Redskins’ Derrius Guice Returns To Practice
Redskins running back Derrius Guice returned to the practice field on Monday. With that, the Redskins are hoping that he’ll be able to take the field for Week 11, when they take on the Jets. 
Guice underwent knee surgery earlier this year and landed on IR for a second-straight season. All along, the Redskins planned to bring Guice back from IR using one of their two allotted slots, and that’s exactly what they’ll do, barring any setbacks.
The 2018 second-round pick suffered multiple setbacks in his recovery from last year’s knee injury, so his latest one was a major source of frustration. Despite it all, Guice has kept up the fight, with an eye on fulfilling his enormous potential.
Without Guice, the Redskins have turned to Adrian Peterson, who turned in yet another solid performance on Thursday night against the Vikings. Facing his former friends, Peterson ran for 76 yards off of 14 carries, good for 5.43 yards per tote. Over the last three games, Peterson has averaged 4.82 yards per carry, which isn’t too shabby for a 34-year-old that has been counted out on multiple occasions. Still, the Redskins know that their backfield will be even better with Guice on hand.
Cardinals Place D.J. Foster On IR
D.J. Foster‘s season could be over. At minimum, he’ll be out for the next eight weeks. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Drake To Cardinals]
On Monday, the Cardinals placed the running back on injured reserve with a hamstring injury. The move comes on the heels of their Monday morning trade for running back Kenyan Drake, so they’re already adequately prepared for Foster’s absence.
Foster, of course, isn’t the only injured Cardinals RB. Chase Edmonds just went down with a hamstring injury of his own and star David Johnson is dealing with an ankle injury. This all amounts to Drake, fresh off the plane from Miami, being penciled in as the main ball-carrier for Thursday night’s game against the 49ers. He’ll be backed by the Cardinals’ revamped group, featuring Zach Zenner and Alfred Morris.
Foster, who has primarily contributed on special teams, returned eight kickoffs for 184 yards in the first six games of the year.
Redskins Open To Trading Trent Williams
Better late than never. The Redskins are now open to trading Trent Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The asking price: a first-round pick, according to Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). 
Williams has been vocal about his desire to get out of D.C. since the offseason, but the Redskins refused to deal him. Now, with 24 hours to go before the trade deadline, they’re at least listening to offers. They’ve begun the process of looking at potential suitors, Rapoport hears, which means that a deal could come together before the buzzer.
Washington has informed teams it has a second-rounder on the table from an unknown team, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. With the team moving off its stance of trading Williams in the offseason at the 11th hour, it certainly seems like the 10th-year blocker will have a new home soon.
The Redskins’ asking price is currently unknown, but they could probably command a decent return given the dearth of quality tackles across the league. If Williams is healthy, he’d automatically represent a colossal upgrade to any front five in the NFL.
The Browns’ pursuit of Williams has been well-documented and they would be a logical partner for Bruce Allen & Co. The Patriots would also make ample sense, though they recently gave up a second-round pick for wide receiver Mohamed Sanu. It’s not clear whether the Pats would be willing to cough up more to land Williams, but it stands to reason that they’ll at least consider it.
Williams, for his part, is planning to show up for work by Week 10 in order for 2019 to count as an accrued season. Whether he’s healthy enough to play by then is a separate matter.
Buccaneers Open To Trading O.J. Howard?
O.J. Howard might be on the block, after all. The Buccaneers would be willing to part with the athletic tight end for a “substantial offer,” Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
Multiple teams have inquired on Howard in recent weeks, even as the Buccaneers told the world that he was not available. With ~24 hours to go before the October trade deadline, the Bucs may be willing to move him to a contender in need of a playmaker.
For the most part, Howard hasn’t been used all that much in Bruce Arians‘ offense. Through six games, Howard has just 13 grabs for 176 yards and zero scores. Last year, in ten games (eight starts), Howard managed 34 catches for 565 yards and five TDs. Arians might not have lots of ideas for Howard, but plenty of other teams would love to add a tight end of his caliber with deep threat potential.
