Saints Work Out Offensive Linemen
The Saints are worked out a handful of offensive linemen on Tuesday, according to a league source who spoke with Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune. It stands to reason that the Saints will sign at least one lineman given the injuries suffered by center Max Unger and Jermon Bushrod on Monday night.
Unger was forced out of Monday’s win over the Panthers with a concussion and Bushrod’s hamstring injury landed him on the sidelines. After that, the Saints were forced to turn to Cameron Tom and Will Clapp to fill in the front five. The Saints were pretty much scraping the bottom of the barrel against their divisional rivals, especially since they were already without left tackle Terron Armstead, who has been out for five straight games.
Offensive tackle Nick Becton, who was in camp with the Saints in 2014 and 2015, was among those to audition. The other players are not yet known, but they’re unlikely to be major names. At this point in the season, it’s slim pickins.
The Saints effectively clinched a first-round bye by beating the Panthers on Monday night, but they may need the additional bodies to get through the final two weeks of the season and fortify their bench for the playoffs.
Titans Place Logan Ryan On IR
It’s official now. On Tuesday, the Titans placed cornerback Logan Ryan on season-ending injured reserve. 
Ryan suffered a broken fibula on Sunday, which automatically 86’d him for the season. It’s a bad blow for the Titans, who are still fighting for a playoff spot with two games remaining in the regular season. Through 15 weeks of action, the 27-year-old had a career high of four sacks plus 76 tackles and eight passes defensed.
Without Ryan, the Titans will need some vintage performances from Malcolm Butler and quality support from reserves Leshaun Sims and Joshua Kalu. Adoree’ Jackson, who is having the best season of any Titans corner, now stands as the club’s unquestioned CB1.
To help fill the void, the Titans promoted cornerback Kenneth Durden from the practice squad to the active roster. Durden, 26, appeared in five games for the Titans earlier this year, and those contests represent the entirety of his NFL experience.
The Titans, without Ryan, face the Redskins this week before a crucial showdown with the Colts in Week 17.
Teams Eyeing Colts’ Matt Eberflus
The Colts are surging and the rest of the league is taking notice. At least two teams are doing homework on Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus as a possibility to become their next head coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
Eberflus was the Cowboys’ linebackers coach for seven seasons before signing on to be the Colts’ defensive coordinator under Josh McDaniels in January. When McDaniels bailed, the Colts resolved to do right by Eberflus and the other assistants who had already inked contracts with the team. It was a stand-up move by the organization and it paid off big time.
After an abysmal 1-5 start, the Colts have rallied to win seven of their last eight games and put themselves squarely in the playoff hunt. Their latest win – a 23-0 romp over Eberflus’ last employer – further underscored the talents of the 48-year-old defensive guru.
If the Colts can top the Giants and Titans in the next two weeks, they’ll likely land in the playoffs and complete one of the most improbable turnarounds in NFL history. If that happens, the Colts may have to search for a new defensive coordinator in the offseason.
Broncos Notes: Harris, Ray, Joseph
Here’s the latest out of Denver:
- It’s “very possible” that cornerback Chris Harris will be placed on injured reserve this week, coach Vance Joseph told reporters (Twitter link via Mike Klis of 9News). Harris, 29, suffered a fractured fibula on Dec. 2, but the team wanted to keep its options open in case he would be needed for the playoffs. At 6-8, the Broncos have been mathematically eliminated from contention, so there’s little reason to put Harris in harm’s way.
- Linebacker Shane Ray was a healthy scratch for the first in his career on Saturday and he didn’t hide his frustration when speaking with local beat writers on Monday. “Little disrespectful, but that’s all good, I don’t think I’ve been (a healthy) inactive in my whole career,” Ray said. “Whatever reason they felt I need to be inactive, that’s on them.” When asked if he’ll appear in the Broncos’ final two games of the season, Ray replied, “Y’all got to ask Vance Joseph that.” The Broncos declined Ray’s fifth-year option back in May and it seems unlikely that the 2015 first-round pick will return to Denver next year. Multiple wrist surgeries cost Ray eight games in 2017 and the Broncos seem prepared to move on.
- Joseph is on the hot seat, but Mike Shanahan is not expected to garner consideration if the Broncos conduct a search for a new head coach.
Chargers Designate Hunter Henry For Return
The Chargers officially activated the 21-day practice window for tight end Hunter Henry. Henry has been out all year with a torn ACL, but he has a chance to return for the Bolts’ playoff run. 
Henry’s odds for actually making it back on to the field remain to be seen. ACL tears call for a lengthy and arduous recovery and Henry is only eight months removed from the injury. In November, the prospect of a Henry return was reportedly viewed as a “long shot.”
After hauling in 81 catches for 1,057 yards and 12 touchdowns through the first two seasons of his career, Henry was primed for a breakout campaign in 2018. Initially, the team planned to forge ahead without Antonio Gates and truly give Henry a chance to sign, but Henry’s injury brought the veteran back into the fold.
Gates, 38, has had a quiet year thus far with 25 catches for 312 yards and two touchdowns, though he ranks as the No. 10 tight end in the NFL, according to the metrics at Pro Football Focus. Blocking specialist has seen roughly twice as many snaps as Gates, however, and has even less offensive production to his credit. Still, even without Henry as their main tight end, the Chargers have managed an 11-3 record.
Falcons Place RB Ito Smith On IR
The Falcons have placed running back Ito Smith on injured reserve, per a team announcement. With that, the Falcons will be forced to play against the Panthers and Bucs without the services of their No. 2 RB. 
