Raiders’ Jon Gruden: No More Trades
On Monday, the Raiders shipped Amari Cooper to the Cowboys in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick. It’s a surprisingly strong return for a player who was struggled mightily as of late, but Jon Gruden says he won’t press his luck with another blockbuster in the next week. 
[RELATED: Raiders Trade Amari Cooper To Cowboys]
“We’re not trading anyone else,” Gruden told Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter) when asked about the possibility of moving quarterback Derek Carr. “We’re trying to stay competitive and figure out a way to compete this next game [against the Colts.]”
Interestingly, GM Reggie McKenzie had a decidedly different answer when asked about the possibility of another deal.
“We’ve got another week,” McKenzie said (Twitter link via Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area), before declining to say that anyone on the roster is untouchable.
After their bye week, the Raiders will face the Colts on Sun. Oct 28, just two days before the trade deadline. If Gruden is to be believed, the Raiders will still have Carr under center and their other notables in action.
Jaguars Won’t Trade For Eli Manning
Many have blamed Blake Bortles for the Jaguars’ slow start, but the team doesn’t seem focused on a quarterback upgrade. They won’t be trading for QB between now and the Oct. 30 deadline, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter), and that includes Giants QB Eli Manning. 
Manning, of course, has history with Jaguars EVP Tom Coughlin, and the Jags’ football czar has tons of admiration for the player who helped him capture two Super Bowl trophies. However, the Jaguars believe that the arrival of Carlos Hyde and the eventual return of Leonard Fournette will balance out the offense and bring the best out in Bortles. Bortles has been shaky, to say the least, but the Jags believe that they need an adequately mobile QB to anchor their offense, and Bortles offers that.
Manning has an impressive resume, but he hasn’t been setting the world on fire this year either. The Giants are 1-5 on the year, and Manning’s inability to air it out may be the team’s biggest issue on either side of the ball. Through six contests, Manning has completed nearly 69% of his throws, but he’s been brought down in the backfield 20 times, putting him on pace for a dubious new career high.
Latest On Jaguars’ Leonard Fournette
Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette has been officially ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Texans, which marks the third missed game for Fournette this year out of a possible seven. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that Fournette will also miss the team’s game in London against the Eagles next week. Jacksonville will then have its Week 9 bye on November 4, and the team hopes to have Fournette back the following week. The Jags currently have no plans to put Fournette on IR.
[RELATED: Jaguars Acquire RB Carlos Hyde From Browns]
Fournette’s nagging hamstring injury has kept him off of the field for much of the year and limited his production when on the turf. Fournette carried the ball just nine times in the season opener against the Giants, though he made the most of those totes with 41 yards (4.56 yards per carry) before exiting the game early. In Week 4 against the Jets, he garnered 11 carries, though he averaged just 2.73 yards per try.
It’s a frustrating situation for both Fournette and the Jaguars. Ever since his days at LSU, Fournette has struggled with leg injuries, both to his ankle and hamstring.
Moments after Fournette was ruled out for this week, the Jaguars shipped a fifth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for Carlos Hyde. Hyde is inactive for the team’s Week 7 contest this afternoon, but he will ultimately pair with T.J. Yeldon (and, hopefully, Fournette) to give Jacksonville a nice trio of backs.
Yeldon doesn’t offer the same kind of bruising power as Fournette, but he has been productive nonetheless. Heading into this week, Yeldon boasts an average of 4.5 yards per rushing attempt, plus 25 catches for 223 yards. All told, the 25-year-old has four touchdowns, which already marks a new single-season career best. The Jaguars would prefer to have a healthy Fournette, but Yeldon and Hyde could form a solid 1-2 punch in the interim.
After starting the year 2-0, the Jags have dropped three of their last four. After losing consecutive games to the Chiefs and Cowboys by a combined 49 points, they’re eager for a W against Houston.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Browns Trade Carlos Hyde To Jaguars
The Browns have agreed to trade running back Carlos Hyde to the Jaguars in exchange for a 2019 fifth-round draft pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a blockbuster deal that gives the Jaguars a proven tailback in the absence of starter Leonard Fournette. 
