49ers Add Two Defensive Linemen
The 49ers have beefed up their defensive line in the wake of Arik Armstead‘s injury. Defensive tackles Tony McDaniel and Leger Douzable have been signed, as Adam Caplan of SiriusXM reports (Twitter links). 
[RELATED: 49ers’ Arik Armstead Suffers Hand Injury]
McDaniel, 32, has experience in a system similar to SF’s thanks to his time in Seattle. Defensive coordinator Robert Saleh was even on staff with the Seahawks during one of his seasons with the team. In that year, McDaniel started a career-high 15 games and recorded 53 tackles (a career mark) plus two sacks.
Douzable missed the Niners’ initial cut, but he is back with the team here in October. The 31-year-old appeared in every game for the Bills last season (including five starts) and had 43 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Raiders Designate Obi Melifonwu For Return
When the Raiders put Obi Melifonwu on injured reserve to start the year, they did so with the hope that he could return mid-season. His recovery went according to schedule, and the second-round safety has been designated to return from IR two weeks from now, as Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area writes. 
Melifonwu, the 56th pick in this year’s draft, wowed Raiders scouts in workouts after a strong four-year stretch at UConn. On campus, he tallied eight career interceptions with four of those picks coming in his final season. Melifonwu also notched a personal-best 118 tackles as a senior. Before the draft, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein compared him to the George Iloka of the Bengals.
Bair writes that Melifonwu’s primary task will be to cover tight ends and running backs in sub packages. Down the line, the team is hoping that he can step into a starting role.
Broncos Cut DL Ahtyba Rubin
The Broncos are releasing defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin, a source tells Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). In a related move, offensive lineman Billy Turner has been placed on injured reserve. 
Rubin was cut by the Seahawks in early September, making him a free agent in the midst of what was supposed to be a lucrative three-year deal. He signed with the Broncos roughly two weeks later. After dressing just two times in one month, the Broncos are putting him back on the curb.
Klis (Twitter link) expects the Broncos to use their newly-open roster space to add some depth at wide receiver. The Broncos have only three healthy wide receivers available heading into Sunday’s game against the Chargers. Some veteran help would be welcome behind top target Demaryius Thomas as Emmanuel Sanders and Isaiah McKenzie deal with injury.
Panthers Sign LB Andrew Gachkar
The Panthers have signed linebacker Andrew Gachkar, according to a team announcement. The veteran will serve as insurance in the event that Luke Kuechly is out for an extended period of time. 
Kuechly was forced out of last week’s loss to the Eagles when he suffered a head/neck injury. The collision with Eagles guard Brandon Brooks was extra concerning given Kuechly’s history of head injuries. He did not practice on Tuesday and he remains in concussion protocol, so his timetable for recovery remains unclear.
Gachkar is obviously not of the same caliber as Kuechly, but he will provide depth for however long the four-time Pro Bowler is out. For now, David Mayo seems likely to start at middle linebacker with Jared Norris as his primary backup. Gachkar, a special teams specialist, will probably see more time on kick and punt coverage than actual defensive plays.
Panthers Cut QB Brad Kaaya
The Panthers are releasing quarterback Brad Kaaya, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The move will make room for the previously reported promotion of Garrett Gilbert from the practice squad. 
The 22-year-old was in the first-round discussion as recently as 2015, but a disappointing 2016 season at Miami caused him to drop to the sixth round. After the Lions opted to go in a different direction in early September, Carolina claimed Kaaya off waivers. Kaaya’s off the team now, but the Panthers may seek to stash him on the practice squad if he clears waivers.
Gilbert will now serve as the No. 3 quarterback behind Cam Newton and Derek Anderson. His promotion could be a sign that another team tried to sign him to a 53-man deal off of the Panthers’ taxi squad.
Giants End DRC’s Ban
Giants cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is back with the team. His suspension is over and he’ll rejoin the Giants in advance of Sunday’s game against Seattle, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Giants have since confirmed the news via press release.
