Bills Sign CB Dontae Johnson
The Bills have signed cornerback Dontae Johnson, according to a press release. To make room, they’ve released defensive end Nate Orchard. 
After spending the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, Johnson joined the Seahawks and was projected to start. An offseason injury derailed those plans, however, and he was freed from his contract in late September. Johnson probably won’t get an opportunity to match his 2017 career-highs in tackles (77) and passes defended (seven), but he should see some playing time in Buffalo as the Bills deal with injuries in the secondary.
Orchard, a darling of this year’s “Hard Knocks” while with the Browns, possesses great speed but has yet to put it all together at the pro level. After roughly three weeks in Buffalo, Orchard will look to hook on elsewhere and realize his potential.
Latest On Le’Veon Bell
Le’Veon Bell will return to the Steelers…but not right away. The Steelers’ star rusher plans to report to the team during it’s Week 7 bye, putting him in position to make his debut in Week 8 against the Browns.
Of course, nothing can be that cut and dry when it comes to the messy situation between Bell and the Steelers. The Steelers are expected to still field trade offers for the running back between now and the Oct. 31 deadline, so it’s not a given that he’ll be back in black and yellow.
Here’s what Bell has to say about his absence and planned return:
- Bell’s exact reporting day is still unclear, but he plans to be ready for Oct. 28 against the Browns and will decide how many practices he needs based on that, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Bell added that he’s in great shape and could play “tomorrow,” if needed. Be that as it may, the Steelers probably aren’t too enthusiastic about Bell dictating his own practice schedule.
- The running back says that sitting out the entire season was never an option (via Fowler). “It sucks having to sit out football,” Bell said. “I want to play. I want to win games and the playoffs. But I’ve gotta take this stand. Knowing my worth and knowing I can tear a ligament or get surgery at any time, I knew I couldn’t play 16 games with 400 or more touches.”
- Looking ahead to March, Bell speculated that the Jets, 49ers, Colts, Browns and Eagles would be among the teams interested in his services, though he says he’d want to join a club that values his skill set and winning. “I know the guaranteed money will be there [in March],” Bell said. “If a team wanted to, they could definitely do what they needed to do to make me happy and satisfied.“
Steelers Place S Nat Berhe On IR
The Steelers have placed safety Nat Berhe on injured reserve with a pectoral injury, according to a team announcement. To fill his spot on the roster, the Steelers have promoted cornerback Brian Allen from the practice squad. 
[RELATED: Le’Veon Bell To Return To Steelers]
Berhe joined the Steelers as a free agent in April after spending the early part of his career with the Giants. At the time, the move was something of a head-scratcher since big-name safeties like Eric Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, Tre Boston, T.J. Ward, Tyvon Branch, Darius Butler, and former Steeler Mike Mitchell were still available, but the Steelers valued his special teams play and likely saw him as a value add. After four games and two total tackles, Berhe’s 2018 season is likely over.
Allen, the team’s fifth-round draft pick in the 2017 draft, played in ten games last season and had two special teams tackles. He also played in the Steelers postseason game against the Jaguars.
Browns’ Terrance Mitchell To Miss Time
Browns cornerback Terrance Mitchell will miss significant time after suffering a broken wrist, coach Hue Jackson announced. Jackson is optimistic that the starting defender could return at some point, but that’s all up in the air right now. 
It’s a bad break for the Browns as Mitchell was playing well before the injury in Sunday’s game against the Raiders. Through three games and change, Mitchell had two forced fumbles, one of which he recovered himself, and an interception.
The good news is that the browns are better equipped to deal with a starting cornerback injury than most teams in the NFL. Without Mitchell, they can turn to free agent pickups T.J. Carrie and E.J. Gaines to provide support alongside No. 4 overall pick Denzel Ward.
Jets To Place LB Josh Martin On IR
The Jets are putting outside linebacker Josh Martin on IR, head coach Todd Bowles announced. Martin suffered his second concussion in five weeks on Sunday, so the Jets had little choice but to put Martin on the sidelines for now. 
Per league rules, Martin can return from IR after a minimum of eight weeks. If he is still exhibiting any ill effects the brain injury and the Jets are not in playoff contention, this could mark the end of Martin’s season.
Martin missed the first three games thanks to the first concussion and was making his season debut on Sunday against the Jaguars. Unfortunately, he was forced out of the game in the third quarter after suffering significant head trauma.
The Jets will turn to Frankie Luvu, Brandon Copeland, and others to handle OLB duties opposite of starter Jordan Jenkins. You can also expect them to add an OLB, though it’ll probably be a depth signing.
