Eagles To Release Orlando Scandrick
The Eagles are releasing cornerback Orlando Scandrick, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The move comes one day after Scandrick saw limited time against his old friends in Dallas.
Scandrick was with the Eagles in camp until he was dropped just prior to cutdown weekend. He returned to the roster in late September when the Eagles needed a cornerback to help fill in for Ronald Darby and Avonte Maddox.
During his ten-year/nine-season run with the Cowboys, Scandrick started the bulk of his games. Last year, he split his time between the first- and second-string with the Chiefs. This year, in three games with the Eagles, he was deployed more as a role player, though he did get to shine against the Jets as he notched two sacks, forced two fumbles, and took one of them to the house for a touchdown.
The 32-year-old could hold appeal for other clubs, but this may also be the end of the line for him.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Jones, Manning
There is not going to be a quarterback controversy in the Giants organization, according to head coach Pat Shurmur. Rookie starting quarterback Daniel Jones‘ hot start to the season had many fans and pundits retracting their criticism of New York’s first-round selection. The former Duke quarterback, however, has shown some substantial regression since. With longtime starter and two-time Super Bowl champion Eli Manning remaining on the bench, some speculation began that the team might shift to the veteran. When asked if he would consider making a change, though, Shurmur remained committed to the rookie:
“No, I think Daniel is going to learn from everything that’s going on,” Shurmur said (via PFT).
Here’s more from one of the Giants’ biggest NFC East rivals:
- Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett‘s job status has been a large point of speculation throughout the season. Garrett, currently in the final year of his contract, is the longest tenured head coach in the NFC East, but he has found himself on the hot seat many times since he was hired in 2010. Dallas ownership’s close relationship with Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley and Urban Meyer’s recent comments on FS1’s The Herd with Colin Cowherd have created even more speculation. Cowboys COO Stephen Jones tried to quell those rumors this week. Jones, the son of team owner and general manager Jerry Jones, tells Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network that the organization believes “Jason’s doing a great job” and has no intention of making a change.
- Garrett isn’t the only prominent member of Cowboys in the last year of his contract. Extension negotiations with franchise quarterback Dak Prescott have stalled, making it increasingly likely that the team will need to use the franchise tag on him, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. While the tag would ensure their ability to retain their signal-caller, La Canfora mentions some domino effects that would impact two other Dallas cornerstones. Star corner Byron Jones and wide receiver Amari Cooper are both in their final years under contract as well. The team, via La Canfora, has gained little progress in talks with either player. Furthermore, the team had originally planned to franchise Jones, but unless they can settle their negotiations with Prescott, he will hit the unrestricted free agent market alongside Cooper and be able to negotiate with all 32 teams.
- Elsewhere in the NFC East, the Redskins are still rejecting calls of trade interest on offensive lineman Trent Williams.
Cardinals To Work Out Jay Ajayi
The Cardinals will meet with running back Jay Ajayi, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The running back will take a physical and audition for the club on Monday and Tuesday.
Before his injury-shortened 2018, Ajayi posted two strong seasons. In 2016, he earned his first career Pro Bowl nod as he averaged 4.9 yards per carry for the Dolphins. In 2017, a midseason trade sent him to the Eagles, where he averaged 5.8 yards per tote off of 70 tries and captured his first ever Super Bowl ring.
Unfortunately, that career progress was halted by a torn ACL, but Ajayi is now healthy and ready to show the NFL what he can do. For the Cardinals, he could be a useful fill-in amidst multiple injuries at the position. D.J. Foster was ruled out against the Giants and star David Johnson is pushing through an ankle injury of his own.
The advanced metrics indicate that Ajayi is among the league’s better running backs when healthy, so he could provide a major midseason boost to the Cards or any team in need of backfield help. After Sunday’s win over the Giants, the Cardinals are 3-3-1 as they get ready for a Sunday showdown with the Saints. When they take on New Orleans, they might have one of the league’s more intriguing RB talents in uniform, behind Johnson.