The Patriots are said to be interested in the former first-round pick, though they also have other tight end targets in mind, such as Bengals notable Tyler Eifert. Howard would represent a younger option – he won’t turn 25 until November.
Jaguars Won’t Trade Nick Foles
The Jaguars plan to stick with Nick Foles, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Despite the emergence of Gardner Minshew, the Jaguars intend to keep the one-time Super Bowl winner on the roster. 
The Jaguars spent significant dollars to sign Foles in the offseason, only to watch him suffer a broken collarbone in the season opener. Since then, Minshew has had some impressive moments, but the Jaguars are not getting carried away with Minshew Mania.
With that, Foles will stay on the roster, barring a drastic change in thinking between now and Tuesday’s trade deadline. The Jags reportedly plan to activate Foles for Week 11, after he’s had a few weeks of practice. In the meantime, Minshew will work to keep things up and try to keep a hold on the starting job. His latest resume booster came on Sunday, when he dissected the Jets for three touchdowns en route to an easy win.
The Jaguars, with Minshew under center, will take on the Texans in London on Sunday.
Latest On Jets’ C.J. Mosley
The Jets will be without linebacker C.J. Mosley for the next five or six weeks, head coach Adam Gase told reporters (Twitter link via Kimberly Jones of NFL.com). For now, the veteran will try to avoid surgery, but he’ll be re-evaluated towards the end of his estimated recovery timetable to determine next steps. 
The Jets inked Mosley to a five-year, $85MM deal this offseason. So far, that deal hasn’t panned out. Thanks to a groin injury, Mosley missed every game from Weeks 2-6. He returned for the Jets’ Week 7 drumming at the hands of the Patriots, but that only made the issue worse.
Now, the four-time Pro Bowler is looking at another extended absence. At minimum, he’ll miss games against the Dolphins, Giants, Redskins, Raiders, and Bengals. It’s possible that he’ll be back to face the Dolphins in a second matchup between the AFC East’s worst teams, but the Jets could opt to keep him on the sidelines if they are completely out of the playoff picture.
Mosley’s contract pays him an average of $17MM/year with $51MM guaranteed in total. Practically speaking, the aggressive cash flow of the deal will not allow the Jets to escape the deal until sometime after the 2021 season, when they can release Mosley to save $15.5MM against $3MM in dead money.
In some positive Jets news: quarterback Sam Darnold is expected to play through his left thumb injury. That means he’ll be under center for the Jets’ Sunday afternoon contest against the Dolphins in Miami.
Giants Shopping Janoris Jenkins, Alec Ogletree
The Giants might not be done dealing. Even after trading for Jets defensive lineman Leonard Williams, the Giants are shopping cornerback Janoris Jenkins and linebacker Alec Ogletree, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The Giants may also be open to trading tackle Nate Solder, RapSheet says, though we’ve heard conflicting word on that front over the last few days. 
Rumors have swirled about Jenkins’ status with the team for some time now and the club may finally be ready to part ways with him. For his part, Jackrabbit has been frustrated by the constant talk coupled with a lack of communication from the front office about his future. Through eight games, Jenkins has 35 total stops and an eye-popping four interceptions, showing that he’s still among the best corners in the NFL. Tomorrow, he’ll turn 31 years old, and he’ll be celebrating with a new group of friends if the Giants can find a suitable deal.
Ogletree, 28, entered the league as a first-round pick of the Rams. He didn’t impress in terms of the advanced metrics, but that wasn’t a turnoff for Dave Gettleman‘s front office. In March of 2018, they gave up some later-round draft capital to acquire Ogletree and his contract, which runs through 2021. Ogletree has started in all 19 of his games for the G-Men since then and has made some big plays, including five interceptions in 2018, two of which were returned for touchdowns.
The Browns could be one potential destination for Solder and many other contenders in need of tackles could also come calling. However, the Giants are reportedly nervous about switching up Daniel Jones‘ front line and may opt to keep him well protected for the rest of 2019.
