Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey Reiterates Trade Demand
It doesn’t sound like things have softened between the Jaguars and Jalen Ramsey. On his latest podcast, Ramsey reiterated his demand for a trade. 
“I’m not sure if I’ve played my final game for the Jags yet or not but my trade request still stands,” Ramsey said on the “17 Weeks” podcast (audio link) “Once respect is lost for both parties I think it is time to part ways.”
From Ramsey’s perspective, the respect has been gone for a while. The Jaguars have been unwilling to engage in serious talks with the cornerback and owner Shad Khan‘s recent efforts to reignite discussions haven’t moved the needle. Ramsey, of course, reciprocated the perceived lack of respect when he got in a heated argument with head coach Doug Marrone.
Despite the noise, Ramsey suited up to face the Titans last Thursday, but he’s likely played his last down in Jacksonville. This week, Ramsey many called shenanigans on the young star when he called out sick from practice with a mix of maladies, including back soreness, hamstring issues, and the flu. However, his latest excuse from work is as legitimate as it gets – Ramsey flew home to welcome his daughter into the world.
The Jaguars, sans Ramsey, will challenge the Broncos in Denver this weekend.
Melvin Gordon Reports To Chargers
Melvin Gordon is in the building. On Thursday, the star running back halted his holdout to join the Bolts at their team facility, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Gordon’s holdout was always viewed as unlikely to stretch the entire season. Per league rules, Gordon has to report before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency next season. Early on, many thought that the running back would cut it close. That’s not the case – he’s ready to rock and reported to the team on Thursday. He won’t be suiting up for this week’s game, but he could be placed back into the lineup for the Chargers’ Oct. 6 showdown with the Broncos.
After missing three games, Gordon has lost out on $1MM of his $5.6MM salary for 2019. The Chargers may, or may not, rescind fines levied against him for the missed time.
More importantly – Gordon will be cashing paychecks the rest of the way and paving the way for free agent riches in March. From a football perspective, he’ll provide a major boost for the Chargers, who are presently 1-2.
Beyond this year, Gordon expects 2019 to be his last season with the Chargers, though he has previously indicated a desire to remain in L.A. Worth noting – Gordon was open to being traded to the Texans after they lost Lamar Miller to injury.
No Surgery For Giants’ Saquon Barkley
Excellent news for the Giants. Saquon Barkley will not require surgery on his injured ankle, according to specialist Dr. Robert Anderson (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
Barkley’s high-ankle sprain is expected to shelve him for 4-8 weeks. Initially, a “tightrope” surgery was considered as an option. It’s the same surgery that Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa had late last year and sometimes can aid in recovery for ankle injuries. Still, surgery is never fun and the fact that Anderson is not recommending it for Barkley suggests that his sprain is not of the more serious variety.
At minimum, Barkley will miss games against the Redskins, Vikings, Patriots, and Cardinals. It has been suggested that the Giants could keep him out for a longer stretch, giving him the club’s Week 11 bye week to recuperate. After that, Barkley could return for the team’s final six games.
The Giants are 1-2 thanks to Daniel Jones‘ late-game Week 3 heroics and the Bucs lack of defensive awareness. Next up – a Sunday matchup against Washington with Wayne Gallman as the primary tailback to try and improve to .500.
Agent: Teams “Very Interested” In Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown says he’s done with the NFL. However, the NFL isn’t necessarily done with him. At least, that’s what agent Drew Rosenhaus told Warren Sapp on his “99 Problems” podcast. 
[RELATED: Patriots Withhold Brown’s Money]
“Because of the pending investigation by the NFL, I can’t say much more than what I have. It’s of course unfortunate that Antonio was released by the Patriots. We wanted very much to make that work, but we’re moving on,” Rosenhaus said. “I believe that Antonio wants to continue his career in the NFL and I’ve mentioned that. I have had discussions with a few teams that are very interested in him and want to know about his future and what’s going on with the NFL. Hopefully, when that is all resolved, Antonio will be able to continue his Hall of Fame career. That’s really where our focus is.”
Accusations of sexual assault – plus recent communications with one of his accusers – have Brown’s future in jeopardy. He’s currently facing civil lawsuits from two different women and the Patriots are attempting to withhold a $5MM portion of Brown’s guaranteed signing bonus.
Meanwhile, Brown is headed back to school – sort of. The wide receiver has enrolled for online classes at Central Michigan University, though Rosenhaus stresses that fans and teams should not “read too much into that.”
“Taking online college courses to get your degree or your post-graduate degree is something that I would recommend to every client,” the agent said.
Three teams reportedly expressed interest in Brown following his release from the Patriots.
Saints To Sign Stephone Anthony
The Saints are set to sign linebacker Stephone Anthony, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll take the roster spot of fellow ‘backer Kaden Elliss, who has been placed on injured reserve, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.
Anthony was a first-round pick of the Saints in 2015, but he didn’t live up to expectations. During the 2017 season, the club shipped him off to the Dolphins, who declined his fifth-year option and allowed him to walk after the 2018 season. This offseason, he signed deals with the Falcons and Jets, who both released him in August.
