Injury Updates: Packers, Adams, Cardinals
No surprise here, but Davante Adams will miss another game this week, per the Packers‘ final injury report. This marks the wide receiver’s third-straight missed contest as he rehabs from a toe ailment.
Adams had a strong start to the season with 25 receptions for 378 yards before going down and seemed on his way to matching last year’s 111/1,386 posting. The Packers were able to get past the Lions without him and they’ll aim to do the same against the Raiders.
Here’s the latest on other bumps and bruises from around the NFL:
- Uh oh – Cardinals running back David Johnson is dealing with a new injury. After tweaking his back against Atlanta, Johnson will be a game time decision thanks to a sore ankle, head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters.
- The Cowboys will have offensive tackles Tyron Smith and La’el Collins, wide receivers Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb, and cornerback Byron Jones are set to play on Sunday against the Eagles, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. All five are listed as questionable for the game, but they took the practice field and Friday and should be good to go.
- The Eagles, on the other hand, will try to fly without: linebacker Nigel Bradham (ankle), wide receiver DeSean Jackson (abdomen), defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan (foot), cornerback Avonte Maddox (concussion/neck), tackle Jason Peters (knee), and running back Darren Sproles (quadricep).
- Wide receiver Kenny Stills is set to return on Sunday against the Colts, per the club’s injury report.
Vikings’ David Morgan Done For Year
The season is over for Vikings tight end David Morgan. On Friday, the club announced he will undergo season-ending surgery on his injured knee.
Morgan started the year on the PUP list and was hoping to debut sometime midseason. Unfortunately, he did not heal up on time.
Morgan, 26, appeared in 26 games for the Vikings between 2017 and 2018 with 15 grabs, 131 yards, and one touchdown in that window. The Vikings will move forward with Kyle Rudolph, Irv Smith Jr. and Tyler Conklin as their TEs.
For Morgan, it does erase a key season. This was a contract year for the former sixth-round pick. He will be set for unrestricted free agency in 2020 and will not enter that mix with much momentum.
Latest On Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes
Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes will miss at least three weeks following Thursday night’s knee injury, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Mahomes will know more about his situation soon, when doctors have a closer look. 
[RELATED: Patrick Mahomes Exits Game With Knee Injury]
Mahomes suffered a dislocated kneecap, but no additional severe damage, Ian Rapoport and James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter) hear. With that in mind, it’s possible that he’ll miss only a handful of games.
Three weeks would be the best case scenario for the superstar. The worst case scenario is something that Mahomes doesn’t even want to think about. For what it’s worth, Mahomes is keeping things positive on Twitter:
“Awesome team win! Love my brothers! Thank you for all the prayers! Everything looking good so far! #GodisGood #ChiefsKingdom”
Even after Mahomes’ exit, the Chiefs managed to hang on and win 30-6 over the Broncos. They’re now 5-2 as they look ahead to the Packers on Nov. 27. For now, Matt Moore is slated to start that game under center.
If Mahomes misses three games, the Chiefs will only have to hang tight for contests against the Packers, Vikings, and Titans. After that, they have their Week 12 bye.
Bengals Suspend Cordy Glenn
The Bengals have suspended Cordy Glenn for one game, per a club announcement. This follows Glenn’s blowup with a Bengals coach on Wednesday. 
In the press release, the Bengals said that Glenn was suspended for “internal disciplinary reasons.” The team also says it will have “no further comment regarding the suspension.”
Glenn has been sidelined with a concussion and was cleared to practice this week. The veteran tackle feels the club has been trying to rush him back prematurely, which likely fueled Wednesday’s tiff.
After that argument, Glenn’s return will not happen on Sunday against the Jaguars. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether he’ll face the Rams on Oct. 27, or if he’ll even be a member of the team after the trade deadline.
Cardinals Won’t Trade Patrick Peterson
The Cardinals will not trade Patrick Peterson. At least, according to GM Steve Keim. 
“We are not trading Patrick Peterson,” Keim said (via Kevin Zimmerman of AZ Sports). “Why trade a player in his prime at one of the hardest positions to find for a maybe or a couple maybes? Love what Pat brings to the locker room, love what he brings to the field.”
Keim appears to be referencing the Jaguars, who recently traded Jalen Ramsey to the Rams for draft capital. Opinions are split on the Jaguars’ decision, but most at least feel that the Jaguars made the best of a rocky situation with their star cornerback.
The Cardinals’ relationship with Peterson has been roughly as rocky. Peterson has clashed on numerous occasions with team brass and his PED suspension this year did not help matters.
Keim might be telling the truth, but he might also be preserving leverage. We’ll find out soon enough – the NFL’s trade deadline is just around the corner.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Williams, Patriots, Gronkowski
When asked whether defensive lineman Leonard Williams could be traded, Jets head coach Adam Gase didn’t exactly say no.
“I really don’t deal in the hypothetical aspects,” Gase said (Twitter link via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano). “These guys get calls all year round about trades. Really to me that’s not something I’m going to be dealing with unless something’s on the table. I don’t know what other teams are thinking, but right now I like the way our guys are rolling. Anything’s possible, but I like the way our team is.”
