team with Super Bowl aspirations.
After their first loss of 2019 – an overtime defeat at the hands of the rival Seahawks – the Niners will aim to get back in the win column on Sunday against Arizona.
49ers’ Ronald Blair Done For Year
49ers defensive end Ronald Blair tore his ACL during Monday night’s loss to the Seahawks, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Blair is done for the season and the Niners will make it official soon by placing him on injured reserve.
Blair, 26, was in the midst of another productive year for the 49ers. As a reserve, he had three sacks across nine games, putting him on pace to match or top his career-high 5.5 sacks last season. Instead, he’ll have to try and build off of that in 2020 and the Niners will have to find edge support elsewhere.
Blair was a 2016 fifth-round pick, meaning that he’ll be out of contract after the season. Clearly, the injury comes at a very inopportune time, but he should still find a decent market in March, plus some reunion interest from the 49ers.
The 49ers, without Blair, will look to rebound from the loss on Sunday against the Cardinals.
Bucs’ Bruce Arians On Jameis Winston
Given his recent performance, there’s a “really good chance” that quarterback Jameis Winston could land a new contract if he keeps things up, head coach Bruce Arians tells Peter King of NBC Sports. 
“He’s taken us down the field to win or tie the game the last two weeks in the last two minutes,” Arians said. “That’s the maturity of a young quarterback you’re looking for. If he plays like he has the last two weeks for the rest of the season, I’d say there’s a really good chance.”
Winston is currently playing out the fifth-year option on his rookie contract. Heading into the season, there were tons of questions about Winston’s future in Tampa, but he could be playing his way into a lucrative new deal that would keep him with the club in 2020 and beyond.
Of course, this hasn’t been a banner year for the Bucs, nor has it been a tremendous season for Winston on the whole. The Bucs are 3-6 and Winston has thrown for 17 touchdowns against 14 interceptions – plus ten fumbles. Still, he’s showing serious signs of life. On
The Buccaneers continue to underachieve, with a record of 3-6 through nine games. And questions continue to swirl regarding whether quarterback Jameis Winston will continue to be the team’s quarterback after 2019. Still, the Bucs eeked out a win over the Cardinals on Sunday and they managed to take the Seahawks into overtime in the previous week, thanks in part to the former No. 1 overall pick.
Arians, in Year One as the Bucs head coach, is encouraged by what he’s seen so far. There’s also this to consider: It’s nearly impossible to find high-end quarterback in the free agent market and the Bucs currently project to pick outside of the Top 5 in the 2020 draft. A blend of big plays from Winston and a lack of quality alternatives could lead to a new deal between now and March.
Saints’ CB Marshon Lattimore To Miss Time?
Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore suffered a hamstring strain that has him considered week-to-week, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The injury forced Lattimore out of Sunday’s loss to the Falcons and it sounds like it may keep him out of action for additional games. 
Soon after Lattimore exited Sunday’s game, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones torched the Saints’ D for a 54-yard reception. Lattimore, 23, has 38 tackles and one interception through nine games and ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 31 CB in the NFL. The advanced metrics put him ahead of A.J. Bouye, Stephon Gilmore, Malcolm Butler, Darius Slay, Janoris Jenkins, and several other big names at the position.
The surprising loss on Sunday aside, the Saints are among the best in the league and continue to hold a solid lead in the NFC South. But, they have a critical stretch of games coming up against all three of their divisional rivals, including a grudge match against Atlanta on Thanksgiving. There’s no question that losing Lattimore would hurt as they look to lock down their playoff positioning, so the Saints will be keeping their fingers crossed today.
Lattimore, a 2017 first-round pick, is under contract through the 2020 season thanks to his rookie deal. The Saints can keep him through 2021 via the fifth-year option, but they’ll have to budget appropriately in order to keep him for 2022 and beyond.
Falcons’ Freeman, Hooper Suffer Injuries
The Falcons came away with the win on Sunday, but it could prove to be costly. Tight end Austin Hooper and running back Devonta Freeman both suffered injuries in the victory over the rival Saints, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter links). 
Hooper, the league’s leader at the tight end position with 56 catches, will get an MRI on his knee. Freeman, meanwhile, will be getting a scan on his sprained foot. Hooper is expected to miss some time and Freeman’s situation is being closely monitored.
Hooper is in the midst of a breakout season. Hooper, 25, was forced out of Sunday’s game after hauling in four passes for 17 yards, including one touchdown reception. To date, he has 56 catches for 608 yards and six scores, positioning him as one of the best young TEs in the game today.
It sounds like Hooper will miss Sunday’s game against the Panthers and then some. Given the Falcons’ 2-7 record and Hooper’s importance to the team moving forward, one has to wonder if they might take the cautious approach and keep him off the field for the rest of the season, if there’s a possibility of aggravating the injury.
Freeman, meanwhile, hasn’t been having a banner year, but he remains an important figure in the Falcons’ offense. So far this year, he has averaged just 3.5 yards per carry.
Redskins Refuse To Pay Trent Williams
The Redskins have elected to not pay Trent Williams the remainder of his $5.1MM base salary for the 2019 season, league sources tell Field Yates and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Per league rules, teams have the right to not pay players who are on the non-football injury list and the Redskins are exercising that right. 