Texans HC: We’re Done Trading
There’s still time between now and Tuesday’s deadline for trades, but the Texans are done making moves. At least, that’s what head coach Bill O’Brien says (Twitter link via Aaron Reiss of The Athletic). 
[RELATED: Texans Lose JJ Watt For The Season]
The chances of a transaction happening today (Monday) are “slim to none,” O’Brien says. Presumably, the same thinking applies to Tuesday, up until the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline.
The Texans, it seems, got their heavy lifting done last week when they acquired cornerback Gareon Conley from the Raiders. Beyond that, they are apparently content, even though star defensive end J.J. Watt has been shut down for the year.
If the Texans wanted to, they could explore trades for defensive ends like Derek Wolfe (Broncos), Solomon Thomas (49ers), Carlos Dunlap (Bengals), or even Jets star Leonard Williams. The Texans’ choice, if O’Brien is to be believed: none of the above.
After Sunday’s 27-24 win over the Raiders, the Texans are now 5-3, putting them just behind the 5-2 Colts in the AFC South. The historically wide-open division is very much in reach and they can distance themselves further from the pack on Sunday when they face the Jaguars in London.
Cowboys Eyeing Trades For Safeties
The Cowboys will be scanning the trade market for safety help between now and Tuesday’s deadline, owner Jerry Jones says (via Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram). Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones also made similar comments over the weekend, which suggests that this will be an area of priority for Dallas.
Nothing is on the table right now, JJ says, but this could be an area of focus, potentially as a replacement for strong safety Jeff Heath. Heath, 28, has started in all seven of his games this year, but has lacked consistency. Currently, he ranks as just the No. 48 safety in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, way down from his best work in 2016 and 2017.
It’s a familiar refrain for the Cowboys: they have been after safety help, on and off, for years. Their past flirtations with Earl Thomas, Eric Berry, and others of that ilk went nowhere, but this could finally be the time for the Cowboys to make a substantial upgrade.
Just days ago, the Cowboys made a pre-deadline deal by acquiring defensive end Michael Bennett in a trade with the Patriots. The next move could be for a safety such as Damarious Randall, Reshad Jones, or Jessie Bates. The real home run would be Jamal Adams, but it’s not clear if the Jets are willing to consider deals for the young standout.
Dolphins To Trade Kenyan Drake To Cardinals
The Cardinals have reached agreement on a trade to acquire Dolphins running back Kenyan Drake, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In the deal, the Dolphins will acquire a conditional sixth-round pick in 2020 that can become a fifth-rounder. 
Drake will help to reinforce a Cardinals RB group that badly needs the support. Star David Johnson is expected to miss this week’s game due to an ankle injury and Chase Edmonds, a key fill-in, suffered a hamstring injury of his own over the weekend. Drake now figures to see significant work against the 49ers on Thursday night.
Drake gives the Cardinals a clear boost in the near term, but he does not necessarily give them a building block for 2020 and beyond. He’ll be a free agent after the season, so they’ll have some work to do if Drake impresses in the second half of the season. For the here and now: the Cardinals seem to believe in their roster and like their chances of climbing out of a 3-4-1 hole.
The Dolphins, meanwhile, seem to be keeping their eyes on the prize – a top draft pick in 2020. With no hope of contending this year, they’ve bolstered their draft capital and unloaded a player who was unlikely to suit up again in Miami.
Drake did not travel with the Dolphins for tonight’s game against the Steelers, a move that foretold a Drake deal. The Lions and Titans were linked to Drake, but the Cardinals seem to have wanted him more.
Miami’s bottom-tier offensive line has struggled this season, and Drake is averaging a career-low 3.7 yards per carry. However, the former third-round pick posted 4.8- and 4.5-yard YPC averages in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Drake, 25, has not rushed for 50 yards in a game this season, but he surpassed 1,000 yards from scrimmage in a part-time role last year and has just 333 career carries under his belt.