Falcons’ Brandon Fusco Done For Year
Falcons right guard Brandon Fusco will miss the remainder of the year after suffering a serious ankle injury on Monday night, coach Dan Quinn announced. Fusco, who joined the Falcons as a free agent in the offseason, started in every game for Atlanta this season. 
Fusco now becomes the team’s second starting guard to suffer a season-ending injury. Left guard Andy Levitre suffered a triceps injury in Atlanta’s win against the Panthers in Week 2, so the team’s interior line has taken a big hit in the last couple of months.
Ben Garland entered the game after Fusco’s early exit, and he figures to be the team’s new starter at right guard. Garland has been a dependable backup lineman for Atlanta since 2016, so he’ll likely keep the top job, even if another guard is signed for depth.
Buccaneers To Sign LB Kevin Minter
Well, that didn’t take long. Moments after completing his Tuesday afternoon workout, the Buccaneers signed linebacker Kevin Minter, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). Details of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a one-year deal for something at or near the prorated portion of the veteran’s minimum. 
The Bucs had to make a move after losing two linebackers to ACL tears on Sunday. Minter now joins Adarius Taylor and Riley Bullough as middle linebacker options in the wake of catastrophic injuries to starter Kwon Alexander and backup Jack Cichy.
Minter offers experience as well as familiarity with the Bengals, who the Bucs will be facing on Sunday. Now with the Bucs, he’ll look to reprise his performance with the Cardinals rather than his disappointing year in Cincinnati.
Eagles DE Derek Barnett Done For Year
Eagles defensive end Derek Barnett is done for the season thanks to a serious shoulder injury, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former first-round pick recorded 2.5 sacks and 17 tackles before his season came to a premature end. 
Barnett, 22, was the No. 14 overall pick in last year’s draft. He compiled five sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries as a reserve, and had a couple of key moments in the team’s run to a ring last year.
This year, Barnett earned a promotion to the starting lineup and was on his way to a fine follow-up effort. He’ll be missed, but the Eagles have an embarrassment of riches from which to draw from at defensive end. The backup unit includes former Pro Bowler Michael Bennett, Chris Long, and fourth-round rookie Josh Sweat.
The defending champs will face the Jaguars in London on Sunday – sans Barnett – before entering their Week 9 bye.
Bengals WR John Ross To Miss Time
Bengals wide receiver John Ross is expected to miss a few weeks with a groin injury he aggravated on Sunday, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ross, of course, is no stranger to the sidelines after missing the bulk of his rookie season with injuries. 
The silver lining for the Bengals is that they have a Week 9 bye after their Sunday contest against the Buccaneers. After that, Ross may have a shot at returning against the Saints on Nov. 11, or on Nov. 18 against the Ravens.
Ross, 24 next month, has just seven catches for 79 yards through five games this year. On the plus side, he has two touchdown grabs – one coming against the Colts in the season opener, and the other in Week 4 against the Falcons.
Ross brings serious speed to the Bengals offense, but he has yet to bring production. Some expected an uptick in his usage after tight end Tyler Eifert was lost for the year, but that has not materialized so far. While Ross is out, the Bengals will continue to run their aerial game through star A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd.
Buccaneers Work Out LB Kevin Minter
The Bucs’ search for linebacker help has led them to Kevin Minter, as Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets. Minter will audition for the team on Tuesday, and a deal could soon follow. 
Bucs GM Jason Licht was in Arizona when Minter was drafted in 2013, so he’s familiar with what the veteran offers. Minter is still only 27 years old (28 in December) and had 81 tackles with 3.5 sacks for the Cardinals in 2016. Unfortunately, he was unable to offer a reprise of that performance last year with the Bengals. Minter played on fewer than 20% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps, seeing less action than sixth-round rookie Jordan Evans and barely playing ahead of undrafted free agent Hardy Nickerson. His season ended prematurely when a hamstring injury landed him on IR.
Minter was cut by the Jets in late August and did not land deals with the Giants or Texans despite working out for both teams in September. After losing ‘backers Kwon Alexander and Jack Cichy to IR, Minter may get an opportunity to play with the Bucs.
Chiefs Place C Jordan Devey On IR
The Chiefs placed center Jordan Devey and linebacker Terrance Smith on injured reserve. In related moves, the club promoted center Jimmy Murray and tight end Deon Yelder from the practice squad to the active roster. 
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Devey has been starting at center for the last two weeks in place of the injured Mitch Morse, so his loss is no small matter for Kansas City. If Morse is unable to play on Sunday, the Chiefs may have to shift Cameron Erving to the middle and move the recently-signed Jeff Allen into the starting left guard spot. Murray gives the Chiefs another option at center, but the UDFA has yet to play his first NFL down.
The Chiefs and their banged up offensive line will face the Broncos in Week 8.