Just eight months ago, Hyde signed a three-year, $15MM free agent deal with the Browns to become their No. 1 running back. But, with a pair of talented options behind him on the depth chart, the Browns pounced on the opportunity to build on their draft capital while taking a significant salary off the books.
Through six games this year, Hyde hasn’t exactly set the world on fire. He’s averaged just 3.4 yards per carry this year – a career low – though he does have five rushing touchdowns on his stat line.
Prior to joining the Browns, Hyde spent the first four years of his career with the 49ers and served as the starting running back for the final three. All in all, he averaged a solid 4.2 yards per carry in SF and a strong 4.6 yards per attempt in 2016. Hyde also offers capable hands, as evidenced by his 59 catches for 350 yards last season.
In conjunction with T.J. Yeldon, Hyde should provide the Jaguars with a competent rushing game for however long Fournette is sidelined. However, Hyde can hardly be expected to be a panacea for what ails Jacksonville. Blake Bortles‘ inconsistency is clearly costing the Jags as they’re 1-3 in their last four games. In those contests, Bortles has thrown just four touchdown passes against six picks. He’s also been sacked 13 times, so the Jags’ offensive line will have to do better in order to keep defenses honest and open holes for their new running back.
With Hyde out of the picture, the Browns should be able to increase rookie Nick Chubb‘s workload. Browns fans have good reason to be excited about the Georgia product after he amassed 105 yards and two touchdowns off of just two carries in Week 4 against the Raiders. Pass-catching wizard Duke Johnson also figures to get more touches in the team’s revamped backfield.
Raiders’ Marshawn Lynch To Miss Time
Bad news for the Raiders. Running back Marshawn Lynch will miss at least a month because of a groin injury and placement on the injured reserve list is a strong possibility, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter links). 
Lynch had an MRI scan this week, and the results were not promising. Even with a Week 7 bye, Lynch will be forced to the sidelines for multiple games.
The veteran was having the best season of any Raiders offensive skill player before the injury. The 32-year-old had touchdowns in each of the team’s first three games, though his yards-per-carry average has been below the 4.0 mark in five of his six games.
Lynch has dealt with injuries before, but he’s been largely healthy throughout his 12-season career. Last year, he appeared in 15 games and totaled 891 yards off of 207 carries. And, in two of his best seasons in Seattle, he was on the field for all 16 games and racked up 300+ totes.
Vikings’ Dalvin Cook To Miss Game Vs. Jets
The Vikings will be without Dalvin Cook yet again when they face the Jets on Sunday, the team announced. That makes three absences in a row for the second-year pro. 
[RELATED: Vikings Re-Sign DT David Parry]
Cook suffered a torn ACL as a rookie missed the majority of his rookie campaign in 2017, but averaged 4.8 yards per carry before going down. So far this year, he hasn’t been all that productive in his three contests.
The Vikings are already well set at running back, so it’s unlikely that they’ll make a move before this weekend. Latavius Murray should continue in the lead role with support from Michael Boone, Roc Thomas, and fullback C.J. Ham.
With a record of 3-2-1, the Vikings are tied for second in the NFC North with the Packers. A Vikings win coupled with Bears (vs. Patriots) and Packers (@ Rams) losses would vault them to the divisional lead.
Cardinals Fire OC Mike McCoy
After a disastrous 45-10 loss to the Broncos on Thursday night, the Cardinals fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy. To replace him, the Cardinals promoted quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich. 
McCoy’s job security has been a topic of discussion for weeks. Through seven games, the Cardinals have averaged just 13.1 points per game, which ranks 31st in the NFL. They’re also dead last in total yards per game, third-down conversion percentage, time of possession, and rushing yards. Something had to give, and the embarrassing loss to Denver was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
It’s an ironic end to McCoy’s tenure in Arizona since the Broncos fired McCoy in the midst of the 2017 season. Denver started off strong with a 3-1 start last year, but the team lost patience after a six-game losing streak knocked them out of playoff contention. This year, the Cardinals had enough after a 1-5 start and an embarrassing primetime loss in which Josh Rosen lobbed his third, fourth, and fifth interceptions of the year.
