Latest On Vikings’ Everson Griffen
This week, local police said the Vikings told Everson Griffen that he could not return to the team until he received a mental health evaluation. That’s not exactly the case, according to ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin. Instead, she hears that Griffen was told to not worry about practice last week or the game against the Bills. Both sides, she hears, were in agreement that Griffen would stay away from the club until he was in a better mental state. 
Meanwhile, there’s some mystery as to whether Griffen attempted to break into into the home of teammate Trae Waynes. A person called the police to say that Griffen was in the bushes of the home and appeared to be looking for entry, but Waynes has issued a statement denying that there was an attempted break-in.
“To clarify, there was no attempted break-in at our home and at no point did my family or I feel unsafe,” Waynes said. “We are friends with the Griffen family and we are here to support them in any way possible during these trying times.”
Waynes did not deny that Griffen appeared at their home, so it seems quite possible that Griffen arrived unannounced at Waynes’ property and was acting erratically. However, it sounds like there was no real break-in attempt, and the lack of charges from local authorities seems to support that.
Still, there are many questions left to be answered when it comes to Griffen and his ongoing issues.
49ers To Work Out QB Landry Jones
The 49ers’ list of prospective quarterbacks continues to grow. On Tuesday, Landry Jones will join the group of roster hopefuls looking to join San Francisco, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic (on Twitter).
Jones, a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2013, has already spent time on the workout circuit this season. He’s auditioned for the Patriots, Jaguars and Cowboys over the past eight days.
The longtime Steelers backup will join Tom Savage, Kellen Clemens, Matt Simms and T.J. Yates among those vying to presumably serve as the No. 2 man behind new starter C.J. Beathard. Jones doesn’t have as much service-time experience as Clemens or Yates, nor has he opened a season as a starter like Savage has, but he did spend five seasons in Pittsburgh and started five games from 2015-17.
A prolific college quarterback while at Oklahoma, Jones has a career 63.9 completion percentage (7.8 yards per attempt) and has thrown eight touchdown passes compared to seven interceptions. He played in three games for an injured Ben Roethlisberger and started the Steelers’ past two Week 17 games — both against the Browns — while the Steelers rested Big Ben. Joshua Dobbs, however, beat out Jones for Pittsburgh’s backup job this offseason.
Buccaneers Place Chris Conte On IR
The Buccaneers have placed strong safety Chris Conte on injured reserve. Conte was forced to exit Monday night’s game against the Steelers with a knee injury, and it wound up being a serious issue. 
Conte has been a starter for the bulk of his career and has been a fixture in the Bucs’ secondary for the last four seasons. Last year, he played in all 16 games last year, starting 14. He didn’t set the world on fire as he was ranked No. 57 at his position by PFF, but the Bucs saw him as a serviceable player and brought him back on a low-cost $2.375MM option.
Conte was posterized by Steelers tight end Vance McDonald on Monday night, but the brutal stiff arm proved to be the least of his problems. Meanwhile, the Bucs will have to draw from a reserve safety group that includes fourth-round rookie Jordan Whitehead and former UDFA Isaiah Johnson.
Saints To Place Patrick Robinson On IR
The Saints are expected to place cornerback Patrick Robinson on injured reserve with a broken ankle, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Saints initially thought Robinson was dealing with a sprain, but further tests uncovered more serious damage. 
It’s not immediately clear whether the injury will rule Robinson out for the year. Per league rules, Robinson can return after spending at least eight weeks on IR, so he could be back in the lineup later this year if he heals up quickly.
The injury will impact the Saints for however long Robinson is out of action. Through three weeks, the Saints have one of the worst-ranked pass defenses in the NFL, and the loss of their top slot man will hurt.
After winning a championship with the Eagles, Robinson inked a four-year deal with the Saints in March. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 ranked CB.
Bills Trade Marshall Newhouse To Panthers
The Bills are trading offensive tackle Marshall Newhouse to the Panthers, a source tells Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). In exchange, the Bills will receive a conditional 2021 seventh-round pick (Twitter link via Joe Person of The Athletic).
Newhouse, 30 on Saturday, started 14 games at right tackle for the Raiders last season. In March, Oakland released him, leading him to sign a free agent deal with Buffalo. Newhouse was set to serve as a reserve after the trade of Cordy Glenn and the departure of Seantrel Henderson, but didn’t do much in his three games behind starters Dion Dawkins and Jordan Mills.
The Panthers’ O-Line, meanwhile, is coming off of a solid performance on Sunday which helped propel the team to a 31-21 win over the Bengals. The Panthers hope that Newhouse can fit in as a backup behind Taylor Moton and Amini Silatolu, particularly with Daryl Williams and Matt Kalil sidelined.
To replace Newhouse, the Bills are signing offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles. Sirles started 14 games from 2016-17 in Minnesota and spent the offseason with Carolina before being waived/injured.
