Panthers Trade WR Kelvin Benjamin To Bills
The Panthers have traded wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin to the Bills, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The buzzer beating deal comes as one of the biggest trades of the week, and that’s saying a lot for what has been a historically eventful deadline. In return, the Panthers receive Buffalo’s third- and seventh-round picks in 2018, a league source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). 
Benjamin’s name was not involved in rumors leading up to the NFL’s Halloween trade deadline. However, it was the old connection between executive Brandon Beane and Carolina that brought the deal together. The Bills traded away one of the game’s brightest talents in Sammy Watkins earlier this year, but they have replaced him with another big target.
The Bills are off to a 5-2 start with a very real chance of toppling the Patriots for the AFC East crown. The move to acquire Benjamin reads as a go-for-it deal, and Buffalo fans are happy to see that in the wake of the Marcell Dareus trade.
Benjamin, 26, was a first-round pick of the Panthers in 2014 when Beane was in the front office and Sean McDermott was on the sidelines. In that season, he caught 73 passes for 1,008 yards and nine scores. Unfortunately, the 2015 season was lost to injury and the football world is still waiting for Benjamin to replicate that season. The good news is that the health and conditioning problems that were plaguing the Florida State product appear to be behind him. In his half-season for Carolina this year, he has 32 grabs for 475 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers previously exercised the fifth-year option on Benjamin, meaning that the Bills will have him under contract through the 2018 season. His paltry $2.44MM cap number will increase to $8.46MM under the option, which is guaranteed for injury only.
Giants Suspend Janoris Jenkins
The Giants have suspended a second starting cornerback this season. This time, it’s Janoris Jenkins who has encountered a team-imposed suspension, Kimberly Jones of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Jenkins violated team rules and will miss at least this weekend’s game against the Rams, per Jones. This follows the Giants’ suspension of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie earlier this month. 
When the Giants returned from their bye on Monday, Jenkins was not with the club. At the time, coach Ben McAdoo said he was excused for “personal reasons”. On Tuesday, McAdoo said that was not really the case.
“At that point, neither myself nor any of the coaches had heard from Jackrabbit,” McAdoo explained, referring to Jenkins by his locker room nickname.
So far this year, Jenkins is ranked as the No. 28 cornerback in the NFL by Pro Football Focus. His 81.5 grade is solid, but it’s a step back from his 88.0 showing in 2016.
We’re still waiting to hear why Jenkins was MIA on Monday, just one day after his 29th birthday.
“As a member of this team, there are standards and we have responsibilities and obligations,” said McAdoo. “When we don’t fulfill those obligations, there are consequences. As I have said before, we do not like to handle our team discipline publicly. There are times when it is unavoidable, and this is one of those times.”
Ravens’ Danny Woodhead To Come Off Of IR
Ravens running back Danny Woodhead has officially returned to practice, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The plan is for Woodhead to return from injured reserve. 
The Ravens parked Woodhead on IR in September when he was taking longer than expected to recover from a hamstring strain. With some extra time to recover, Woodhead should be able to give Baltimore’s running game a boost. As an added bonus, he’s entering the midway point of the season with fresh legs.
Woodhead signed with the Ravens on a three-year, $8.8MM deal with $4.25MM guaranteed back in March. It remains to be seen whether he can truly earn his salary given his age and injury troubles.
Woodhead missed most of last season and played in only three games for the 2014 Chargers due to injury. In 2015, however, Woodhead totaled 1,091 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns.
Browns’ Josh Gordon Applying For Reinstatement
1:39pm: Gordon’s meeting with the NFL is scheduled for Wednesday, not today, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. This means that Gordon will not be reinstated before this afternoon’s trade deadline.
12:59pm: Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon will meet with the league office in New York City on Tuesday, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Schefter adds that the Browns could trade his rights today if he is reinstated. 
The Browns have waffled a bit when it comes to Gordon. Earlier this year, coach Hue Jackson indicated that the team would be moving on from the troubled wide receiver. Then, as the season approached, he seemed to soften that stance. Right now, it sounds like the Browns are intent on turning Gordon into draft capital if he is allowed back into the league.
In order for Gordon to earn reinstatement, he’ll have to show that he has made significant changes to his lifestyle. For some time, it was believed that Gordon was suspended due to marijuana use. Recently, he opened up about the full scope of his issues, including the misuse of Xanax, cocaine, codeine, and prescription cough syrup.
Gordon has not played since the end of the 2014 season. He had 24 catches for 303 yards in the final five games of that campaign. In 2013, he secured First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors when he hauled in 87 receptions for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns.
Teams Calling On Bears G Josh Sitton
Teams are calling the Bears with interest in guard Josh Sitton, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).With a couple of hours to go until the trade deadline, the 3-5 Bears could be motivated to trade the lineman to a contending club. 