Leftwich, the Jaguars’ longtime quarterback, was brought in by former coach Bruce Arians as a coaching intern in 2016. Last year, he was hired as the team’s quarterbacks coach. Leftwich doesn’t have previous OC experience, but he did call plays in a couple of 2017 exhibition games.
“I’m a pretty confident guy, but I had never done it, and I had never practiced it,” Leftwich said of his OC audition. “That’s the tough part. Knowing B.A., B.A. ain’t going to give you two weeks in practice to prepare. He gave me a 10-play period to call them. The first time I ever called plays was in the game. I wish I would have done a few things here and there better, but that’s the exciting part of growing in this business. That helped my growth.”
Leftwich will make his OC debut on Sunday, Oct. 28 against the 49ers. After that, the Cardinals have a Week 9 bye.
Eagles Release WR Kamar Aiken
The Eagles released wide receiver Kamar Aiken, per a club announcement. Aiken’s release will make room for defensive tackle Bruce Hector, who has been promoted from the practice squad. 
Aiken is best known for his 2015 season in which he put up nearly 1,000 yards with the Ravens. The former undrafted free agent hasn’t done much lately, however. In 2017, he was in line to be the Colts’ No. 2 wide receiver, but he finished out with just 15 receptions for 133 yards.
Philadelphia originally inked Aiken to a pact this summer, but dropped him during final cutdowns. Then, prior to Week 2, he was re-signed. In five games this year (one start), Aiken had six catches and 53 yards for the Eagles.
Hector, 24, joined the Eagles as a UDFA in May. He was on the roster for four games this year before being stashed on the practice squad, and he’ll look to record his first official statistic in this go ’round.
Haloti Ngata hasn’t played since Week 4 and is questionable for this week’s game against the Panthers, so Hector will be on hand for additional depth. If Ngata can’t go, Hector could see time behind Fletcher Cox and Treyvon Hester.
Cardinals Release WR Kendall Wright
The Cardinals released wide receiver Kendall Wright on Thursday, per a team announcement. In his place, the club promoted cornerback Deatrick Nichols from the practice squad.
Wright was signed just ten days ago, with Nichols being waived to create room on the roster. It’s not uncommon for teams to juggle veterans each week depending on needs, so it’s possible that Wright could be back soon with Nichols back on the waiver wire.
Wright, ostensibly, was signed as insurance in the slot for Larry Fitzgerald. But, Fitzgerald is a go for Thursday night despite his hamstring and back issues, so Wright was no longer needed in Arizona.
The Cardinals, with Nichols on the roster, will face the Broncos in a Thursday night matchup that could have serious implications for the losing team.
Saints Place Ted Ginn On IR
Ted Ginn‘s season may be over. On Thursday, the Saints placed the wide receiver on injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Ginn missed the Saints’ Week 5 win over the Redskins with a knee injury, apparently, did not recover much over the Week 6 bye. It’s a bad blow for the Saints, but they got by just fine against Washington thanks to rookie Tre’Quan Smith, Cameron Meredith, and the return of pass-catching tailback Mark Ingram. The Saints would prefer to have Ginn on the field, but they certainly have enough weapons to survive.
Ginn, 33, never quite justified his selection at No. 9 overall in 2007, but he has been a valuable receiver and return man since joining the Saints in 2017. Last year, the speedster had a career-high 787 yards off of 53 catches, plus four touchdowns. In four games this year, Ginn had 12 grabs for 135 yards and two touchdowns.
Ginn, in theory, could return after eight weeks of inaction, but that will all depend on his recovery and whether or not he needs surgery. The Saints’ first game without the veteran will come on Sunday against a resurgent Ravens defense.