Dolphins Shopping WR DeVante Parker
The Dolphins could be ready to give up on DeVante Parker. The club has talked to several teams about trading the wide receiver, according to Mike Lombardi of The Athletic (on Twitter). 
Parker has missed four of five possible games this season, so the Dolphins’ feelings of frustration with the 25-year-old are understandable. At the same time, Parker’s injury woes will obviously limit his trade value. A Parker deal would mean getting pennies on the dollar for the former first-round pick, but keeping him could put them in financial jeopardy next year. Parker’s fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury, so the club could be stuck with a $9.387MM cap charge in 2019 if he is unable to pass an offseason physical.
Parker has been somewhat productive at the pro level, but he hasn’t been all that efficient. In 2016, he caught 56 of his 87 targets for 744 yards and four touchdowns. Last year, however, he had just 57 catches off of 96 passes thrown his way for 670 yards and one TD. His struggles last year could be chalked up to playing without Ryan Tannehill, but his foot, hamstring, and ankle injuries loom as a larger concern. This year, a quad injury has shelved Parker for every game, save for the Dolphins’ Week 3 contest against the Raiders.
At one point in time, the Dolphins were concerned about their ability to lock both Parker and Jarvis Landry up in the long-term. Much has changed since then as Landry was shipped the Browns in a sign-and-trade and Parker no longer a candidate for a big money extension.
Jaguars Place Austin Seferian-Jenkins On IR
The Jaguars have placed Austin Seferian-Jenkins on injured reserve, coach Doug Marrone announced. Marrone added that the tight end could return later this season, however. 
The Jaguars inked Seferian-Jenkins to a two-year, $10MM deal in the offseason. The former Bucs second-round pick had a bounce-back season with the Jets last year, hauling in 50 passes for 357 yards and three touchdowns (he easily could have had two more TDs, if not for a pair of controversial reversals).
Through five games this year, ASJ has been fairly quiet with just 11 catches for 90 yards and one score. Before the ill-fated game against the Chiefs, he was targeted just 19 times through four contests.
Niles Paul did an excellent job of picking up the slack after ASJ’s exit and finished the game with seven passes on nine targets for 65 yards. Paul figures to be a key part of the offense for at least the next two months, and you can expect to see an uptick in usage for James O’Shaughnessy as well. The Jaguars will have to add a third tight end this week, and that could prompt them to promote 6’5″ North Carolina State product David Grinnage from the practice squad.
Marrone also confirmed that running back Corey Grant will be placed on IR. Unfortunately, his Lisfranc injury means that he will not be able to play again in 2018.
Chiefs Likely To Place Laurent Duvernay-Tardif On IR
Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif suffered a fractured fibula and is likely headed for injured reserve, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a bad blow for the Chiefs, but the good news is that he should be back later in the season. 
Duvernay-Tardif was injured in the fourth quarter of the Chiefs’ 30-14 win over the Jaguars. As coach Andy Reid explained, the fibula is a non-weight bearing bone, so LDT should be able to heal up before the end of the season.
Per league rules, the starting guard will have to spend at least eight weeks on the sidelines, meaning that he cannot return until Week 14, when the Chiefs face the Ravens. The Chiefs have their bye in Week 12, so Duvernay-Tardif might only miss seven games in total.
The Chiefs turned to Jordan Devey after Duvernay-Tardif exited the game, so he’ll probably get the starting nod in his absence. The Chiefs could also consider Andrew Wylie as an option and they’ll likely sign another interior lineman for depth in the coming days.
LDT, a Canadian import, was a sixth-round pick of the Chiefs in 2014. Since then, he has established himself as one of the better guards in the NFL. Last year, the Chiefs locked him up with a five-year, $41.25MM extension which included $14MM guaranteed at signing.
Chargers Won’t Make Kicker Change
Chargers kicker Caleb Sturgis has been less-than-perfect this season, but his job is not in jeopardy. Even though Sturgis missed a 49-yard try and an extra point on Sunday, coach Anthony Lynn says that he’s not considering a kicker change. 