He hadn’t received any known interest since then, but luckily for him his former team suffered a rash of injuries at linebacker. As Rapoport pointed out in his tweet, Anthony is also reuniting with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who was his special teams coordinator during his time in Miami.
Ellis is dealing with a knee injury, and starting linebacker Alex Anzalone had already been placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Ellis is a seventh-round rookie for Idaho who had only been a depth piece prior to his injury. Anthony started all 16 games as a rookie in 2015, but he started only three the next year and never made a start in Miami as he played mostly on special teams.
Rams Sign Jachai Polite To Practice Squad
The Rams have signed linebacker Jachai Polite to the practice squad, per a club announcement. This marks the third deal of Polite’s career, even though he was a 2019 third-round pick of the Jets. 
[RELATED: Rams To Extend Johnny Hekker]
The Jets shocked the world when they cut Polite this summer, but he has done little to prove his critics in New York wrong. He went unclaimed on waivers and did not land a 53-man roster deal after his release. Instead, he hooked on with the Seahawks’ taxi squad and lasted all of three weeks. Now, he’ll try his hand with another NFC West club.
If all goes well for Polite, he could have an opportunity to face one of his former clubs when the Rams play the Seahawks on Oct. 3. In the meantime, the players on the Rams’ 46-man active roster will be tasked with the Bucs this weekend.
Dolphins Place Danny Isadora On IR
The Dolphins will place starting right guard Danny Isidora on injured reserve, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Isadora needs surgery on his injured foot, so it’s unlikely that he’ll return anytime soon.
Technically, Isadora is eligible to return as soon as Week 11, per league rules, but his recovery will probably take upwards of two months. On top of that, the Dolphins are unlikely to be in the playoff mix this year, so it would make little sense for the Fins to rush the lineman back out on the field.
The Dolphins acquired Isadora from the Vikings just before this year’s final cutdown. He started in the Fins’ first three games, but that spot will now belong to Evan Boehm, who was also a last-minute trade pickup before the start of the year.
The 0-3 Dolphins will attempt to get into the win column on Sunday when they face the Chargers.
Patriots To Sign Cody Kessler
The Patriots have a new quarterback. On Wednesday, the Pats agreed to sign Cody Kessler, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
The former Jaguars, Eagles, and Browns passer has 12 career starts to his credit and, now, he’ll learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. At this moment, fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham serves as Tom Brady‘s QB2, though he tossed a pass into the hands of Jets safety Jamal Adams on Sunday for a pick six.
Kessler was most recently with the Eagles, but he was dropped from the flock when the club opted to roll with Josh McCown and Nate Sudfeld as Carson Wentz‘s support team. In his five games/four starts for the Jaguars last year, he completed 64.9% of his passes with two touchdowns against two interceptions.
Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey Won’t Practice On Wednesday
Jalen Ramsey might be in the building today, but he won’t be on the field. The star cornerback will not be participating in practice, per the Jags’ daily practice rundown. 
[RELATED: Ramsey Unlikely To Play This Week]
Ramsey says he’s suffering from a number of ailments, including lower back pain, hamstring trouble, and a recent bout of the flu that has kept him from practicing this week. Ramsey did play on Thursday night against the Titans, but it’s looking more and more unlikely that he’ll join the Jaguars on Sunday for their game against the Broncos.
The backdrop to Ramsey’s availability for this week’s game against the Broncos is the trade request he made recently. The Jaguars have been resistant to dealing Ramsey and there were reports last weekend that the corner would find a way to sit out of practice this week in hopes of pushing the team to push him off the roster.
Given all of that, reports about Ramsey’s illness and injuries have been met with doubt by many around the football world. In an effort to silence the doubting Thomases, Ramsey’s agent, David Mulugheta, insists that Ramsey’s ailments are legitimate. Mulugheta says that Ramsey told the team in the fourth quarter of last week’s victory over Tennessee that his back and ankle were bothering him, and he met with the team doctor and trainer after the game. He met with them again the following day to discuss his back, ankle, and hamstring, and on Monday, he received more treatment on his back and hamstring (Twitter links via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
Whatever the case on those fronts, it seems Ramsey’s continued presence on the Jacksonville roster doesn’t mean he’ll be on the field for them this week.
Jay Ajayi Nearing NFL Return?
Free agent running back Jay Ajayi could be game-ready as soon as next week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ajayi lost the bulk of his 2018 season to an ACL tear, but is apparently feeling spry enough to get back on the field. 
Before his injury-shortened 2018, Ajayi turned in a pair of fine campaigns. In 2016, he earned his first career Pro Bowl nod as he averaged 4.9 yards per carry for the Dolphins. In 2017, a mid-season 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.
In theory, Ajayi could be a solution for the Giants, who are in need of reinforcements after losing star Saquon Barkley to a high-ankle sprain. The Chiefs, not long ago, also profiled as a fit for Ajayi, though the re-emergence of LeSean McCoy probably has them covered in the wake of Damien Williams‘ injury.
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 any club in need of ground game help.