Cardinals Waive RB Andre Ellington
The Cardinals have waived running back Andre Ellington. Arizona has also signed running back Bronson Hill to its practice squad.
Although Ellington is a vested veteran, he will be subject to waivers since we are past the trading deadline. He hasn’t had the role of a starter or looked the part of one in some time (he was inactive on Sunday, his final game with the Cardinals), but he could hold value for several teams looking to fortify their running situation. The Redskins, for example, might consider claiming him after losing Chris Thompson for the season. Ellington is not as explosive as Thompson, but he does have soft hands out of the backfield.
In eight games this year, Ellington had 15 carries for 53 yards – good for just 3.5 yards per attempt – and one touchdown. He made a bigger impact as a pass-catcher, hauling in 33 grabs for 297 yards Heading into the season, the Cardinals planned to line up Ellington exclusively as a receiver instead of at running back, though they backed down from that plan in June.
The 0-10 Browns will have top priority on the waiver wire, so they’ll have the first opportunity to add Ellington to the roster. The 49ers (1-9), Giants (2-8), Bears (3-7), Colts (3-7), and Broncos (3-7) will also be among the teams at the front of the line.
In September, the Cardinals planned to have David Johnson, T.J. Logan, and Ellington as their top three backs. Thanks to injuries and Ellington’s ineffectiveness, all three players are out of the equation.
NFL Suspends Steelers’ Marcus Gilbert
Steelers offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert has been suspended four games for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy. In a statement, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert announced that Gilbert will not appeal the ban. 
This hasn’t been a banner year for Gilbert. Thanks to injuries, he has missed five of the team’s ten games to date. His PED suspension means that he will not be eligible to play again until Christmas against the Texans in Week 16.
Gilbert, 29, is signed through the 2019 season thanks to the five-year, $30MM extension he inked before the 2014 season. The Steelers discussed another extension with him prior to this season, but they ultimately did not agree to terms and the team may have second thoughts about a fresh deal given the way things have gone in recent months.
Last year, Pro Football Focus graded Gilbert as the NFL’s No. 11 tackle among 76 total qualifiers, painting him as one of the league’s very best right tackles. Heading into 2017, the former second-round pick started 75 games over six seasons in Pittsburgh.
NFC Notes: Bears, Floyd, Redskins, Pryor
Bears coach John Fox says linebacker Leonard Floyd is going to miss some time, but he would not commit to putting Floyd on injured reserve when speaking to reporters on Monday (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune). That’s because the team believes that he does not have a torn ACL, so a return later in the year is still possible. All in all, it’s good news for Floyd after he was carted off the field in Sunday’s loss to the Lions.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- Redskins wide receiver Terrelle Pryor is getting arthroscopic surgery on his ankle, a source tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Doctors should have a better idea of his recovery timetable after he goes under the knife. Pryor, a big free agent signing, has yet to really shine in Washington. To date, he has 20 catches for 240 yards with one touchdown in nine games.
- Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston‘s shoulder was re-evaluated today and he is not ready to return, head coach Dirk Koetter tells reporters (Twitter link via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com). Winston will be out this week against the Falcons, but doctors will check him out next week.
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says Blaine Gabbert will start again this week (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). The plan, he says, is to stick with him until Drew Stanton is totally healthy. Gabbert completed 22-of-34 of his passes for 257 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions, both occurring late in the game. He did a solid job overall, but the Cardinals wound up falling short and falling to 4-6 on the year.
- Packers defensive lineman Kenny Clark suffered a high-ankle sprain on Sunday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The injury does not appear to be a season-ender, but he may miss multiple games.
Titans’ Harry Douglas Returns To Practice
Harry Douglas could be on the verge of returning to the field. On Monday, the wide receiver practiced with the Titans (Twitter link via Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com). 
By putting Douglas on the practice field, the Titans have triggered a three-week window in which they can bring him off of injured reserve. If he is not activated within that timeframe, he will not be allowed to play for the remainder of the season. However, coach Mike Mularkey says that Douglas could rejoin the roster as early as this week.
Douglas, 33, spent the first six seasons of his career with the Falcons and eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving in 2013. He was less effective upon joining the Titans in 2015, finishing out with 36 catches for 411 yards and two touchdowns. Last year, his usage dwindled with just 15 grabs for 210 yards in 11 games. He took a pay cut to stay with the team in the spring and he hasn’t had a chance to redeem himself thanks to a knee injury.
The Titans stayed competitive with the Steelers on Thursday night before Pittsburgh blew the doors open en route to a 40-17 win. Even after the tough loss, Tennessee is in the hunt for the AFC South crown with a 6-4 record. Douglas might not be able to reprise his 2013 performance, but he could be a useful weapon behind Rishard Matthews, Corey Davis, and Eric Decker.
Per the league’s IR-DTR rules, each team is permitted to bring two players back from IR each season. The Titans are still deliberating whether to also bring linebacker Aaron Wallace back into the fold.