“The extra point kind of bothered me a little bit. We’ll figure out what happened there, but he’s been kicking well all week, been kicking with a lot of confidence and so I’m not concerned about it,” Lynn said (Twitter link via Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com).
Sturgis’ miss from 49 yards out is certainly understandable, but the missed XP marked his fourth of the season. Through five weeks, Sturgis has made 75% of his field goals and just 66.7% of his XP tries (8 of 12).
The 29-year-old has made 66 of 70 extra point attempts since the line of scrimmage was moved back to the 15-yard line in 2015, so that could help to explain why Lynn isn’t panicking. Sturgis will try to get off on the right foot next week when the Chargers face the Browns in Cleveland.
This Date In NFL Transactions History: Bills Trade Marshawn Lynch To Seahawks
On this date in 2010, the Bills and Seahawks pulled off a blockbuster midseason trade. For the price of a 2011 fourth-round pick and a conditional 2012 draft pick, the Bills said farewell to Marshawn Lynch.
Lynch’s tenure in Buffalo altered between jaw-dropping and headache-inducing for the front office. The running back topped 1,000 yards in each of his first two NFL seasons and earned his first career Pro Bowl nod in 2008. Meanwhile, his off-the-field trouble was cause for concern. In the summer of 2008, Lynch admitted to striking a female pedestrian with his car and leaving the scene. In the following spring, Los Angeles cops found a semiautomatic handgun in his car.
The former first-round pick seemed to be back on track early in the 2010 season, having just wrestled the starting job back from Fred Jackson. Still, the phone lines were open in Buffalo, and Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll pounced on the opportunity to add him to the backfield.
“We’re going to bring him in to play a lot,” Carroll said (via the Associated Press). “We’ll wait and see when we get him here, but we’re bringing him in here to play a bunch.” The decision to trade for Lynch ended up working out incredibly well for the Seahawks, as Lynch took his game to a new level in Seattle and became the engine of the offense for their Super Bowl winning team. He went to four Pro Bowls with the Seahawks and was twice named an All-Pro
Lynch ended up announcing his retirement after the 2015 season, but after a year away from the game decided to return. The Seahawks promptly traded him to the Raiders, where Lynch currently plays.
Jets Claim DE Tarell Basham
Former Colts defensive end Tarell Basham was claimed off waivers by the Jets, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Basham, a 2017 third-round pick, will have an opportunity to turn his career around in a new setting. 
Basham suited up for 15 games in 2017, but made zero starts. He recorded two sacks and forced a fumble as a rookie, but only made seven tackles overall. This year, he played in just one of Indianapolis’ four games, so his release was surprising, but not altogether shocking.
The Colts probably wanted to sneak Basham through waivers and on to their practice squad, but that was an unlikely outcome given Basham’s pedigree. In his four years at the University of Ohio, Basham registered 27 sacks and was named the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year as a senior.
The Jets’ pass rush could certainly use a talent infusion, so Basham has a fairly easy path to the field if he performs well in practice. The Jets are currently starting Leonard Williams and Henry Anderson at defensive end with Jordan Jenkins and Brandon Copeland at the outside linebacker spots after placing Josh Martin on IR.
Cowboys Won’t Re-Sign Dez Bryant
Dez Bryant says he would prefer to sign with the Cowboys over any other team. Unfortunately for Bryant, it doesn’t sound like his wish will come true. For the umpteenth time this season, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones stated that he will not re-sign the wide receiver. 
“I know I’m the one to ask in response to that,” Jones told 105.3 The Fan on Friday (via Stefan Stevenson of the Star Telegram). “We’re friends, to say the least. I mirror feelings of that nature. It just seems like Dez is a Cowboy. But we have to look at what we’re all having to deal with and that is what’s in the best interest of the team and that’s a different story there.”