Rodgers-Cromartie clashed with coach Ben McAdoo last week – apparently, on four separate occasions – before being suspended “indefinitely” for conduct detrimental to the team. The collective bargaining agreement dictates that teams can not suspend players for more than four games for such an infraction, so DRC was never facing a ban of more than one month.
Surprisingly, the Giants pulled out their first win of the season on Sunday without DRC in the lineup. The G-Men are now 1-5 after a solid defensive performance against the Broncos, including two interceptions.
Still, having Rodgers-Cromartie in the lineup going forward will give them their best chance to win. The playoffs are almost certainly out of reach, but the Giants would like to avoid a morale-crushing season.
Jaguars Sign K Josh Lambo, Cut Jason Myers
The Jaguars have made a change at kicker. Jacksonville has signed Josh Lambo and released Jason Myers. 
Lambo, 26, spent the two seasons with the Chargers after first hooking on as an undrafted free agent. However, he lost the kicking battle to Younghoe Koo and wound up without a job in early September. During his time in San Diego, Lambo connected on 52 of 64 field goals and converted 70 of 78 extra points.
Lambo didn’t land a deal when he auditioned for the Jaguars back on September 15th, but they kept his number handy and gave him a ring one month later. He also showed his stuff for the Raiders, Eagles, Bears, and Buccaneers in recent weeks.
Myers missed two 54-year tries against the Rams on Sunday and that, apparently, was the final straw for him. He had four total missed field goal tries in 2017, but three of them were from 50 yards or more. He also missed two extra point attempts.
Broncos To Bring Shane Ray Back
Broncos outside linebacker Shane Ray has been officially designated as a short-term injured reserve player, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That means he is now allowed to practice. 
The NFL’s recently modified injured reserve rules allow teams to activate up to two players from IR each season. However, a player must first spend six weeks off of the practice field and an additional two weeks out of from live action. With today’s move, Ray becomes the first NFL player to receive the IR-DTR designation in 2017.
Ray broke out in 2016, racking up 48 tackles and eight sacks in his 664 snaps. Only two Broncos linebackers – Von Miller and Todd Davis – saw more action than Ray last year. He ranked an above-average 45th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders.
Ray was expected to start the year with a major role in the front seven, but surgery on his left wrist put a damper on those plans. It remains to be seen whether he will jump right into a starting role when he returns to the field.
Branden Albert Declines Seahawks’ Offer
The Seahawks tried to sign Branden Albert, but they apparently did not put enough money on the table. Despite receiving an offer, the tackle has left the Seattle area without a deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Over the weekend, Albert postponed a scheduled meeting with the Giants since he was close to signing with Seattle. Now that he’s not joining up with the Seahawks, it’s possible that he will circle back to the G-Men.
Albert’s asking price may have been to high, but the Seahawks’ best and only alternative right now is to move forward with Rees Odhiambo, who ranks as the worst tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Despite the shaky offensive line, the Seahawks are 3-2 as they come off of their bye week. Strangely enough, the Giants are next up on the schedule.
Aaron Rodgers To Have Surgery
It’s not official yet, but it sure sounds like Aaron Rodgers‘ season is over. Packers coach Mike McCarthy tells reporters that the quarterback needs surgery to fix his broken collarbone (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). The operation almost definitely will rule him out for the rest of the year. 
Rodgers suffered the fracture when he was tackled hard by Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr on Sunday. Rodgers is arguably the best quarterback in the league and it’s fair to wonder if Green Bay can survive without him. Through six weeks of action, Rodgers was among the league’s top-10 in both completion percentage and quarterback rating, and tossed 13 touchdowns against versus just three picks.
Rodgers broke his left collarbone during the 2013 campaign and missed only seven games, but this time around he’ll need surgery since it’s on his throwing side.
The Packers are tied with the Vikings for the best record in the NFC North, but they currently own the tiebreaker.