Bills Offer Contract To Terrelle Pryor
The Bills have offered Terrelle Pryor a contract that is currently under consideration, a source tells ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter). The wide receiver flew into Buffalo for a meeting on Sunday night and he could put pen to paper soon. 
The Bills’ offense can use all the help it can get, particularly after last week’s 37-5 drumming at the hands of the Colts. Pryor wouldn’t be able to help the Bills against the Patriots on Monday night, but he could provide them with another weapon starting on Sunday against the Bears.
Currently, Zay Jones, Kelvin Benjamin, and Andre Holmes make up the Bills’ top three receivers. Sixth-round rookie and UDFA Ray-Ray McCloud are also on the roster.
Pryor would add some experience to that group, though he won’t be able to do much about their offensive line woes. The Bills’ OL kept things together for the first month of the season, but the wheels have completely come off in the last two games. There’s also the matter of the quarterback position. Rookie Josh Allen, who was already working to get his sea legs, is out for an undetermined period of time with an elbow injury, leaving veteran Derek Anderson as the team’s temporary starter.
Browns Fire OC Todd Haley
Hue Jackson isn’t the only one cleaning out his office in Cleveland. The Browns have also fired offensive coordinator Todd Haley, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Browns Fire Hue Jackson]
Initially, when Jackson was fired, it sounded as though Browns ownership had chosen Haley over Jackson in the wake of their rift. As it turns out, both men have been told to pack their bags.
Haley delivered results as the Steelers’ offensive coordinator, but his brash personality has been both a positive and a negative throughout his career. In Cleveland, his approach clearly did not jibe with Jackson, and his results did not inspire confidence among the Browns’ decision makers. This year, the Browns have averaged 342.4 yards per game, good for just 24th in the league. Meanwhile, their 65 offensive penalties (2nd highest in the NFL) have cost them 511 yards.
To replace Haley, the Browns have promoted assistant Freddie Kitchens to the interim OC role. Meanwhile, defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was promoted to head coach, replacing Jackson.
Browns Fire Hue Jackson
The Browns fired head coach Hue Jackson, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports. The decision comes one day after the Browns lost to the rival Steelers, dropping their record to 2-5-1 on the year. 
[RELATED: Browns Fire OC Todd Haley]
Jackson has gone 3-36-1 as the Browns’ head coach, so his dismissal seemed like an inevitability. New GM John Dorsey (perhaps with some pressure from ownership) gave Jackson a reprieve upon taking over, but the Browns have not been able to capitalize on their stockpile of talent under Jackson’s guidance this year.
It’s possible that Jackson’s rift with offensive coordinator Todd Haley played a role in his midseason dismissal. Their issues were very apparent during the “Hard Knocks” miniseries and, recently, Jackson pushed for more involvement in offensive decision-making.
Defensive coordinator Gregg Williams was promoted to head coach on Monday afternoon, replacing Jackson. Meanwhile, the Browns promoted assistant Freddie Kitchens to the interim OC role to take over for Haley.
Dorsey, owner Jimmy Haslam, and other “power brokers” within the organization met on Monday morning to determine the best course of action going forward, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link) hears. At first, it sounded like the team opted to fire Jackson and stick with Haley. Instead, they got rid of both men.
It sounds like we can count Baker Mayfield among those that are in favor of the change. Rapoport (Twitter link) hears the rookie quarterback is not going to miss the 53-year-old coach.
A fun fact from Schefter (on Twitter): the last six Browns head coaches – Romeo Crennel, Eric Mangini, Pat Shurmur, Rod Chudzinski, Mike Pettine, and Jackson – were fired after the second Steelers game of that season.
Jackson had two years remaining on his contract, so the Browns are contractually obligated to pay him through 2019 season. His salary may be offset by another job, however.
Bucs Unlikely To Trade DeSean Jackson?
Wide receiver DeSean Jackson wants to be traded, but the Buccaneers don’t sound inclined to fulfill his request. When asked about the possibility of a DJax deal over the weekend, GM Jason Licht indicated that Jackson will be a part of the team beyond Tuesday’s trade deadline. 
“I’ll say this. DeSean Jackson and I have a great relationship,” Licht said on Sunday (via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). “He’s one of my favorite people on the team, and Dirk [Koetter] has a great relationship with him and he’s obviously a terrific player for us. We’re 3-3, we’re headed into big game today, we’ve got a big stretch of games coming up for us, and we don’t like to talk about these stories. But I can say that my job and our job here is to field the best roster that we can to win games, and DeSean is a huge, huge part of that, not just today, but for the rest of the season. Other than that, I don’t have anything else to add.”
Of course, after yesterday’s 37-34 loss to the Bengals, the Bucs are now 3-4, and their offense is chock full of question marks. Jackson was targeted eight times against Cincinnati, but he wasn’t able to do much with those balls outside of his 60-yard touchdown grab in the second quarter.
Jackson is in Year 2 of a three-year deal, $33.5MM deal he signed with the team in 2017. He has yet to develop a rapport with quarterback Jameis Winston, as evidenced by his disappointing 50/668/3 stat line last season. Licht says he wants to hold on to the veteran, but the soon-to-be 32-year-old would rather join a team that can utilize his deep field skills.
For what it’s worth, the Bucs are considering benching Winston in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick, a move that could benefit Jackson. With Fitzmagic on the field for the first the first two games of the season, Jackson had nine receptions for an eye-popping 275 yards and three scores, good for an average of 30.56 yards per catch.
Ravens Work Out RB Jamaal Charles
The Ravens tried out running back Jamaal Charles, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He was one of five backs to try out on Friday, along with Charcandrick West, Fitzgerald Toussaint, Akrum Wadley, and Dare Ogunbowale. 