The latest wave of Bryant-to-the-Cowboys speculation made some sense, particularly with Terrance Williams‘ status up in the air. Still, the Cowboys are 2-2 after edging out the Lions on Sunday, and Jones isn’t panicking.
“Trust me, if it were in our best interest, his and ours and the teams, then he would be on the field for the Cowboys,” Jones said. “I agree where we are and his status right now. I agree with that. Is that a clear answer?”
With that, it sounds like Bryant will have to focus his attention on another team. That is, if another club makes him a suitable offer between now and the end of the season.
Bengals Place Tyler Eifert On IR
Vontaze Burfict is back. On Friday, the Bengals activated the linebacker and formally placed tight end Tyler Eifert on injured reserve. 
Burfict was suspended for the first four weeks of the season thanks to a PED suspension. He’s no stranger to bans, having drawn multiple punishments from the league office for violating safety rules, but this was his first for banned performance enhancers. Over the last five years, he’s missed 32 regular season games thanks to injuries and suspensions. Despite it all, Burfict remains one of the very best linebackers in the NFL. In 2017, Burfict managed 69 tackles and 1.5 sacks in ten games.
Eifert has also missed a boatload of time over the last five years, playing in just 28 regular season games out of a possible 80. His latest injury, a broken ankle, will rule him out for the remainder of the year.
It’s yet another tough blow for Eifert, who is one of the league’s most talented tight ends. Before he exited the Bengals’ game against the Falcons, Eifert was displaying some of his old form and had four catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. Through four games, the former first-rounder had 15 grabs for 179 yards in total.
The oft-injured Eifert re-signed with the Bengals this offseason on a one-year, $5.5MM deal. When he hits free agency in March, he’ll likely be looking at yet another one-year platform deal, perhaps with less in base compensation.
Bengals RB Giovani Bernard To Miss Time
Running back Giovani Bernard did an admirable job of holding down the fort while Joe Mixon missed two weeks of action. Unfortunately, Bernard is now dealing with an injury of his own. The veteran will be out for 2-4 weeks with an MCL sprain, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
At minimum, Bernard will be sidelined for Sunday’s game against the Dolphins and the following week’s contest against the rival Steelers. Beyond that, Bernard is in jeopardy of missing games against the Chiefs and Bucs. The good news is that the Bengals have a Week 9 bye, so he’ll have some extra time to rest his knee in early November.
In the past two games, Bernard has scored three touchdowns while averaging 4.8 yards per carry. His presence will be missed, but the Bengals’ rushing attack should be just fine if Mixon can resume his usual workload on Sunday.
Without Bernard, Mark Walton will assume the No. 2 RB role. The recently signed Thomas Rawls is also on hand as a depth option.
Jets DC Kacy Rodgers Dealing With “Serious” Illness
Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers is dealing with a “serious” illness, coach Todd Bowles announced on Friday (Twitter link via Darryl Slater of NJ.com). Bowles declined to go into details about Rodgers’ situation and did not say whether he will be available to coach on Sunday. 
“He’s a tough guy,” Bowles said. “It’s a serious thing.”
Rodgers, 49, joined the Jets in 2015 following the hiring of Bowles. Bowles and Rodgers have a long history together, having served on the same coaching staffs for three different NFL teams over the course of 13 years.
Last month, it was rumored that Bowles would strip Rodgers of some of the play calling duties. Bowles adamantly denied the rumors, despite the team’s defensive struggles.
“One hundred percent false, a complete lie. If somebody said it, it didn’t come out of my mouth,” Bowles said. “I have no idea where it came from. I’ve got nothing else to speak on it. I haven’t done any of it, and I don’t know where it came from. It didn’t happen. It hasn’t happened. I’m pretty much a straight shooter. If I’ve got something to say I will probably say it. It will come out of my mouth. It never came out of my mouth, and it never happened. End of discussion, it never happened. It’s not going to happen. If I want to take the play-calling or call something for the offense, I have that prerogative to do as a head coach. I never did any of that.”
The 1-3 Jets will face the Broncos at home on Sunday.