Jets Unlikely To Fire Bowles During Season
Jets head coach Todd Bowles is on the hot seat, but he’s unlikely to lose his job before the end of the calendar year. If a change is made, it will likely come after the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
Bowles and CEO Christopher Johnson met on Monday morning to discuss the future, which invited speculation of a coaching change during the team’s bye week. Even after the Jets made Bills quarterback Matt Barkley look like Jim Kelly, the Jets plan to keep their embattled head coach for at least the next couple of months.
Jets owner Woody Johnson generally does not believe in firing head coaches during the season. In 2014, Johnson ignored calls to fire Rex Ryan after a 1-8 start to the year and did not dismiss him until after the season when the Jets finished 4-12.
It’s also likely that the Johnsons do not see a logical replacement for Bowles on the coaching staff. The team has struggled on both sides of the ball, so neither offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates nor defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers would make sense as a temporary solution. And, even if Rodgers was viewed as an interim candidate, his health situation would complicate matters.
The locker room is said to still hold Bowles in high regard, but he’s as good as gone if the team cannot rally over the final six games of the season. After the bye, the 3-7 Jets will face the Patriots on Nov. 25.
Eagles CB Ronald Darby Done For Year
Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby is out for the year with a torn ACL, the team announced on Monday. Darby injured his right knee in the third quarter against the Cowboys on Sunday and further testing confirmed the team’s worst fears. 
The Eagles were already without corners Sidney Jones and Jalen Mills on Sunday thanks to injuries, so the loss of Darby leaves them extra thin at cornerback. Before the injury, Darby started in all nine of the Eagles’ games and tallied 43 tackles plus one interception.
Darby was among the 30 best cornerbacks in the NFL this season, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. The timing of his injury is especially rough with the Saints being the next team up on the schedule. After handing a 51-14 drumming to the Bengals – a game that cost defensive coordinator Teryl Austin his job – the Saints’ offense is looking as potent as ever.
The Eagles will likely sign at least one cornerback this week in order to improve their depth in the secondary. If Mills and Jones can’t play this week, they’ll have to rely on Rasul Douglas, fourth-round pick Avonte Maddox, UDFA Chandon Sullivan, and Cre’Von LeBlanc to pick up the slack.
Darby is in the final year of his rookie contract, so his season-ending injury could have a serious impact on his market. Before the ACL tear, Darby profiled as one of the best cornerbacks available in the spring.
Rams’ Cooper Kupp Suffers Torn ACL
The Rams’ worst fears have been confirmed. Wide receiver Cooper Kupp has been ruled out for the season with a torn ACL, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Kupp, 25, was in the midst of another strong season with 40 catches for 566 yards and six touchdowns in eight games. Unfortunately, the injury that forced him out of Sunday’s game against the Seahawks will end his season and leave the 9-1 Rams without one of their best weapons.
The third-round pick out of Eastern Washington was a pleasant surprise for the Rams last season as he racked up 62 catches for 869 yards and five scores. This year, before the injury, he was on pace for about 70 catches for 985 yards and ten scores.
The Rams still have plenty of pass-catching ammo thanks to Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods, but each player will attract more attention without Kupp on the field. Josh Reynolds, JoJo Natson, KhaDarel Hodge, and Nick Williams are also on the roster, so the Rams might not have to sign another receiver.
Saints To Sign Brandon Marshall
Veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall is signing a one-year deal with the Saints, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Marshall will step in for Dez Bryant, who suffered a season-ending Achilles tear just hours after inking his contract with the team. 
Marshall hooked on with the Seahawks this offseason, and while he found the end zone in Week 1 of the regular season, his playing time quickly diminished. He was targeted just twice during his last three games with Seattle and was let go on October 30. He’s clearly lost a step or two, and probably doesn’t have the same upside as a healthy Bryant, but the Saints feel that he can offer quality support behind top receivers Michael Thomas and Tre’Quan Smith.
Marshall is a six-time Pro Bowler, but he hasn’t played at an elite level since the 2015 season in which he posted 109 receptions, 1,502 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns for the Jets. Injuries have limited his effectiveness and overall production, and Marshall appeared in only five games a year ago before going on injured reserve with a ankle injury. With the Saints, he’ll have a chance to prove he can still be a difference-maker.
As Schefter notes, Marshall has never made a playoff game in his 13-year career, but he now has a good chance of seeing the postseason for the first time. After a 51-14 throttling of the Bengals, Marshall and the Saints will face the Eagles in New Orleans on Sunday.
Bengals Fire DC Teryl Austin
The Bengals fired defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, as Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. For now, head coach Marvin Lewis will assume the Bengals’ defensive coordinator responsibilities, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
On Sunday, the Bengals suffered a 51-14 loss at the hands of the Saints. Even without wide receiver Cameron Meredith, the Saints went off for 509 offensive yards and 44 unanswered points after the game was knotted up at 7-7. This was the third straight game in which the Bengals allowed over 500 yards and Austin has been blamed for the defense’s shortcomings.