Sitton, 31, carries a $6.8MM cap number this year before that jumps to $8.66MM in 2018. Sitton doesn’t come cheap, but he has been regarded as one of the league’s best guards for nearly a decade, so he is worth it for a team looking to win right now.
Sitton currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ ninth-best guard, which is actually lower than where Sitton has been situation in previous years. Sitton, who has spent his entire career to date in the NFC North, is coming off of his fourth career Pro Bowl nod.
Texans Working Out Sterling Moore
The Texans are working out defensive back Sterling Moore, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). This marks Moore’s first audition since being released by New Orleans last week. 
[RELATED: Texans Ship Duane Brown To Seahawks]
Houston is in serious need of help in the secondary, even after acquiring cornerback Jeremy Lane in Monday’s Duane Brown trade with the Seahawks. Moore can contribute at both cornerback and safety, making him an interesting potential addition to the group headlined by Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson. After a rough outing on Sunday, it’s clear that Kevin Johnson needs more time to shake the rust off.
Pro Football Focus ranked Moore as the league’s No. 65 corner in 2016. In terms of traditional stats, he had 56 total tackles and two interceptions over 13 games (12 starts).
Seahawks QB Russell Wilson Reworks Contract
Russell Wilson is a team player. This week, the quarterback reworked his contract to accommodate the Seahawks’ acquisition of Duane Brown, according to Andrew Brandt of The MMQB (on Twitter). 
Wilson, 29 in November, is midway through a four-year contract extension signed in July of 2015. By converting some of his current year salary into a bonus, he gave the Seahawks enough breathing room to give him the type of dominant left tackle he has been pushing for.
Wilson’s $87.6MM deal runs through the 2019 season. The QB carries a $14.626MM cap charge this year before it balloons to $23.8MM in 2018 and $25.3MM in 2019.
Despite a suspect offensive line, Wilson has thrown for more than 2,000 yards with 15 touchdowns against four interceptions in seven games. With some improved protection from Brown, Seattle’s offense could take another step forward in the second half.
Redskins Looking To Add Wide Receiver
The Redskins are looking to add a wide receiver, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). They have until 4pm ET/3pm CT to pull off a trade.
So far, the production from Terrelle Pryor and Josh Doctson has been underwhelming, to say the least. Pryor, a highly-prized addition in free agency, has just 18 catches for 223 yards and one touchdown. Josh Doctson, meanwhile, has only eight grabs for 130 yards with three TDs. Through seven games, running back Chris Thompson stands as the team’s leading receiver with 442 yards through the air plus three scores. Wide receiver Jamison Crowder (272 yards) and star tight end Jordan Reed (211 yards) trail by a significant margin.
The Redskins are 3-4 after losing to the rival Cowboys on Sunday. Next up is a road tilt against the 5-2 Seahawks.
Colts Discussing Donte Moncrief Trade
The Colts are open for business as the trade deadline approaches. The Colts have received calls on Donte Moncrief and they are listening, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Andrew Luck-less Colts sank to 2-6 on Sunday with their 24-23 loss to the Bengals. It’s no surprise that they’re open to trading name players given their current position. Cornerback Vontae Davis, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, running back Frank Gore, and offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo have also been mentioned in trade rumors. Teams that find the asking price for Hilton to be too rich may view Moncrief as a less thrilling yet less costly alternative.
Moncrief, 24, has 18 catches for 271 yards and one touchdown so far this season. He’s on pace for far less than the 64 catches for 733 yards and six TDs that he had in 2015, his last complete campaign.
Patriots Open To Trading Malcolm Butler
The Patriots remain willing to move cornerback Malcolm Butler, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears. JLC goes on to speculate that the Pats could package the second-round pick they acquired from the Niners in the Jimmy Garoppolo blockbuster to bring home a quality player. 
[RELATED: Patriots Trade QB Jimmy Garoppolo To 49ers]
Butler, 27, is headed for free agency after the 2017 season. The Patriots, unwilling to commit to him this summer, shopped him hard and nearly sent him to the Saints. Butler is back to playing quality football after a shaky start to the season, but the Patriots are in in the same place – they need to think hard about moving the cornerback if they are unwilling to commit serious dollars to him in March.
The Garoppolo deal could spur Bill Belichick & Co. to package Butler with their draft capital for something better, as La Canfora suggested, but Monday’s deal could have the opposite effect on potential Butler talks. Before the trade, the Patriots were seemingly on course to re-sign or franchise tag Garoppolo for a lot of money. With the young QB out of the equation, there should be more money available to lock up Butler, if that’s what they want to do.
As of this writing, Butler is Pro Football Focus’ No. 31 ranked cornerback in the NFL. He was ranked No. 7 in 2016.