The 1-3 Jets will look to snap their three-game losing streak on Sunday against the Broncos.
Vikings Work Out Houston, Ayers
With Everson Griffen out indefinitely, the Vikings are looking into help along the edge. On Monday, the team auditioned Lamarr Houston and Robert Ayers, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).
Houston, 31, is looking to catch on with his fourth NFL team. He split last season between the Bears and Texans, compiling 17 tackles, five sacks, and one forced fumble in 10 games (one start). While the veteran has clearly lost a step, he could still provide the Vikings with some leadership and depth.
Ayers is known for his run-stopping ability at defensive end, but it’s not clear whether he’s healthy at the moment. After starting 20 games for the Bucs over the 2016 and ’17 seasons, he was released this offseason. The Lions picked him up in August, but wound up releasing him the next day.
The Vikings have dropped their last two games and have not won since the season opener against the 49ers. Things won’t get any easier this weekend when they take on the Eagles in Philadelphia, so they may want to pick up some reinforcements where they can.
Rams To Place Dominique Easley On IR
Rams outside linebacker Dominique Easley underwent meniscus surgery on Monday, coach Sean McVay told reporters. The injury will land Easley on IR, according to the coach, and it’s not clear whether he’ll be available to return later this year. 
This marks the fourth major knee surgery of Easley’s career. This marks the fourth major knee surgery of Easley’s career. The Florida product tore the ACL in his left knee as a college sophomore, the ACL and meniscus of his right knee as a senior. Last year, he tore his right ACL yet again, and this latest injury occurred in the same knee. It seems unlikely that Easley will suit up again in 2018 and it’s fair to wonder about his overall football future, even though he won’t turn 27 until February.
For his career, the former first round pick has 6.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception in 41 career games. This year, he started in the first three games of the season L.A. and had four tackles to his credit.
Dolphins’ McCain, Kilgore Suffer Injuries
Sunday’s loss to the Patriots was rough, and this Monday isn’t looking any brighter for the Dolphins. The club has learned that cornerback Bobby McCain and center Daniel Kilgore both suffered injuries in Sunday’s 38-7 drumming, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (on Twitter). McCain is dealing with a knee injury while Kilgore has a torn triceps. 
There is no timetable for Kilgore, but a torn triceps is a serious injury with a high risk for a repeat tear if the player is not given enough time to heal properly. Logic dictates that Kilgore is a candidate to go on injured reserve with a chance to return later this year, but we’ll have to wait for more info on that front.
McCain, meanwhile, is expected to miss two or three weeks. The slot specialist is an integral part of Miami’s defense – as evidenced by his four-year, $27MM extension – so the Dolphins are hoping to get him back on the field as soon as possible. At minimum, he’ll miss contests against the Bengals and Bears.
Bucs To Start Jameis Winston
Fitzmagic is no more. On Monday, coach Dirk Koetter announced that Jameis Winston will be the Bucs’ starting quarterback when they face the Falcons in Week 6. 
[RELATED: Bucs’ O.J. Howard To Miss Time]
Winston was suspended for the first three games of the season and Fitzpatrick was stellar in his absence – at least through the first two games. Fitzpatrick had an up-and-down Week 3 against the Steelers and the wheels completely came off on Sunday against the Bears. When Winston took over, he outperformed the Harvard product by completing 16 of 20 passes for 145 yards and a touchdown. Winston threw a pair of picks in the process, but he still looks like the more promising option of the two.
Winston is under club control through the 2019 season thanks to his fifth-year option. The option, guaranteed for injury only, is worth $20.9MM. If Winston plays well from here on out, the Bucs will have an easy call to make in the offseason. If he falters, Winston could hit the free agent market, where he can still cash in due to positional scarcity.
Bears’ Sam Acho Done For Season
Bears linebacker Sam Acho is done for the season after tearing his pectoral muscle, coach Matt Nagy announced. The Bears will soon place Acho on injured reserve in order to free up a roster spot. 
Acho, who celebrated his 30th birthday just before the start of the season, was not starting this year, but he was involved in the Bears’ outside linebacker rotation behind Khalil Mack and Leonard Floyd. The injury means that the Bears will be featuring fourth-round rookie Joel Iyiegbuniwe and former 49ers linebacker Aaron Lynch more frequently, though the Bears will obviously look to keep Mack and Floyd on the field for as many plays as possible.
Last season, Acho started 12 games and played on 60% of the Bears’ defensive snaps. In that time, he posted 27 tackles, three sacks, and one pass defensed.