Smith saw an unexpected spike in usage this year after the loss of star Devonta Freeman. The fourth-round rookie would up with 90 carries for 315 yards and four scores over 14 games and, at times, he flashed serious potential. His 3.5 yards per carry average isn’t anything to write home about, but part of the blame falls on the team’s inconsistent offense as a whole. Smith also got involved in the passing game and ends his year with 27 catches for 152 yards.
Coleman will become an unrestricted free agent in March, so Smith figures to continue as a major piece in the Falcons’ offense next year. While he lacks the patience and experience of Coleman, the Falcons seem prepared to give him a larger share of the workload.
“I would say Ito is best on the inside zone runs,” coach Dan Quinn said recently. “He can line a (defender) up in the hole and use his change of direction and break a guy off where Tevin often times will toss it outside and see the wide zone and stretch the defense and then try to get a vertical cut…. You’ve seen Ito enough now, it’s his change of direction when a guy is trying to size him up … where Tevin would try to use the angle and use his speed to break a guy off.”
Jaguars Place Ronnie Harrison On IR
Jaguars safety Ronnie Harrison is being placed on injured reserve with a knee injury, coach Doug Marrone announced. Harrison was injured in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Redskins and tests revealed it to be a serious malady. 
The rookie third-round pick replaced Barry Church in the starting lineup on Dec. 2, influencing the club’s decision to release the veteran last week. Unfortunately, the 21-year-old will have to wait until next year to see the field again and build off of his performance.
Harrison’s rookie season ends with 32 tackles, one sack, one interception, and three passes defensed in 14 games (eight starts). Pro Football Focus ranks him as the 66th best safety in the NFL, but his limited sample size of 328 snaps makes the metrics a bit hard to read.
In any event, Harrison figures to be a key part of the Jags’ secondary in 2019. For now, they’ll soldier on without him in the final two games against the Dolphins and Texans.
Giants Want Eli Manning Back In 2019
It has been a rough couple of years for Eli Manning, but it sounds like the Giants will continue with him as their starting quarterback in 2019. When asked if he wants Manning back next season, head coach Pat Shurmur responded in the affirmative. 
“Yeah. I want all our players to be back. I believe experience matters,” said Shurmur, who went on to confirm that he believes Manning still has “years” left in the tank.
Manning will turn 38 in January and there are obvious signs of decline. Yesterday’s 17-0 loss to the Titans was the latest rough outing for the veteran as he completed just 47.7% of his throws and coughed up a costly third quarter fumble.
On the other hand, there are some good reasons for the Giants to keep Manning. For starters, he’s fared a whole lot better this year than he did in 2017. His 65.9% completion percentage would represent a career high and his 18/9 TD/INT rate is an improvement over last year’s 19/13 mark.
There’s also his contract to consider. Manning is scheduled to count for a $23.2MM cap number in 2019 and the Giants would be stuck with $6.2MM in dead money if they released him. The savings of $17MM is not insignificant, but the Giants might not be able to get a veteran quarterback for less.
If the season ended today, the Giants would be on track for the No. 8 overall pick in the draft. That could put them in range for one of this year’s top QBs, which would enable them to use Manning as a bridge in ’19. Right now, that seems like the most likely scenario for the G-Men.
Broncos Considered Mike Shanahan
In January of 2018, Vance Joseph narrowly avoided getting the ax after just one season as the Broncos’ head coach. Before the team settled on keeping him, GM John Elway considered hiring old friend Mike Shanahan to man the sidelines, according to Mike Klis of 9News. 
Shanahan, it seems, expressed serious interest in the job. And Elway, at minimum, was intrigued. He brought the idea to CEO Joe Ellis, where the idea more or less died. Ellis presented Elway with two main courses of action: conduct a wide-ranging search for a new head coach that would not include Shanahan, or give Joseph a second season with a better quarterback.
Elway went with Door No. 2, but Case Keenum has not lived up to expectations thus far in Denver. And, once again, Joseph is on the hot seat, but it doesn’t sound like Shanahan will be considered if a change is made.
Shanahan led the Broncos to back-to-back Super Bowls, but his run in Denver did not end on a high note. The Broncos missed the postseason in his final three years as head coach and he has just one playoff win to his credit over his last 14 years as a head coach. And, he boasts an impressive coaching tree, but he has not coached since his 2013 dismissal in Washington.
The Broncos limped to a 3-6 start this year, but a three-game winning streak (which included Ws over the Chargers and Steelers), brought them back to the .500 mark. Unfortunately, injuries to cornerback Chris Harris Jr. and receiver Emmanuel Sanders took them down a peg and they are now out of the playoff picture at 6-8.
Bengals WR Tyler Boyd Suffers MCL Sprain
Bengals wide receiver Tyler Boyd suffered a low-grade MCL sprain, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With only two weeks left in the season, this will likely spell the end of his 2018 campaign. 
Boyd topped 1,000 yards in Sunday’s win over the Raiders and showed a ton of promise on the whole this year. The 2016 second-round pick is only under contract through the 2019 season, so extension talks should be on the horizon. At that point, Boyd will be in store for a big payday.
This marked a season of all new career highs for the 24-year-old as he reeled in 76 grabs for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns. It was the breakout the Bengals needed as star A.J. Green battled injuries throughout the year.
Unfortunately, Boyd’s performance wasn’t enough to keep the Bengals afloat. At 6-8, the Bengals are out of the playoff hunt and mostly playing for pride in their final two contests against the Browns and Steelers.