The Cardinals are also taking a look at Spencer Ware and Benny Cunningham, Rapoport hears (Twitter links). Ware was initially set to play for the Colts this year, but wound up on PUP with a toe injury. Ware disagreed with the team’s decision and was ultimately released in September. The Jaguars cut the former Rams and Bears back midway through training camp, and his in-season workouts thus far have not led to any contract agreements.
Browns’ Kareem Hunt Returns To Practice
Browns running back Kareem Hunt will return to practice on Monday, per a club announcement. Hunt must still serve two more games on his eight-game suspension, but he is apparently healthy enough to scrimmage. 
Hunt spent the early part of the season recovering from sports hernia surgery, which overlapped with the first six games of his eight-game ban. The suspension stemmed from an ugly recording in which Hunt threw a woman to the ground in a hotel corridor. Despite the controversy around Hunt, the Browns picked up the ex-Chiefs running back with the belief that he would change his ways and improve their running game.
Hunt, for his part, vowed to get back on track.
“I want to again apologize for my actions last year,” Hunt said in a statement after his suspension was announced in March. “I know that my behavior hurt a lot of people, and I again apologize to them. I respect the league’s decision on discipline, and I appreciate the time I spent with Commissioner Goodell last week. I’m grateful for my time with the Browns over the last month and thankful to all the people in the organization that have welcome me. I also appreciate all of the support I received from my union through this process. My commitment to earning the trust of the league, my teammates, the organization, and this community through my actions will continue, and I understand there is a lot of work ahead of me before I’m able to fully return to playing the game I love.”
If he’s healthy and ready to go, Hunt will be able to make his debut in Week 10 against the Bills. The third-year pro will look to build off of career totals of 2,151 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing, plus 79 catches for 833 yards and ten scores via the air.
Patriots Inquired On Bucs’ O.J. Howard
The Patriots inquired on Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard, Albert Breer of The MMQB hears. However, they were rebuffed – the Bucs say they’re keeping him, which jibes with what we heard last week. 
The Patriots learned that they may be forced to place Matt LaCosse on injured reserve, which led them to (another) reunion with veteran Ben Watson. Watson may still have something left in the tank, but he does not offer the athleticism and upside of Howard, a former first-round pick who has flashed major potential in the past.
The Bucs’ refusal to trade Howard is understandable, but still confusing to some – new head coach Bruce Arians has yet to make him a true focal point of the offense and he has just 13 catches for 176 yards so far this year, with no touchdowns. In six games, Howard has been targeted an average of three times, down from nearly five targets per game in 2018.
With eight days to go before the trade deadline, it sounds like the Patriots will continue to look for tight end help. In the meantime, they’ll work with what they’ve got as they get set to face the Jets tonight.
Latest On Bengals’ A.J. Green
It could be a while before the Bengals get A.J. Green back on the field. The star wide receiver says he still has “a ways to go” before making his return, as Laurel Pfahler of the Dayton Daily News writes. 
[RELATED: Bengals Won’t Trade Green]
“If I can go, I can go,” Green said. “If I can’t, I can’t. It’s no big thing. Like I said from Day 1, if I’m healthy enough to play then I’m going to play. Right now, I still have a ways to go…There’s no need to rush this thing. Like I said from Day 1, I’m gonna have to feel good to get back out there to where I can play at a high level to where I know I can. Just don’t want to rush it back like I did with my toe (last year).”
Green has yet to play this year and the Bengals have yet to win a game. They’re 0-7 after Sunday’s 27-17 loss to the Jaguars and one can’t help but wonder if they’d at least be in the win column by now if Green was on the field – especially with an opportunity to exploit the Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey-less defense.
There has been progress for Green, but also new setbacks. Green participated in individual drills ahead of the team’s Week 6 game, but was unable to practice before the Jags’ game. Between this ankle issue and last year’s toe injury, Green has missed eleven straight games.
Green is in his contract year, but the Bengals say he won’t be moved before Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline. Even if the Bengals did want to trade him for draft capital, it’s not clear what they could get for him, given his current condition.
