Jets’ Trevor Siemian Done For Year
Another one bites the dust. On Tuesday morning, Jets head coach Adam Gase announced that Trevor Siemian is done for the year thanks to the ankle injury he suffered on Monday night. 
Siemian’s lower leg collapsed under his own weight as he was taken to the ground and the seriousness of the injury was readily apparent to those watching the replay at home. The ligament damage suffered will require surgery, which rules him out for the rest of the year. Siemian will be placed on IR and the Jets, Gase says, are now on the hunt for a new backup quarterback.
For now, Luke Falk is penciled in as the Jets’ starter until starter Sam Darnold returns from mono. Darnold’s timetable for recovery remains unclear.
The Jets are 0-2 as they head into Sunday’s game against the Patriots.
Teams Offering First-Round Picks For Jalen Ramsey
No surprise here – there’s a ripe market for Jaguars star Jalen Ramsey. Teams are interested in trading for the disgruntled cornerback and they’re not low-balling Jacksonville with their trade offers. 
One NFC team has offered up a 2020 first-round pick plus a fifth-round choice in 2021, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter). Meanwhile, an AFC team is pitching a first-round pick in 2020, plus an unknown player.
Tensions boiled between Ramsey and head coach Doug Marrone on Sunday and that could be the final straw to break the back of the safety’s relationship with the team. In recent years, Ramsey has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with members of the Jags’ brass, mostly as it pertains to his lack of contract talks. This time around, Ramsey’s beef extends to on-field matters. The Jaguars have asked one of the league’s best cover-men to play in a zone scheme, which doesn’t sit well with him.
Ramsey is under team control through the 2020 season, thanks to the fifth-year option the team exercised this spring. He won’t turn 25 until October, he’s still on a bargain deal for the time being, and he’s one of the very best defensive backs in the NFL. The Jaguars might not want him anymore, but plenty of other teams do.
AFC East Notes: Jets, Adams, Dolphins
We have more social media drama. On Tuesday, safety Jamal Adams unfollowed the Jets on Instagram.
In years past, this sort of teenage drama wasn’t on our radar, but we’ve seen countless players unfollow their respective teams and ask for trades as of late.
In case you were wondering, Adams still follows the Jets on Twitter as of this writing, so there’s that. Also, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) hears there’s nothing to this latest unfollow scandal, even though the Jets are 0-2 and suffered a Monday night embarrassment at the hands of the Browns.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Speaking of the Jets, head coach Adam Gase indicated that Trumaine Johnson‘s benching for the majority of Monday night’s game was not injury-related. “We just decided not to play him,” Gase said. The cornerback is under contract for $15MM/year, but the Jets are making it clear that they will not play him unless he is performing up to their standards. So far, the former Rams star has fallen way, way short of expectations in New York.
- Dolphins head coach Brian Flores says Ryan Fitzpatrick will remain the team’s starting quarterback for Week 3. Fitzpatrick hasn’t been able to get much done, but given Miami’s major holes on both sides of the ball, it’s not likely that Josh Rosen could do much better.
- The Dolphins may or may not be tanking, but they claim the tank won’t continue into 2020.
- On Tuesday, the Patriots found some offensive line reinforcements as Isaiah Wynn and Marcus Cannon heal up from injury.
- A Bills rookie linebacker was slapped with a six-game ban stemming from a recent disorderly conduct charge.
Dolphins: We’ll Spend In Free Agency
The Dolphins may be tanking, but they won’t be taking all the way through 2020. In Tuesday morning’s press conference to formally announce the trade of Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Steelers, GM Chris Grier said the ‘Fins are ready to put some resources towards free agency in March.
[RELATED: Dolphins Trade Fitzpatrick To Steelers]
“We’ll be very aggressive,” Grier said. “We’re not going to sit on a bunch of money.”
A bunch of money is exactly what the Dolphins have after moving Fitzpatrick, trading Laremy Tunsil, and shedding Kiko Alonso. They also have tons of draft capital, which gives them the ability to find their next franchise quarterback and fill other glaring holes on the roster. Or, as Grier put it:
“We can do anything we want.”
It’s fair to be skeptical of the Dolphins, especially in light of their dreadful start that has players looking for life rafts out of Miami, but the Dolphins could theoretically take a page from the 76ers and use their stacks of cash and picks to turn the franchise around.
Steelers To Meet With Paxton Lynch
The Steelers are set to meet with Paxton Lynch, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The former first-round pick could help to reinforce their QB room in the wake of Ben Roethlisberger‘s season-ending elbow injury.
Lynch flamed out with the Broncos after being drafted in 2016 and was cut loose early in 2018. He was out of football for the rest of the season and was not able to stick with the Seahawks this year.
If signed, Lynch would serve as the QB2 behind new starter, Mason Rudolph. For now, Rudolph is backstopped by undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges.
Giants To Bench Eli Manning, Start Daniel Jones
It’s happening. On Monday morning, the Giants announced that they will bench quarterback Eli Manning in favor of rookie Daniel Jones for the upcoming week. 
Many expected the baton to be passed at some point in 2019, but few saw it happening this soon. After Manning’s latest rocky outing, coach Pat Shurmur & Co. have given him the hook.
“He’s been our starter to this point, and I don’t want to talk about anything else moving forward from that standpoint,” Shurmur said earlier this week, when asked about Manning and Jones. “I’m not ready to discuss that.”