After Charles was quickly add/dropped by the Jaguars earlier this month, he said that he was “probably” done with football. As it turns out, football may not be done with him just yet. Charles will turn 32 in December and hasn’t played a full season as a starter since 2014, but the Ravens are curious to see what he could offer as a reserve.
The Ravens’ offense has been inconsistent this year and running back Alex Collins has not had the breakout campaign that many expected. For now, Collins is backstopped by only Buck Allen and Gus Edwards as Kenneth Dixon works his way back from IR. It’s not clear whether the Ravens are updating their lists in case Dixon’s rehab stalls or if they’re considering one of these five backs as an interim option.
West, a former teammate of Charles, was cut by the Chiefs and failed to stick with the Jets this offseason. The 27-year-old’s most productive campaign came in 2015, when he managed 160 carries for 634 yards and four touchdowns, but his rushing role with Kansas City declined in the last couple of seasons. While he played more than 500 offensive snaps from 2016-17, West handled only 106 total carries, including just 18 last year.
Texans To Work Out WR Brice Butler
The Texans will work out former Cowboys wide receiver Brice Butler on Friday, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). This marks Butler’s second audition of the week after working out for the Jets on Wednesday. 
[RELATED: Texans’ Will Fuller Done For Year]
Butler talked a big game heading into free agency and insisted on becoming a starter with his next team. He inked a two-year deal with the Cardinals in April, but did not make their initial cut in early September.
Last year, Butler showed flashes of being a strong deep threat. The 6-foot-3 target averaged 21.1 yards per catch in 2017, posting 317 air yards and three touchdowns on just 15 receptions. He averaged 21.5 yards per grab in 2015, his first year in Dallas, while working with various backups while Tony Romo was on the shelf.
If signed, Butler could help fill the void left by Will Fuller‘s season-ending ACL tear. He couldn’t ask for a much better opportunity to rebuild his value, especially as Keke Coutee also continues to work his way back from injury.
Colts Place DT Jihad Ward On IR
The Colts placed defensive tackle Jihad Ward on the injured reserve list, according to an announcement from the team. To fill his place on the roster, the Colts elevated wide receiver Steve Ishmael from the practice squad. 
Ward, a 6’5″, 290-pound lineman, saw time in six games for the Colts this year. Unfortunately, a serious ankle injury cut his season short after he tallied a new career high of three sacks.
The former Raiders second-round pick was traded to the Cowboys back in April. However, he failed to make the roster, and he caught on with the Colts practice squad in early September. Days later, he earned a promotion to the varsity squad.
In his limited sample of work this year, Ward gave talent evaluators reason to believe that he can perform at a high level when healthy. Durability remains a concern, but he showed something after losing much of 2017 to a foot ailment.
Cardinals Sign Matt McCrane To P-Squad
With concern over Phil Dawson‘s hip injury, the Cardinals signed kicker Matt McCrane to the practice squad. To make room, the Cards released offensive lineman Kyle Friend from the 10-man unit.
McCrane was with the Cardinals in the preseason before being cut, so coaches are already familiar with what he offers. He hooked on with the Raiders after being let go, but he was pretty lousy in his three games as Mike Nugent‘s stand-in. The Kansas State product went 5-for-9 on field goal tries and was just 2-for-6 when subtracting chip shots from 20-29 yards out.
Perhaps he’d have better luck in Arizona. During the preseason, McCrane nailed 4-of-4 field goal attempts, including two tries from 50 yards or longer.
If Dawson can’t go this weekend, the Cardinals can promote him to the active roster on Saturday and have him in the lineup on Sunday when they face the 49ers. Kicking is the least of the Cardinals’ worries, but his presence gives the 1-6 club one less thing to worry about.
Texans WR Will Fuller Done For Season
On Friday morning, tests confirmed the Texans’ worst fears. Wide receiver Will Fuller suffered a season-ending torn ACL and will be placed on injured reserve, head coach Bill O’Brien announced. 
Fuller, 24, was on pace to have the best season of his career. Through seven games, he hauled in 32 catches for 503 yards and four touchdowns and reeled 71.% percent of all passes thrown to him by Deshaun Watson. The Texans will have to get by without Fuller’s production and the attention that he takes off of star receiver DeAndre Hopkins.
Since entering the league as a first-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2016, Fuller has missed eight possible regular season games. That number will grow to 17 after he misses the second half of the 2018 season.
The Texans are now expected to survey the free agent market for receivers. Many will connect the dots between the Texas team and Dez Bryant, but there are no indications that the Texans are interested in the veteran. Terrelle Pryor is also among those looking for work, and he says he’s healthy and ready to contribute.
Alternatively, the Texans could look to their practice squad for reinforcements. They currently have three receivers – Malachi Dupre, Cyril Grayson, and Issac Whitney – waiting in the wings.
Texans Fear Torn ACL For Will Fuller
The Texans believe that wide receiver Will Fuller tore the ACL in his right knee, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Of course, that injury would rule Fuller out for the remainder of the season. 
Fuller will receive a full examination on Friday, which will determine the full extent of the injury. If the Texans are lucky, the scans may reveal only a severe sprain of the joint, but there’s not a lot of optimism in Houston.
Fuller injured his knee midway through the fourth quarter of Thursday night’s win over the Dolphins as he was going for a deep pass in the end zone. He was in the midst of a huge game, having already caught five balls for 124 yards, including a 73-yard touchdown. Losing Fuller would be tragic for both the team and the player who was also sidelined for much of the 2017 season.
If Fuller is done for the season, the Texans will have to rely even more heavily on DeAndre Hopkins. They also have the diminutive Keke Coutee, who has been a pleasant surprise this year, on hand, but he is currently dealing with a hamstring issue of his own. Sammie Coates and Vyncint Smith are the only other receivers on the roster, so they’ll have to make at least one depth signing if Fuller is done for the year.