Latest On Jets’ Kelechi Osemele
The Jets have followed through on their threat to fine guard Kelechi Osemele, as Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes. Osemele refused to practice this week and, according to agent Andrew Kessler, it’s due to a dispute about his shoulder injury.
Osemele’s doctors told him that he needs season-ending surgery. The Jets, meanwhile, ordered him to retake the field. Osemele refused, hence the fine.
“He only previously had been able to play this season by taking Toradol, given to him by the team doctor before every game,” a source close to the situation told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). “Despite taking those extremely strong pain masking narcotics, he still was in a great deal of pain while playing and is no longer able to continue doing that.”
Osemele has also been open about his level of pain and frustrations with the team.
“It’s been killing me,” Osemele said Friday (via Brian Costello of the New York Post). “I’m just trying to get this done. I’ve done everything I can. I’ve been at work every day, waking up at 5 in the morning, doing all the rehab and the treatments and stuff like that. I’m like the last dude out of here at night. I’m doing everything I can. I’m working with my agent. We’re communicating with the team. There’s just not communication between the team and my doctor and my agent. It’s just been butting heads for whatever reason. Hopefully, it gets resolved soon.”
With the trade deadline just days away, it stands to reason that Osemele could be shopped to clubs in need of interior line help. Or, before the Tuesday deadline, the Jets could suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team.
Chiefs To Sign Pennel, Release McClain
The Chiefs have signed veteran defensive tackle Mike Pennel, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). To make room, they released fellow DT Terrell McClain. 
Pennel, 28, was a staple of the Jets’ up-and-down defense in 2017 and 2018. Before that, he spent the first three years of his career with the Packers and appeared in 37 games (five starts). He also ran into some unfortunate trouble while in Green Bay. In 2016, he served a pair of four-game bans for substance abuse. The second suspension was supposed to be for ten games, but Pennel managed to get the second suspension reduced.
With the Chiefs, he’ll occupy the depth role that was filled by McClain over the last couple of weeks. This week, Pennel will take on his old team – the Packers – on Sunday Oct. 27.
Cardinals Place Toth On NFI; Activate P2
Patrick Peterson is back with the Cardinals following his suspension. In order to make room for him, the club has placed offensive lineman Brett Toth on the non-football injury list. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Won’t Trade Peterson]
The P2 saga in Arizona has been a long and complicated one. Peterson has clashed with team officials numerous times over the years and the big-money extension he received hasn’t truly pacified things. Then, this year, he was hit with a six-game suspension for PEDs. He’s back now and – if GM Steve Keim is to be believed – he’ll be staying put, even after the NFL’s trade deadline.
Toth, meanwhile, joined the Cardinals after being claimed off waivers from the Eagles in early September. He only recently received permission from the Army to join the NFL, but he’ll have to put his pro dreams on hold once again as he deals with an unknown illness.
Despite the chaos, Peterson remains one of the best in the game at the cornerback position. He finished 2018 with 54 stops, five passes defended, and two interceptions. For his work last year, Pro Football Focus ranked the eight-time Pro Bowler No. 5 out of 112 eligible CBs. Peterson is under club control through the 2020 campaign thanks to the five-year, $70MM+ extension he signed with the club back in 2014.
Latest On NFL’s CBA Talks
The NFL’s owners want 17-game seasons and they’re willing to bend on at least some issues to get them. Among those points: many owners seem willing to make the league’s marijuana policy less punitive towards players, Mark Maske of The Washington Post tweets. 
[RELATED: Goodell On 17-Game Season]
Many league owners are also in favor of potentially altering, or weakening, Roger Goodell‘s power structure (link). That would mean neutral arbitration for appeals of discipline imposed by the NFL for off-field misbehavior, though Goodell would retain his power for integrity-of-the-game issues.
The NFL is reportedly “very serious” about adding another game to the regular season schedule. Part of the tradeoff would involve the shortening of the preseason schedule, though it’s unclear if that means a larger portion of the pie for the league’s players.
Earlier this week, Goodell discussed the possibility of a 17-game slate with reporters and disclosed that his proposed plan would push the Super Bowl into mid-February, with the same September start time.l