For the last two years, Austin has been in the mix for head coaching jobs around the league. This year, he pushed for the Lions to promote him from defensive coordinator to head coach after Jim Caldwell was fired, but the team was dead set on hiring Matt Patricia. When that became apparent to Austin, he hooked on with the Bengals to serve under Lewis.
Now, Austin’s time in Cincinnati is up after just one year. And, fair or not, Austin is now even further away from getting his big break as a head coach.
The Bengals are now 5-4, meaning that their playoff hopes are alive, though they have some ground to make up if they hope to beat out the 6-2-1 Steelers for the AFC North crown.
Eagles RB Darren Sproles Suffers Setback, Will Miss Multiple Weeks
Sunday, 8:55am: Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Sproles is expected to miss multiple weeks (one estimate suggested an absence of three to four weeks). The Eagles will be cautious with him so that when he returns to the field, he will be back for good. The way Sproles’ injury was handled by the team’s medical staff may be cause for concern, as we detailed yesterday.
Thursday, 11:39am: Earlier this week, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson said he expected Darren Sproles to play on Sunday versus the Cowboys. Unfortunately, those plans were derailed after the running back aggravated his hamstring injury (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). 
Sproles has not been on the field since hurting his hamstring in practice prior to the Eagles’ Week 2 game. Sproles showed significant improvement this week and the team believed that Sproles would be able to resume punt-return duties against the Cowboys. Instead of facing Dallas and joining Wendell Smallwood and Corey Clement in the backfield rotation, Sproles’ outlook for the rest of the season is now in question.
Sproles’ 2017 was shortened by multiple injuries in September, meaning that he has played in just three games over the last two years. He already cashed in on a $1MM guarantee for this year, but Sproles is eager to resume the form that earned him three straight Pro Bowl nods between 2014-2016.
On the plus side, Eagles tackle Lane Johnson resumed practice this week after recovering from a Grade 2 MCL sprain. Pederson is hopeful that Johnson will play, but that would mark a faster-than-usual turnaround from the injury.
Colts To Activate Tyquan Lewis
The Colts are set to activate second-round pick Tyquan Lewis for Sunday’s game, coach Frank Reich told reporters. The defensive end should help to bolster defense that has been coming on in recent weeks. 
[RELATED: Colts Place DT Jihad Ward On IR]
Lewis, a 6’4″ Ohio State product, tallied 23 sacks over the course of his final three seasons in college. A foot injury landed him on IR in late August, but he’s back to full health and ready to contribute.
The Colts are riding high after back-to-back wins over the Bills and Raiders, but next up is a talented Jaguars team this week that is anxious to snap a four-game losing streak. The winner of this game will keep playoff dreams alive while the loser will effectively be out of the postseason picture.
The Colts are in the bottom third of the league with just 21 sacks through eight games. Lewis could give them a boost in that department while providing relief for starters Margus Hunt and Jabaal Sheard.
Christian Hackenberg Signs With AAF
Former Jets second-round pick Christian Hackenberg has agreed to play for the Alliance of American Football, according to an announcement from the league. He’ll be joined by quarterback Scott Tolzien, wide receiver DeMarcus Ayers, safety Rahim Moore, linebacker Steven Johnson, and tight end Wes Saxton, the AAF says. 
The AAF will kick off in February, meaning that Hackenberg has likely exhausted all present options in the NFL. Hackenberg never saw the field in his two seasons with the Jets and failed to hook on with the Raiders after an offseason trade brought him to Oakland. After that, he lasted only a few weeks on the Eagles’ 90-man roster and his stint on the Bengals’ practice squad ended when he was released earlier this month.
Hackenberg became Penn State’s all-time leader in passing yards (8,457) and touchdowns (48) after three years on campus. His stats did not jump off of the page and he completed just 53.5% of his passes in his final collegiate season, but NFL teams were enamored by his size and pro-style experience in 2016. Jets GM Mike Maccagnan reached for him at No. 51 overall and that gamble never paid off.
AAF contracts probably include an out clause for NFL offers, so Hackenberg and the league’s other players could conceivably get back into the NFL in the second half of the season.
Steelers’ Conner In Concussion Protocol
Steelers running back James Conner is in concussion protocol, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) reports. If Conner is not cleared in the next week or so, his availability against the Jaguars on Nov. 18 could be in jeopardy. 
Conner was forced out of Thursday night’s blowout win over the Panthers. During the third quarter, doctors checked out Conner in the blue medical tent and cleared him to return. Then, in the fourth quarter, he was pulled for good with the Steelers leading by 38. Conner checked out with 65 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries and the Steelers went on tow in 52-21.
Conner has 771 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the season and the club has hardly missed Le’Veon Bell. Some have speculated that the Steelers do not want Bell to return before Tuesday’s deadline, but they’ll want him back on the field if Conner is sidelined for any period of time.
Bell has been spotted playing basketball in a Pittsburgh gym, so he won’t have to travel far in order to report to the team’s facility. However, Bell only recently learned that he does not have to show up by Tuesday in order to effectively guarantee that he’ll be a free agent in March, and it’s possible that he could sit out for the entire year. For what it’s worth, team ownership expects Bell to show up for work.
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