Other teams, predictably, are interested in the former No. 6 overall pick. Meanwhile, it has been speculated that GM Joe Douglas could be willing to part with Williams for third- and fifth-round selections. If that’s the asking price, Williams might not be long for the New York/New Jersey area.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- During an appearance on WEEI, a caller asked former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski point blank if he would return to the NFL. “I’ll give an answer,” Gronkowski replied. “When I retired, I retired for a reason: because I needed to step away. So it would be a no. There it is…I never say no, because I’ve said no, and everyone’s like, ‘Yeah, he’s kidding. He’s coming back.’ But it’s a no. In my mind, that’s how it is. It’s a no.” Sounds pretty definitive, but Pats owner Robert Kraft is far from convinced.
- Ben Watson is back with the Patriots, in part because tight end Matt LaCosse is dealing with an MCL sprain (Twitter link via Mike Giardi of NFL.com). LaCosse played through the Giants game last Thursday night, but his availability for this week against the Jets is in doubt.
- Speaking of Watson – his new, prorated one-year deal with the Patriots is worth $800K fully guaranteed, plus $140K in incentives (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). That’s a solid payday, considering that he already made $686K off of his original 2019 pact with the Pats.
- Defensive tackle Steve McLendon’s one-year extension with the Jets is worth $3MM, with $1.65MM in new guarantees, per Pelissero.
Jets’ C.J. Mosley Set For Return
At long last, the Jets will have C.J. Mosley back in action. The linebacker has been out since Week 1, but he says he’ll suit up on Monday night to face the Patriots. 
The Jets signed Mosley on a five-year, $85MM deal this offseason, with the idea that he would anchor the front seven. Unfortunately, a groin injury kept him off the field for weeks, but he’s finally set to play and, hopefully, show the form that made him a four-time Pro Bowler.
The Jets managed to upset the Cowboys without Mosley on Sunday and they’ll look to keep things rolling against their bitter rivals. Last time out against the Patriots, the Jets lost 30-14. This time around, they’ll have quarterback Sam Darnold under center and Mosley on the other side of the ball, though oddsmakers still have them as ~9 point underdogs.
Bucs Won’t Trade O.J. Howard
The Buccaneers won’t shop O.J. Howard between now and the trade deadline, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Howard hasn’t been utilized much in Bruce Arians‘ offense, but the club, apparently, believes that will change soon. 
Howard, a first-round pick in 2017, notched 34 catches for 565 yards and five touchdowns last year before landing on IR in November with foot and ankle injuries. In each of his first two pro seasons, he averaged 16.6 yards per grab, demonstrating that he can be an effective weapon when targeted.
Through six games this year, he’s got just 13 catches for 176 yards and zero touchdowns. On average, Howard has been targeted three times per game, down from 4.8 looks last year. The Bucs, meanwhile, are 2-4.
The NFL trade deadline is on Tuesday, Oct. 29. Between now and then, the Bucs will have their bye and face the Titans on Oct. 27.
Dolphins Discussing Kenyan Drake Trade
Running back Kenyan Drake could be on the move. The Dolphins have had trade conversations about him with teams and they would be willing to deal him if the right offer presented itself, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Drake was in extension talks with Miami not long ago, but there has been no momentum on that front since training camp. Meanwhile, Drake would welcome a new opportunity, RapSheet hears (video link).
A deal would make plenty of sense for both parties. Drake is playing out the final year of his contract, doing so for a Dolphins team that underwent a radical philosophy change this year. Miami is 0-5 and has one of the worst point differentials through five games in NFL history.
The former third-round pick out of Alabama has not rushed for 50 yards in a game this season and is averaging a career-worst 3.7 yards per carry behind one of the NFL’s worst offensive lines. The Dolphins still gave him a team-high 16 touches in Week 6 but used Mark Walton as their starter.
Drake, 25, totaled 1,012 yards from scrimmage last season. Despite sharing backfield duties with Frank Gore, Drake scored nine touchdowns in 2018. This may be a better way to evaluate the running back as opposed to judging his work on this year’s rebuilding Dolphin outfit. The Dolphins, though, are not under the impression they would get much back in a Drake trade. They received a fourth-round pick from the Eagles for Jay Ajayi in 2017.
Bengals To Release RB Samaje Perine
The Bengals are releasing running back Samaje Perine, according to a source who spoke with PFT’s Mike Florio (on Twitter). 
Perine had some buzz as a fourth-round pick in Washington a couple of years back, but has yet to break out as a pro. The Oklahoma product was a key special teams player in Cincinnati, but they’ve decided to move on from him.
Perine managed 603 yards in his rookie season, but averaged just 3.4 yards on his 175 attempts. Then, in 2018, he carried the rock just eight times. With the Bengals, he saw a grand total of five snaps.
The Bengals are 0-6 as they head into this week’s matchup against the Jaguars.