Williams was placed on NFI on Thursday. On Friday morning, he lashed out at the Redskins yet again and made it known that he does not intend to play for them ever again. The offensive tackle remains under contract through the 2020 season, but it’s hard to envision a reconciliation for the two sides.
The Redskins had the opportunity to move Williams before the late October trade deadline, but they held on to him instead. The Redskins may explore trades again in the offseason, but at that stage, they won’t have much in the way of leverage. Many have questioned the Redskins’ handling of the Williams’ situation on the whole, as well as their refusal to cut ties with him this year.
Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowler, has missed 13 games over the last three seasons due to various injuries. He graded out as the league’s best overall tackle in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and still managed to place No. 21 in a relatively down 2018.
Despite the health issues, including a recent cancer scare, Williams says he wants to continue playing football. Just not in D.C.
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes To Play Vs. Titans
Patrick Mahomes is back. On Sunday, the Chiefs quarterback will return to action to face the Titans, head coach Andy Reid announced. 
Mahomes recovered freakishly fast from a dislocated kneecap just a few weeks ago. The early fear was that Mahomes would miss the remainder of the season. Then, there were whispers of a faster recovery, but a quick bounce back still seemed unlikely given Mahomes’ reliance on speed and mobility.
The Chiefs franchise star has done the impossible yet again. After splitting their last two games, the Chiefs will have Mahomes under center as they look to improve from 6-3 to 7-3.
In seven games this year, Mahomes has completed 65.1% of his throws for 15 touchdowns against one interception. He also ran for seven first downs while averaging 4.8 yards per attempt on the ground. There’s nothing that Mahomes can’t do and, apparently, that includes healing up at warp speed.
Mahomes’ rookie deal runs through 2020 and the Chiefs hold his fifth-year option to take him through 2021. The Chiefs, naturally, want to lock Mahomes up for the long haul, and that contract could be the league’s first $200MM+ contract.
Raiders’ Karl Joseph Suffers Foot Injury
Raiders safety Karl Joseph is awaiting MRI results to learn the full extent of his foot injury. But, based on the initial diagnosis, there is a fear that it’s of the serious variety (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Joseph was benched to start the 2018 season and the club did not pick up his fifth-year option for 2020. Then, this offseason, they signed Lamarcus Joyner and drafted Johnathan Abram in the first round. The Raiders were set to move on from Joseph – until Abram suffered a labrum tear and landed on IR.
Now, it looks like they’ll be without Joseph for a while, if not the rest of the season. On Thursday night, Joseph’s leg buckled after he picked off Philip Rivers‘ third interception of the night. After the game, reporters spotted him with crutches.
Up until this point, Joseph started in every game for Oakland, logging 48 tackles and three passes defensed. Today, he ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 31 ranked safety in the NFL, ahead of notables such as Budda Baker, Morgan Burnett, Adrian Amos, Landon Collins, and Rodney McLeod.
At minimum, it sounds like the 5-4 Raiders will be without Joseph when they face the Bengals on Sunday, Nov. 17.
Ravens, L.J. Fort Agree To Extension
The Ravens have signed linebacker L.J. Fort to a two-year extension, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The new deal will pay him $5.5MM in total with $3.25MM fully guaranteed at signing.
The pact more or less came out of the blue. Fort was released by the Eagles just five weeks ago and still has $1.9MM guaranteed remaining on his contract for 2019. Now, he has an early payday and a contract to take him through the 2021 season.
Fort earned solid grades for his work with the Steelers from 2015-2018, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. This year, he saw no defensive snaps for the Eagles, but he’s made frequent appearances for the Ravens in recent weeks. In the club’s Week 7 win over the Seahawks, Fort was on the field for 77% of the snaps and he rewarded their confidence in him by registering his first sack of the season.
Next up for Fort and the Ravens – a Sunday showdown with the 0-8 Bengals. In between now and then, he might wind up buying dinner for his teammates.
Chase Young Facing Indefinite Suspension
Ohio State star Chase Young is facing an indefinite suspension, as first reported by Austin Ward of Lettermen Row. The Heisman Trophy candidate’s collegiate career could be over, which means that he can turn his attention to preparing for the 2020 NFL Draft, where he’s expected to be a Top 3 selection.
The school did not disclose details, but Young gave some clarity on his situation in a statement on Friday morning:
“Unfortunately, I won’t be playing this week because of an NCAA eligibility issue. I made a mistake last year by accepting a loan from a family friend I’ve know since the summer before my freshman year at OSU. I repaid it in full last summer and I’m working with the University and NCAA to get back on the field as soon as possible. I want to thank my family, teammates, coaches, and the whole Ohio State community for all the love and support. God bless and go Bucks!”
However, the “family friend” that Young referenced in his statement is actually an NFLPA-certified agent, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. That obviously casts this story into an entirely different light, though as Florio notes, this development could ultimately be more problematic for the agent than for Young.
Young, listed at 6’5″ and 265 pounds, has been on an absolute tear this season with 13.5 sacks and 29 total tackles through eight games. He’s met – or exceeded – every expectation after a breakout 2018 sophomore campaign with 10.5 sacks and major plays against some of the school’s biggest rivals.
If the season ended today, the Bengals would have the first crack at Young, followed by the Redskins, Jets, Dolphins, and Falcons. It’s unclear whether Young’s draft stock will fall because of his decision to accept a loan from an agent, though that seems unlikely.