Packers RB Aaron Jones Facing Charges
Packers running back Aaron Jones is facing multiple charges stemming from a traffic stop in October, as Michael Cohen of the Journal Sentinel details. Jones, who told authorities that he had smoked marijuana, pleaded not guilty to counts of speeding, driving without a valid license, and operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in his system. The arrest happened on Oct. 2, but was previously unreported. 
Jones is currently sidelined with a knee injury suffered against the Bears earlier this month. In a best case scenario, the 22-year-old could be back on the field in a couple of weeks. The far end of his timetable (six weeks at the time of the injury) would rule him out until Week 17 against the Lions (Dec. 31). While he’s out, Jamaal Williams will serve as Green Bay’s starting running back.
The legal run-in likely won’t affect Jones in 2017 since the NFL tends to wait for a legal resolution before acting on charges such as these. However, he may face league discipline in 2018.
The UTEP product was arrested on suspicion of driving while intoxicated last year, so that may have some bearing on his case.
Bears Sign K Cairo Santos
The Bears are signing free agent kicker Cairo Santos, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Of course, with Santos in Chicago, Connor Barth is out of a job. 
Santos met with both the Bears and Bucs recent weeks. When he visited with the Bucs, he was not yet healthy enough to resume playing. When the Bears met with him, he still had a bit to go in rehab and the inconsistent Barth was coming off of a strong performance. Now that Santos is healthy and Barth has faltered again by missing a game-tying field goal in Sunday’s loss to the Lions, the timing was right for a change.
Santos spent his entire career with the Chiefs until a groin injury slowed him this year, causing the team to cut him in September. Before his release, he converted 3-of-3 field goal tries this season and went 6-for-6 on extra points. Last year, he nailed 31 of 35 field goal tries, good for fifth in the league amongst kickers (88.6%).
Next up for Santos and the Bears is a tough road matchup against the red-hot Eagles.
Broncos Fire OC Mike McCoy
There’s a big change going down in Denver. The Broncos have fired offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). To fill his spot, the Broncos are promoting assistant Bill Musgrave. 
The Broncos are now 3-7 following a tough loss to the Bengals on Sunday. Brock Osweiler, who recently took over as starting quarterback, threw for 254 yards with one touchdown and one interception while completing 23 of 42 passes. His so-so day wasn’t enough to power the offense, particularly since the run game never really got going. Devontae Booker finished out as the top rusher with 44 yards off of 14 carries followed by 37 yards from 13 attempts by C.J. Anderson. Their averages of 3.1 and 2.8 yards per carry, respectively, were the latest examples of offensive futility in Denver.
“I’m disappointed that things didn’t work out because this is a special organization and a great place to be,” McCoy said in a statement released by the team. “I want to thank Vance [Joseph] for the opportunity he gave me and the entire organization from Mr. B all the way on down. I appreciate the hard work of our players and was proud to work with them along with the rest of our coaching staff. My family and I loved it here, and I’m very thankful for my time with the Denver Broncos.”
Musgrave spent the past two seasons as the Raiders’ offensive coordinator before the team opted against offering him a new contract in January. Under Musgrave’s command in 2016, the Raiders had the No. 6 ranked offense in the NFL. This offseason, he reportedly turned down offensive coordinator jobs elsewhere to join Denver as the quarterbacks coach. Today, his patience paid off.
As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes (Twitter link), McCoy has been fired from NFL jobs twice inside of ten months.
Saints’ Alex Okafor Out For Season
Alex Okafor‘s season is over. The Saints defensive end suffered a torn Achilles on Sunday that will sideline him for the remainder of the year, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). 
Okafor joined the Saints on a one-year, $3MM deal this offseason and it turned out to be one of the best one-year contracts in the NFL, as detailed recently by PFR’s Dallas Robinson. In ten games, the 26-year-old racked up 43 total tackles and 4.5 sacks – both representing career highs. He currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 16 ranked edge defender with an 84.7 overall score. His work in 486 snaps has him slotted ahead of big names such as Cameron Wake, Jadeveon Clowney, Chandler Jones, Clay Matthews, and Brian Orakpo. That’s not too shabby for a $3MM investment.
Of course, the trade deadline has come and gone, so the Saints can only look to the free agent market for potential out-of-house upgrades. Jason Jones spent some time with New Orleans during training camp, so he could be a possible fit thanks to his familiarity with the system. It’s not clear if free agents Jared Odrick and Mario Williams are looking to continue their careers, but Tyson Jackson and Jaye Howard, have been hitting the workout circuit hard in recent weeks.
Internally, the Saints could lean more heavily on third-round rookie Trey Hendrickson and sixth-round pick Al-Quadin Muhammad to pick up the slack.
NFL Investigating Bucs QB Jameis Winston
An Uber driver alleges that she was groped by Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston in March of last year, Talal Ansari of BuzzFeed News has learned. In a letter to the alleged victim, lead NFL investigator Lisa Friel indicated that an investigation is underway. 
“The League has been informed that you may have been the victim of such a violation perpetrated by Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Jameis Winston,” the letter reads. “The league takes allegations of this nature very seriously and has opened an investigation into this matter.”