Giants Trade CB Eli Apple To Saints
The Giants traded cornerback Eli Apple to the Saints, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. In return, the Giants will receive a 2019 fourth-round pick in 2019 and a seventh-round pick in 2020. 
The Saints secondary now features three former Ohio State stars in Marshon Lattimore (2017 first-round cornerbacks), Apple (2016 first round cornerback) and Vonn Bell (2016 second-round safety).
The third-year cornerback was inconsistent in his first two NFL seasons, but has been playing a bit better in 2018. In his five games (all starts), Apple has five pass deflections, one forced fumble, and 22 total tackles. On the flipside, the numbers at Pro Football Focus indicate that his performance has been roughly comparable to last year. Apple is ranked as PFF’s No. 55 cornerback through seven weeks.
Many expected the Saints to explore a trade for Patrick Peterson, but that would have required a much greater expenditure of draft capital. The Saints don’t have much to offer in that regard anyway after sacrificing their 2019 first-round pick in the Marcus Davenport deal and their 2019 third-rounder in the Teddy Bridgewater trade.
In Apple, the Saints get a former No. 10 overall pick who could be a contributor with the right direction. The Giants, meanwhile, get to unload an unwanted salary over the next two years while adding assets to fuel their rebuild. With that in mind, the Giants probably aren’t done dealing and could make more moves between now and the Mischief Night deadline.
Police Arrest Broncos QB Chad Kelly
Broncos backup quarterback Chad Kelly was charged with first-degree criminal trespassing by police in Englewood, Colorado (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The incident took place at 1:17am on Tuesday morning, and may result in serious legal consequences for the Ole Miss product. 
[RELATED: Broncos’ Emmanuel Sanders Drawing Interest]
Kelly was once considered to be one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but fell to the Broncos with the final pick in the 2017 draft due to character concerns. Naturally, the torn ACL and lateral meniscus that prematurely ended his senior season also played a role in his slide, but teams that would have still considered Kelly took him off of the board because of multiple red flags.
In 2014, Kelly was bounced from Clemson’s football program due to “conduct detrimental to the team.” Eight months later, he was arrested for allegedly punching a bouncer at a bar, threatening to open gun fire in said bar, and getting into fisticuffs with police upon his arrest. Kelly went from Clemson to Eastern Mississippi Community College to Ole Miss, and got into a brawl at a high school football game during his time with the Rebels.
There was a groundswell of fan support for Kelly to take the starting job from Case Keenum prior to the Broncos’ blowout of the Cardinals, but that seems extra unlikely to happen now. Depending on the specifics of the arrest, this could mark the end of Kelly’s time in Denver.
Jets To Sign WR Rishard Matthews
Former Titans wide receiver Rishard Matthews is signing with the Jets, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Matthews requested and received his release in late September, making him a free agent. 
Matthews had nearly 800 receiving yards last season, but he spent nearly one month on the free agent market before agreeing to join the Jets. Matthews’ extended unemployment may be connected to a perception that he quit on the Titans, concern over his lack of targets early in the year, or a mix of both. In three games with the Titans this year, Matthews had just three grabs off of six targets.
“I’ve been the leading receiver for two years,” Matthews said. “Then all of a sudden I’m barely playing and not even starting. Using my injury as the scapegoat. Look at number of snaps and targets.”
He now joins the Jets, whose receiver depth has been decimated by injuries. The Jets recently cut ties with offseason pickup Terrelle Pryor due to health issues and top receiver Quincy Enunwa is expected to miss multiple games with a high ankle sprain.
Matthews will have to quickly pick up the playbook, but he should rank no lower than third on the depth chart behind Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse once he learns the offense. After all, he’s not far removed from a 2016 season in which he caught 65 passes for 945 yards and nine touchdowns.
If he’s on the active roster, Matthews’ Jets debut could come against the Bears on Sunday.
Colts To Work Out Kickers
Kai Forbath, Cairo Santos, and Taylor Bertolet are among the kickers working out for the Colts on Tuesday, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). One of these players may wind up filling in for Adam Vinatieri as he recovers from a groin issue.
Vinatieri’s status for Sunday’s game is murky, so the Colts want to have a kicker at the ready in case he is unable to suit up. After Vinatieri missed two extra point tries against the Bills – something he hadn’t done before in his 23-year career – the Colts probably don’t want to trot him out there if he’s still hurt.
“We just know he felt a little something on the first PAT, so we are just going to see how the week progresses,” head coach Frank Reich said this week (via Michael Marot of The Associated Press). “We’re going to bring in some kickers, just so you guys know, but we are not going to make any decisions until later.”
Forbath and Santos offer extensive NFL experience, while the 25-year-old Bertolet is still waiting for his first kick in a real NFL game.