Peterson Wants To Stay With Redskins
In August, the Redskins signed Adrian Peterson to a one-year deal after a rash of injuries to their backfield. Now, Peterson is hoping to continue that arrangement into 2019 and the Redskins also have some interest in a new deal, ESPN.com’s John Keim writes. 
[RELATED: Redskins’ Colt McCoy Suffers Season Ending Injury]
After Week 13, Peterson ranks eighth in the NFL with 856 rushing yards, which isn’t too shabby for a 33-year-old running back. He was actually fifth in the NFL after eight weeks, but his yards per carry average has dipped in recent weeks thanks to a banged up Redskins’ offensive line and a shoulder injury of his own.
All of these factors make it difficult to accurately assess Peterson’s performance. Last night, the Redskins got a glimpse of prime Peterson when he rattled off a 90-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against the Eagles. But, at the same time, he averaged just one yard on his other eight carries. You read that right – on a night where Peterson became the oldest player to rattle off a 90-yard touchdown run, he also failed to reach 100 yards overall.
The Redskins are also expecting Derrius Guice to return healthy in 2019 and still have pass-catching specialist Chris Thompson under contract, so there’s not a real clear need for Peterson. Peterson, in theory, could split time with Guice, but he didn’t take kindly to his limited role in New Orleans and it’s not clear if he’ll be willing to average single-digit carries in 2019.
For what it’s worth, he has the support of at least one teammate.
“You look at Guice and he’s one of those backs you could be talking about for a long time,” said Redskins left tackle Trent Williams. “He could benefit tremendously from Adrian. With Adrian showing how much he has left in the tank, I don’t know if he’d want to come back and waste away his final seasons as a mentor when he could be adding to his legacy somewhere. He could still be the guy.”
Redskins’ Jonathan Cooper Done For Year
The Redskins are down one quarterback and a starting lineman after Monday night’s loss to the Eagles. Guard Jonathan Cooper suffered a torn biceps tendon that will end his season, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. 
[Redskins’ Colt McCoy Suffers Season Ending Injury]
Cooper, a former first round pick, started in each of his 13 appearances last year with Dallas. He hooked on with the 49ers in the offseason, but failed to make their final cut. Finally, last month, he found an opening with the Redskins after starting guards Brandon Scherff and Shawn Lauvao were lost to injury.
Cooper started in all four of his games for the Redskins, seeing time at both left guard and left tackle. His ~200 snaps didn’t give us much of a sample, but the metrics at Pro Football Focus rated him as a below-average protector.
The 28-year-old (29 in January) graded out as the No. 35 guard in the NFL last season, per PFF, and his past performance should allow him to draw some interest on the open market. Unfortunately, he probably won’t live up to the promise that many thought he had in 2013 when the Cardinals made him the No. 7 overall pick.
Kareem Hunt Goes Unclaimed On Waivers
Former Chiefs running back Kareem Hunt went unclaimed on waivers after the mandatory 24-hour period. Hunt, technically, is a free agent, though he is unlikely to be signed by any club. 
Video of Hunt’s February skirmish in a Cleveland hotel leaked late last week, spelling the end of his Chiefs tenure. In the disturbing security cam footage, Hunt is seen kicking a 19-year-old woman who is down on the ground. This did not jibe with the version of events that Hunt gave to the Chiefs at the time of the incident, leading the Chiefs to cut him hours after the video went public.
Because of Hunt’s accomplishments and his cheap rookie contract, it was speculated that another team might roll the dice by claiming Hunt. After all, the Redskins claimed embattled linebacker Reuben Foster off waivers just a couple of weeks ago following his second domestic violence incident of 2019. Instead, teams opted to let Hunt and his inexpensive two years of control fall by the wayside.
It remains to seen whether Hunt will get another opportunity in the NFL. Ray Rice never saw the field again after his infamous hotel incident, but Hunt is a much more effective player than Rice was at that stage of his career. Even if Hunt draws interest, it’s unlikely that he’ll be eligible to play in Week 1 of the 2019 season. The NFL’s investigation is ongoing and it will almost certainly result in a lengthy suspension.