49ers Haven’t Discussed Colin Kaepernick
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says the team has not discussed bringing back Colin Kaepernick (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). Shanahan added that the team discussed signing Kaepernick last year, but determined that he was not the right fit for their offense. 
After Jimmy Garoppolo‘s season-ending ACL tear, the 49ers are looking into backup quarterback options. Kaepernick represents a viable starter in a sea of clipboard holders, but he is not in consideration for San Francisco. Kaepernick may not be an ideal fit for the offense, but the national controversy surrounding him may also be playing a role here.
Kaepernick, 31 in November, has spent his entire NFL career to date with the 49ers. From 2011-2016, he went 28-30 in his starts, though he did take the team to the Super Bowl following the 2012 season and the NFC championship game following the 2013 campaign. Kaepernick’s last start came in January of 2017 as the 49ers closed out a trying season with a loss to the Seahawks.
Falcons Sign Bruce Carter, Sharrod Neasman
The Falcons have signed linebacker Bruce Carter and safety Sharrod Neasman, according to a team announcement. In related moves, the Falcons formally placed Ricardo Allen on injured reserve and waived linebacker Richard Jarvis. 
The Falcons said they would not make a splashy signing at safety to replace Allen, and the signing of Neasman shows that they are sticking to that plan. Neasman has previous experience with the Falcons, but does not represent a starting option. Without the services of Allen or Keanu Neal, the Falcons seem content with a group that includes Damontae Kazee, Jordan Richards, Keith Tandy, linebacker/safety Kemal Ishmael, and Neasman. The Seahawks may be open to trading Earl Thomas and Eric Reid continues to look for work, but the Falcons believe they have enough to get by.
Carter, who has past experience with the Cowboys, Bucs, and Jets, spent much of the last two years playing special teams in New York.
Titans To Sign QB Austin Davis
The Titans are signing free agent quarterback Austin Davis, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Davis will provide veteran insurance with Blaine Gabbert in the concussion protocol and Marcus Mariota nursing an elbow injury.
The expectation remains that Mariota will be ready to face the Eagles on Sunday, especially after he came in for Gabbert over the weekend. But, with Gabbert’s status up in the air, the Titans wanted another QB ready in reserve. If Mariota’s elbow trouble flares up again, it’s possible that Davis could be thrown into live action against the defending champs.
The Titans’ passing offense has been inconsistent through three games, but they’ve managed to jump out to a 2-1 record after wins against a pair of divisional rivals. The Titans hope that Mariota will regain his footing on Sunday, and they certainly hope that they won’t have to put Davis on the field.
Dolphins DE Andre Branch To Miss Time
Dolphins defensive end Andre Branch suffered a knee injury on Sunday that will cause him to miss 2-4 weeks of action, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). It’s a bad blow for a Dolphins D that will also be without fellow defensive end William Hayes for the remainder of the season. 
The Dolphins entered the year with solid edge rushing depth, but they’ll now have to rely heavily on Charles Harris to rotate in for starting defensive ends Cameron Wake and Robert Quinn. They’ll have to add a player or two for depth, at the very least, and there aren’t a ton of impact DEs left on the open market. Robert Ayers, who had a one-day stint with the Lions in late August, is one of the most notable names left in free agency. Odds are, the Dolphins will have to settle for some less inspiring options while they wait for Branch to heal up.
Branch, 29, tallied five tackles in the first three weeks of the season. In his two previous Dolphins seasons, Branch amassed ten sacks and played mostly as a starter.
Latest On Vikings’ Everson Griffen
Vikings defensive end Everson Griffen is being evaluated and treated at a mental health facility, sources tell Paul Walsh of the Star Tribune. This comes after his wife phoned police with concern about his behavior. 
Police were called to a downtown Minneapolis hotel on Saturday where he was threatening to assault staff employees and lying on the lobby floor. Later that day, Griffen’s wife contacted police to tell them that Griffen had sped off in a vehicle with another person and was not wearing a shirt. He returned later on, but police then received a call from a woman who said that Griffen was either breaking into the home of teammate Trae Waynes or trying to break in. A woman said she saw a shirtless Griffen at one point in the bushes of the yard.
Vikings player development director Les Pico told police that Griffen has not been himself for a few weeks and added that the team sent Griffen’s camp a letter on Thursday saying he wasn’t allowed back until he had a mental health evaluation (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com). The hotel incident on Saturday did not result in charges, so Griffen has been cleared by local authorities. It also appears that he was not forced to enter a mental health facility – rather, he is there voluntarily.
It’s a scary situation for Griffen, who inked a four-year, $58MM extension with the Vikings in 2017. No one knows exactly what’s going on with the three-time Pro Bowler, and the Vikings are understandably concerned about his overall wellbeing.