Colts’ Malik Hooker Out For Year
Malik Hooker‘s season is already over. The Colts safety suffered a torn ACL and MCL in Sunday’s loss to Jacksonville, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) reports.
The first round rookie was off to a strong start this year. Heading into this weekend, he was ranked as a top-35 safety by the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. He also proved to have a nose for the ball with a team-leading three interceptions.
The No. 15 overall pick is no stranger to injuries, unfortunately. In January, he underwent operations to fix a torn labrum and address a hernia issue. Still, he was viewed as a high-end pick despite the health concerns. In his final year at Ohio State, Hooker racked up 74 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss, and an eye-popping seven picks. Some talent evaluators even preferred Hooker to LSU safety Jamal Adams who went nine picks earlier to the Jets.
“[He’s] still so raw and you see him making all of those plays. He’s a player who will come in and look bad his first year and then be an all-pro by his third year. I think that’s his arc. No short-cut for experience,” one AFC personnel director told Lance Zierlein of NFL.com before the draft.
Turns out, Hooker looked great in his first NFL season, but his frosh campaign in the pros has ended prematurely. He’ll look to build off of his hot start in 2018.
NFL: We Won’t Settle With Ezekiel Elliott
So much for a compromise. On Friday, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart closed the door on a possible deal with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. 
“We’re not looking to make a deal, we’re very confident our arguments will prevail in court,” Lockhart said (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
A Wednesday report indicated that Elliott’s camp and the NFL have held informal settlement discussions at each stage of the legal process. However, if there were settlement talks taking place, they were not being done directly with Elliott or anyone especially close to him.
One source close to Elliott surmised to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram that such talks may have been taking place between commissioner Roger Goodell and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. It’s not 100% clear if that’s the case, but, if those discussions did go down between Goodell and Jones, they were not fruitful.
For now, Elliott remains in limbo. Thanks to a temporary restraining order, he will be in action this Sunday against the Niners and the following Sunday against the Redskins.
Through five games, Elliott has 393 yards off of 105 carries. His 3.7 yards per carry average isn’t terrible, but it’s a far cry from his 5.1 yards per attempt as a rookie. San Francisco has allowed 112+ yards per contest, so there should be opportunities for him to crank things up at Levi’s Stadium.
Latest On Bengals TE Tyler Eifert
Tyler Eifert‘s season is over. But the good news is that he should be able to pick up where he left off in the spring. Doctors have told the Bengals tight end that he should be fully heathy without any further issues in the offseason, as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. 
Eifert will become a free agent in March when his fifth-year option expires and his health will largely determine his future. When he’s on the field, Eifert is among the league’s most dangerous pass-catchers. However, he has played in just ten total games over the last two seasons. His back surgery earlier this month marked the third of his career.
Prior to his season-ending injury, Eifert had a chance at becoming the league’s highest-paid tight end in 2018, but any real chance of that is out the window. He’ll likely opt for a one-year pillow contract over a mid-range multi-year deal with the hope that he can make the big bucks in 2019. If he can get through workouts without setbacks, then he’ll make a nice chunk of change on that platform contract.
Colts To Place Robert Turbin On IR
The Colts are shutting down Bobby Turbo and firing up Marlon Mack. Robert Turbin is headed to injured reserve with a dislocated elbow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This was the feared, but expected outcome after he suffered the injury on Monday night. 
Turbin has been playing behind Frank Gore and getting a decent number of snaps. That has been a source of frustration for Colts fans and fantasy owners who have been waiting for Mack to get an opportunity to shine. We’ll now find out of Mack can keep his production up with a heavier workload. He has 4.8 yards per carry this year off of 27 attempts, plus two touchdowns.
Turbin’s season ends with 53 yards on the ground and 56 yards through the air. Last year, he enjoyed one of his most productive NFL seasons, running for 164 yards and seven touchdowns.
The veteran has one more year to go on the two-year deal he signed in March, but it’s not a lock that he’ll be back in Indianapolis in 2018.
49ers Cut CB Leon Hall
Well, that was fast. The 49ers have released cornerback Leon Hall, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
Hall signed with the Niners on October 10 and the hope was that he would help turn around their lackluster secondary. Just over one week later, the 49ers have decided they are not pleased with what they’ve seen.
Hall could catch on with another team, but it seems his best days are behind him as he has yet to replicate his best work from a couple years back with the Bengals. After nine seasons with the Bengals, Hall joined up with the Giants last year. The corner appeared in 12 games (two starts), totaling 20 tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception.
Hall leaves SF after receiving two game checks totaling roughly $118K, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets. The cornerback participated in four practices, but did not suit up for a game. For those of you keeping score at home, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee (Twitter link) adds that Hall did not set the record for the shortest stint in franchise history. That distinction may belong to quarterback John Skelton who signed with the club on Oct. 2, 2013 and was released on Oct. 9, 2013.