The female driver, identified only as Kate, says that she picked up Winston early on a Sunday morning. His friends placed him in the front seat, even though he was the only passenger. Kate agreed to take Winston to get fast food and the quarterback, she says, placed his hand on her crotch while they were waiting at the drive-thru.
Meanwhile, a Winston’s representative, Russ Spielman, issued a statement denying the allegations:
“We categorically deny this allegation. It is our understanding the Uber driver was unable to identify the specific individual who allegedly touched this driver inappropriately. The only reason his name is being dragged in to this is that his Uber account was used to call the ride.”
An Uber spokesperson issued a statement as well, indicating Winston is “permanently banned” from using the app.
“The behavior the driver reported is disturbing and wrong,” the statement read (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, on Twitter). “The rider was permanently removed from the app shortly after we learned of the incident.”
Winston has since released a statement on the matter. The third-year Bucs quarterback does not deny he was in the car at that point but said he was not the person in the front seat at the time this alleged incident occurred.
“(Buzzfeed’s story) falsely accuses me of making inappropriate contact with this driver. I believe the driver was confused as to the number of passengers in the car and who was sitting next to her,” Winston said (via Twitter). “The accusation is false, and given the nature of the allegation and increased awareness and consideration of these types of matters, I am addressing this false report immediately. At the time of the alleged incident, I denied the allegations to Uber, yet they still decided to suspend my account.
“I am supportive of the national movement to raise awareness and develop better responses to the concerns of parties who find themselves in these types of situations, but this accusation is false. While I am certain I did not make any inappropriate contact, I don’t want to engage in a battle with the driver and I regret if my demeanor or presence made her uncomfortable in any way.”
Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told reporters that the team will soon release a statement on the matter. The franchise has since done so.
“We are in the process of obtaining further information regarding today’s media report,” the team said in a statement. “We take these matters seriously and are fully supportive of the investigation that is being conducted by the NFL.”
Winston has encountered trouble on this front before. While at Florida State, the quarterback was accused of rape in 2012. However, Tallahassee, Fla., police did not charge him with a crime in connection with that alleged incident. In 2016, Winston settled a civil suit with his accuser.
No police report was filed by this latest accuser with the Phoenix or Scottsdale, Ariz., Police Departments, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Latest On Jerry Jones/Roger Goodell Saga
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not react well when he first heard that running back Ezekiel Elliott was being handed a six-game suspension. That fateful phone conversation between Jones, commissioner Roger Goodell, and general counsel Jeff Pash instantly ignited a war between the Cowboys owner and the league office. 
“I’m gonna come after you with everything I have,” Jones said, according to Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com. “If you think [Patriots owner] Bob Kraft came after you hard [over Deflategate], Bob Kraft is a p—y compared to what I’m going to do.”
The article from the ESPN duo, which is worth reading in full, paints an ugly picture of where things currently stand between Jones and the NFL. The story also goes into detail about a major chasm between Goodell’s administration and the league’s owners. Even within Goodell’s upper ranks, there appears to be a great deal of mistrust. Despite all of that, it appears that Goodell is on the brink of an extension that will give him a pay bump over his current $42MM salary.
Goodell was reportedly “furious” about this extension being delayed, and the ESPN duo report the 11th-year commissioner was “emboldened” at the notion he would accept a deep pay cut after making the league’s owners a lot of money, while “taking many bullets for them,” during his tenure. The commissioner still has support from many owners, and the ownership contingent expects his salary to land around the $40MM-AAV mark, Wickersham and Van Natta Jr. report. This comes after ESPN reported Goodell asked in August for a deal worth around $49MM per year, provided he reached incentives, and a compensation package that included the usage of a private jet for he and his family.
Goodell might walk away if the owners “squeeze him too hard” regarding his salary, Van Natta Jr. and Wickersham report. The lack of a successor plays into Goodell’s thinking here.
Van Natta Jr. and Wickersham also report the owners have considered other high-profile commissioner candidates. One owner’s confidant reached out to NBA commissioner Adam Silver about taking over for Goodell. Silver quickly said no. The owners also reached out to the International Olympic Committee in an attempt to find a candidate with experience growing sports globally.
Goodell’s predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, was mentioned as a possible one-year stopgap option while Goodell’s long-term successor was determined. It’s not clear whether the 76-year-old Taliabue would be interested, but Jones reportedly has his own candidate in mind. Other owners, by in large, aren’t interested in a Jones-handpicked successor.
The ESPN reporters note this Jones-Goodell feud is not about the commissioner’s contract, but rather power and control.
“Jerry’s message to Roger was ‘I run this league. You better get with it,'” a senior league executive told ESPN. “This is about power and control, not the contract. That’s all white noise.”
Meanwhile, Jones figures to become a point of discussion in the Colin Kaepernick case. The quarterback’s attorneys will delve into the relationship between Jones and Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter and will inquire about whether Jones pushed Schnatter to slam Goodell on an earnings call, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports hears. A deposition for Jones could be finalized by mid-December. Schnatter, however, cannot be forced to give a deposition.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.