Manning has been the Giants’ starter for most of the last 16 seasons. In that span, he captured nearly every franchise record for QBs, not to mention two Super Bowl rings.
The Giants also briefly benched Manning in 2017, but they bailed on that quickly after fans revolted. This time around, fans might be a little bit more understanding – the Giants are 0-2 heading into this week’s game against the Bucs and they are years removed from their glory days.
The Giants’ selection of Jones in the Top 10 was a source of controversy, but the rookie rewards their confidence with a strong showing in the preseason. In exhibition action, he completed 85.3% of his passes, threw for 416 yards, plus two passing TDs against zero interceptions. He also saw some action down the stretch of the Giants’ Week 1 loss to the Cowboys, though his sole drive ended with a lost fumble.
Now, Jones will be tasked with manning the QB position while the Giants fight to turn things around in 2019.
Patriots Sign Caleb Benenoch
Former Bucs offensive tackle Caleb Benenoch will sign with the Patriots on Tuesday, a source tells NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Nine NFL teams requested workouts with Benenoch, but Rapoport hears the veteran ultimately wanted to play for Pats offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia. 
The Patriots could really use the help. They were without right tackle Marcus Cannon for Sunday’s win over the Dolphins and, during the game, Isaiah Wynn exited with a toe injury. They’re still awaiting word on the status of both linemen, but they’re unlikely to be at full strength up front for Week 3 against the Jets. (Then again, do they need to be anywhere near full strength to face the Jets?)
Benenoch started every game of the 2018 season at right guard for the Bucs last season but also boasts experience on the outside. There apparently wasn’t a place for him on the Bucs, but the Pats are happy to bring him on board for reinforcement.
Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey Requests Trade
Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey has requested a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears. Ramsey has butted heads with Jags brass many times over the years and the latest incident took place on Sunday in a heated confrontation with head coach Doug Marrone. 
Part of Ramey’s beef, Rapoport hears, stems from the way he’s being used on the field. Ramsey ranks among the best cover corners in the NFL and wants to play man-to-man on opposing wide receivers. Marrone, meanwhile, deploys him in a zone scheme.
The Jaguars, it seems, are willing to move him, but they won’t part with him on the cheap. The Jaguars are asking teams for at least one first-round pick in return for the Pro Bowler, but want even more than that in a return, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
Ramsey is under team control through the 2020 season, thanks to the fifth-year option the team exercised this spring. But the contract-seeking cornerback has not exactly been pleased with the franchise as of late. Recently, on the podcast hosted by Titans tackle Taylor Lewan and former Titans linebacker Will Compton, Ramsey said he wouldn’t mind playing for the Titans or Raiders.
In the summer, Ramsey also explained that he would not be willing to give the Jags any sort of a hometown discount.
“Next year, especially after I ball, they’re going to come to me ‘Hey, you know, we want to holler at you,” Ramsey said as he shook his head, on Instagram. “That number is going to be so ungodly.…They’re going to say, ‘Oh god, can’t we get a little discount, 20% off?‘ I’m going to tell them last year you could have gotten that discount. This year, I’m going to need all of that.”
Ramsey, a two-time Pro Bowler and one-time All-Pro, has played in and started 50 out of 50 career games. For his career, he has registered 202 tackles, nine interceptions, and 45 pass breakups.
Cowboys’ Michael Gallup To Miss Time
Cowboys wide receiver Michael Gallup is having arthroscopic surgery to trim his meniscus and will miss 2-4 weeks of action, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets. Fortunately, he did not suffer any other structural damage, so he’s not looking at an extended absence. 
At minimum, the Cowboys will be without Gallup for games against the Dolphins and Saints. Beyond that, he could be sidelined for Week 5 against the Packers and Week 6 against the Jets.
Gallup, a third-round pick in the 2018 draft, emerged last season with 33 catches for 507 yards and two scores. That was good for an average of 15.4 yards per catch, setting him up for a big year as a deep threat in Dallas’ offense. Big production could still be on the way, but he’ll have to put a pin in things after tallying 13 grabs for 226 yards through two weeks.
Without Gallup, Randall Cobb, Devin Smith, Cedrick Wilson, and Tavon Austin could see more targets as supporting cast members to Amari Cooper.
Chargers’ Adrian Phillips Out Indefinitely
More bad news for the Chargers’ secondary. Safety Adrian Phillips, who has been filling in for the injured Derwin James, suffered a broken forearm during Sunday’s loss to the Lions, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. He’s out indefinitely and the team will not have a clear read on his timetable until doctors take a closer look at his situation. 
[RELATED: Chargers Place Derwin James On IR]
Phillips was rolling to start the season – he had six tackles against Detroit and posted eight in the Bolts’ 13-10 overtime win over the Colts in the opener. But, unfortunately, he cracked his arm while taking Kerryon Johnson down on Sunday. It’s possible that he can still return this season, but he’ll be out for several weeks, at minimum.
Phillips earned his first career Pro Bowl nod last year and the Bolts were excited to see what the hybrid safety/linebacker could do in 2019. Instead, they’re down two key defenders as they head into Week 3 against the Texans.
Meanwhile, they’re keeping their fingers crossed on starting cornerback Michael Davis, who missed Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury. If Jaylen Watkins is needed to take the place of Davis, then Desmond King may be called upon to cover for Phillips.