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Thursday
Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game ban was set to go into effect immediately…until it wasn’t. On Tuesday, the Cowboys running back was granted a temporary restraining order against the NFL, putting his suspension on hold for at least the next two games.
Then, on Wednesday night, it was reported that there have been settlement talks between Elliott’s camp and the NFL. After months of ugliness, could the two sides conceivably meet in the middle with a ban of, say, three games? Here’s the latest on that:
- Claims of settlement talks between the NFLPA/Elliott’s camp and the NFL are untrue, a person familiar with the situation tells Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter).
- Meanwhile, sources close to Elliott and the NFLPA tell Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (Twitter links) that they have no knowledge of settlement talks or interest in a compromise. Elliott, as we’ve heard before, is out to clear his name from accusations that he says are without merit. If there have been talks, then a source surmises that they have taken place between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell themselves.
- With all of that in mind, there is very little chance of a settlement taking place, multiple sources tell Mark Maske of The Washington Post (on Twitter).
Ravens Sign WR Griff Whalen
The Ravens announced that they have signed wide receiver Griff Whalen. In related moves, the team cut offensive lineman Tony Bergstrom and released cornerback Sheldon Price from injured reserve. 
Whalen, 27, spent the first four years of his career with the Colts before taking a mini-tour around the league in 2016. The bulk of his action last year came in eight games with the Chargers. He spent this past summer with the Ravens, but he missed the final cut in early September. He has now been called back at a time when Baltimore is in desperate need of wide receiver depth. Breshad Perriman is in concussion protocol while Jeremy Maclin and Mike Wallace have not been able to practice fully.
The Ravens traded a conditional draft pick to the Cardinals in September to acquire Bergstrom. After the offensive lineman played in just 32 snaps on offense and 13 on special teams, the conditions for the pick transfer might not have been met.
Falcons To Sign DL Ahtyba Rubin
The Falcons have signed defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rubin became a free agent on Tuesday when he was released by Denver. 
Rubin was set to enter the final year of a three-year, $12MM deal with the Seahawks this year. Instead, he was cut in early September. The Broncos signed him later on that month, but he was cut loose after dressing just twice.
In his first Seahawks season (2015), Rubin amassed 36 tackles, two sacks, and finished fourth among the team’s defensive linemen in snaps. Last year, he once again had a perfect attendance record in the regular season as he racked up 39 tackles, one sack, and three forced fumbles. However, he wasn’t quite living up to the standards of his deal in Seattle.
With the Falcons, Rubin will help provide depth in the wake of injuries to starting defensive end Courtney Upshaw and reserve defensive tackle Jack Crawford. Upshaw did return to practice this week, so there is hope for him to play on Sunday against the Patriots. Crawford, however, is on IR.
Redskins’ Jonathan Allen To Return This Year?
This week, it was reported that Jonathan Allen‘s Lisfranc injury would be a season-ender. Turns out that might not be the case. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the defensive lineman will go on injured reserve with a “designation to return.” 
Schefter’s phrasing is a bit puzzling since teams are no longer obligated to designate players for return from IR at the time of injury. But, it sounds as though there is at least some possibility for a mid-season return for the rookie. If that’s the case, then the rules dictate that Allen could rejoin the roster in as little as eight weeks, allowing him to rejoin the squad for the end of the regular season and – if the Redskins qualify – the postseason.
Allen’s injury typically requires 6-8 weeks of rest followed by rehab, as John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes, so Allen will have to be a fast healer in order to get back on the field this year. To his credit, the first-round pick has battled through some tough injuries in the past, including arthritis in both shoulders.
In five games this year, Allen registered ten total tackles and one sack.
Eagles Place S Chris Maragos On IR
The Eagles are placing safety Chris Maragos on injured reserve, the team announced. The knee injury is a season-ender, so we will not see him back on the field in eight weeks. To fill his roster spot, the team has signed fifth-round rookie Nate Gerry off of the practice squad. 
“It’s hard. Not only a great football player, but a great person, great man,” head coach Doug Pederson said (via NJ.com’s Eliot Shorr-Parks). “Great leader on the team in the locker room…next man has to step up and fill that role.”
Maragos – the Eagles’ special teams captain – contributed primarily in the third facet of the game. Without him, Pederson says the team will have to rely on others in the special teams mix to step it up. That group includes safety Corey Graham, running back Corey Clement, and safety Jaylen Watkins, according to the coach. The Eagles can also be expected to sign someone to fill his spot on the roster.
Maragos is under contract in 2018 for $2MM, but the team can save $1.5MM in cap space by cutting him. Though he is a vital special teamer, the injury could put his Philly future in flux.