Hunt, 23, led the league with 1,327 rushing yards last year while adding eight scores on the ground and three through the air. He also caught 53 passes for 455 yards, positioning him as one of the best running backs in the NFL. This year, Hunt averaged 4.6 yards per carry with 14 touchdowns in total.
Chargers Waive OT Joe Barksdale
The Chargers are waiving veteran tackle Joe Barksdale, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Barksdale also confirmed the news by tweeting his goodbye to the team and its fans. 
“I just want to take a moment to say thank you to the Chargers organization and all of the true die hard Charger fans,” Barksdale wrote. “Since 2015, this team has been my home and my teammates my family. I will truly miss everyone, but look forward to what the future has in store for me.”
Barksdale, 31 in January, was inactive on Sunday due to a non-injury related issue. He appeared in just six games this season and only two contests in September and October.
Barksdale was a starting tackle for the bulk of his career, but was relegated to a reserve role this year. The league’s other 31 teams will have an opportunity to claim him in the next 24 hours, but that’s unlikely to happen with one more full season to go on his four-year, $22MM deal.
Barksdale saw just 144 snaps this year, his lowest output in years. He did not see enough action to qualify for ranking, but his 62.6 overall score from Pro Football Focus paints him as a below average protector.
Cardinals Place Kirk, Iupati On IR
The Cardinals upset the Packers on Sunday – and cost Mike McCarthy his job in the process – but the win proved to be costly. On Monday afternoon, head coach Steve Wilks announced that wide receiver Christian Kirk (knee) and guard Mike Iupati (knee) have been placed on season-ending injured reserve. 
Kirk, 22, was selected in the second round of this year’s draft out of Texas A&M. While this has been a largely forgettable season for the Cardinals, Kirk has flashed at various points during his rookie season, including four games with upwards of 70 yards receiving. His campaign will end with 43 catches for 590 yards and three touchdowns plus a 7.8 yards-per-return average on punts.
Iupati, a four-time Pro Bowler, has struggled to stay healthy in over the last two seasons. Last year, he was shelved after just one game thanks to bone spurs in his elbow. The injury could mark the end of his run in Arizona – last year, he agreed to a restructuring of his deal that will allow the Cardinals to dump him before the 2019 season with just $1.7MM in dead money.
The Cardinals’ depth on the interior line could allow them to get by without adding a guard, but they’ll almost certainly add a wide receiver to replace Kirk, who served as the No. 2 option behind Larry Fitzgerald. Chad Williams‘ status for Week 14 is in doubt due to an ankle injury, leaving Fitzgerald, J.J. Nelson, and Trent Sherfield as the club’s only healthy receivers.
Josh McDaniels Eyeing Packers Job?
Could the Packers’ search for a new head coach lead them to Josh McDaniels? The Packers’ interest level in the Patriots offensive coordinator is unclear, but McDaniels could be positioning himself for the job, as Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports writes. 
[RELATED: Packers Fire Mike McCarthy]
A handful of NFL assistants have indicated interest in joining a McDaniels-led Packers coaching staff, sources tell Robinson. One of those coaches pulled his name from consideration for a college coordinator position in order to keep that possibility alive, so there’s a strong belief out there that McDaniels could wind up in Green Bay.
Earlier this year, McDaniels agreed to become the next head coach of the Colts but ultimately left them at the altar. Despite his offensive knowhow, it remains to be seen whether the Packers or any other team would consider hiring McDaniels in this upcoming cycle. For what it’s worth, McDaniels does not believe he is “burned” when it comes to future opportunities, according to Robinson.
Of course, there are factors working in McDaniels’ favor. In previous years, energetic young coaches such as Sean McVay and Matt Nagy were among the hottest candidates of the offseason, but there’s a serious lack of NFL experience in this year’s group of non-retreads. There’s lots of buzz surrounding coaches like Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley and former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, but it’s not hard to imagine a club preferring the experience that McDaniels brings.
McDaniels also has experience in managing an elite quarterback, which should be a focus of the Packers after Mike McCarthy‘s relationship with Aaron Rodgers went south.
Chiefs To Sign RB Charcandrick West
The Chiefs are set to sign running back Charcandrick West, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). West, of course, offers familiarity with the Chiefs’ system and should be able to hit the ground running. 
West worked out for the Chiefs alongside C.J. Anderson, who rushed for more than 1,000 yards with the Broncos last year. Anderson would have represented a splashier addition, but West got the nod for his experience in Kansas City’s offense and special teams acumen, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. At the same time, Anderson had a “really good workout,” according to Rapoport, so he could be an option for the Chiefs if he’s needed.
The Chiefs turned to Spencer Ware as their replacement for Kareem Hunt, but he amassed only 47 yards on 14 carries against the lowly Raiders on Sunday. If Ware doesn’t impress in practice this week, he could quickly wind up in a timeshare with West, who was a member of the Chiefs from 2014-2017.
West, 27, enjoyed his most productive campaign came in 2015, when he managed 160 carries for 634 yards and four touchdowns. In 2016 and 2017, however, his rushing role with Kansas City declined. While he played more than 500 offensive snaps from 2016-17, West handled only 106 total carries, including just 18 last year.
Bills C Russell Bodine Done For Year
Bills center Russell Bodine had surgery on Monday morning to repair a broken fibula, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The injury will end Bodine’s season prematurely and he will be placed on injured reserve this week to free up a spot on the roster. 
Bodine, 26, was the Bengals’ starting center from 2014-2017. This offseason, he joined the Bills on a two-year, $5MM pact. Up until now, Bodine had never missed a game in his NFL career.
Through 13 weeks of the 2018 season, Bodine ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 20 ranked center in the NFL. In all likelihood, the Bills will turn to guard/center Ryan Groy to replace him as their new starting center.
In an effort to add interior line depth, Rapoport tweets that the Bills are “bringing in” free agent center Dillon Day. It’s not immediately clear whether Day has been signed or if he’s simply working out for the team. Day, 27, was most recently with the Packers and worked out for the Colts last week. The Mississippi State product has yet to make his NFL debut, despite signing his first pro deal in 2015.
Chiefs Send Kareem Hunt Home From Team Facility
The Chiefs sent Kareem Hunt home from the team facility on Friday after disturbing new footage of his February brawl emerged, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. From here, Graziano believes that Hunt will be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list pending a final decision, though determination hasn’t been made just yet. 
Hunt got into an ugly brawl in a Cleveland hotel last year, but the full details of the event were not made public until Friday afternoon. The leaked security footage shows Hunt in a screaming match with a 19-year-old girl and kicking her while she is down on the floor.
The commissioner’s exempt list would effectively serve as a paid suspension for Hunt. Since Hunt was not arrested or suspended in the wake of the incident, the NFL will likely park the running back on the sidelines while they conduct a more thorough investigation. Of course, many are wondering why the NFL did not obtain the video footage sooner, particularly after the Ray Rice incident of 2014.
Rice was initially suspended two games when he was indicted on aggravated assault charges in 2014. The league, however, did not see the full video, which was later released showing the Ravens running back hitting his now wife in the face in an elevator. After receiving national attention, the NFL moved to indefinitely suspend the back and revised its policy toward domestic violence.
The NFL’s leading rusher as a rookie in 2017, Hunt currently ranks third in the league in offensive touchdowns with 14. While an investigation is underway, the AFC West division leaders will likely rely heavily on veteran Spencer Ware.
Raiders Place Leon Hall On IR
The Raiders placed cornerback Leon Hall on injured reserve with a back injury. Hall missed the club’s Week 12 game and the ailment is serious enough to rule him out for the rest of the year. 
Hall, 34 in December, was one of several veteran players to join Jon Gruden’s Raiders in the offseason. Hall is no longer the player that he was during his Bengals heyday, but he did serve as a positive force in the locker room and a mentor to rookie nickelback Nick Nelson.
Hall’s season ends after ten games, four of which he started. He recorded 25 total tackles with three passes defensed and one quarterback hit. It remains to be seen whether he’ll try to play again in 2019.
In a corresponding move, the club signed cornerback Montrel Meander off of the Browns’ practice squad. Meander spent the preseason with the Browns and appeared as a safety in their exhibition games. As noted by Pro Football Focus (on Twitter), he was targeted seven times in 48 coverage snaps and allowed one catch for 12 yards with one pass breakup.