Albert Breer On Cousins, Garoppolo, Raiders
This year’s free agent quarterback market is shaping up to be one of the strongest in recent memory, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes. Teams are always eager to draft their next franchise QB, but this year it might make more sense for teams to sign a veteran instead. 
“Fans and media want their guy—the start-from-the-bottom, untainted rookie,” one AFC exec told Breer. “And the Moneyball guys will say it’s cheaper through the draft, which is true. Bu if the point is to have a functional starting quarterback, any football guy will tell you that while everyone wants a Brady or Rodgers, the reality is those are fewer and father between. So a Kirk Cousins or a Jimmy Garoppolo? I think football guys are drooling over that. If a guy like that gets out in free agency? You see what K.C. can do with Alex Smith. Put Cousins on a good squad with a good coach, I don’t know many football guys that’ll say that won’t work. And all those guys you named, they all can play at a starting caliber level … You can solve your problem before you get to the draft.”
The crop of potentially available signal callers goes far beyond just Cousins and Garoppolo. Drew Brees, who turns 39 in January, has looked great through the first month of the season. At least one of the Vikings’ signal callers – Sam Bradford and Teddy Bridgewater – should be there for the taking in March and the aforementioned Smith might not have a place in Kansas City thanks to the presence of Patrick Mahomes. Meanwhile, A.J. McCarron is still viewed as a hot property even though he’s on the Bengals’ bench.
Here’s more from Breer’s column:
- Did the Patriots make a mistake by signing cornerback Stephon Gilmore this offseason? Gilmore made costly mental and communication errors against Carolina on Sunday and that’s nothing new, based on what three sources who were in Buffalo last season tell Breer. Gilmore did quite a bit of finger-pointing last year, they say, and also made business decisions on run plays as he nursed a shoulder injury. Gilmore is in Year One of a five-year, $65MM deal which included an $18MM signing bonus. The pact calls for $31MM fully guaranteed through 2018.
- The Raiders didn’t give much consideration at all to signing a stopgap quarterback in the wake of Derek Carr’s injury, Breer hears. That could have been a deliberate move to keep the team’s confidence high, but he hears that the Raiders legitimately like what they have in EJ Manuel and Connor Cook. Eyebrows were raised when it was reported that the Raiders did not consider signing Colin Kaepernick, but it sounds like they didn’t give real though to signing any quarterback.
Bucs Promote Isaiah Johnson
The Bucs are calling safety Isaiah Johnson up from the practice squad, per a team announcement. It’s likely a sign that T.J. Ward will not be able to go Thursday night versus the Patriots. 
Johnson originally joined the Buccaneers as a UDFA free agent last offseason and spent the 2016 season on Tampa Bay’s taxi squad. A spot was opened up for him on the 53-man roster when the Bucs cut Jacquies Smith on Wednesday.
Ward, 30, missed the Bucs’ previous game against the Giants with a hip injury and he apparently needs more time to recover. In his two games, Ward has amassed seven total tackles and rates as Pro Football Focus’ 22nd ranked safety.
Vikings Sign RB Stevan Ridley
The Vikings have signed running back Stevan Ridley. Ridley joins the team as rookie Dalvin Cook formally goes on injured reserve. 
Ridley has bounced around the league in recent years, but he is best known for his time with the Patriots. In 2012, he ran for 1,263 yards off of 290 carries (4.4 yards per carry average) with 12 touchdowns. More recently, he had stints with the Jets, Lions, Colts, and Falcons, but was unable to replicate that success. This year, he spent training camp with the Broncos before being released in the final wave of roster cuts.
Ridley figures to serve as Minnesota’s No. 3 running back behind Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon. Ridley auditioned for the job on Wednesday alongside Bobby Rainey, Troymaine Pope, and Josh Rounds and came out the winner.
Saints Place LB Alex Anzalone On IR
The Saints have placed linebacker Alex Anzalone on injured reserve, according to the NFL’s transactions wire. It’s not immediately clear whether he is a candidate to return later this year. 
Anzalone was one of two third-round picks for the Saints in this year’s draft. Thanks in part to shoulder injuries, he didn’t see significant playing time at Florida until last season, when he totaled 53 tackles and three sacks. Shoulder issues caught up to Anzalone again when he exited the opening drive of Sunday’s game against Miami.
Anzalone wound up as the Saints’ Week 1 starter at weakside linebacker and the results through four games (or, three-games-and-change) were promising. The rookie has 16 tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection to his credit while ranking as Pro Football Focus’ No. 35 linebacker.
Anzalone’s injury may help to explain the Saints’ workout with Gerald Hodges on Tuesday. Internal options also exist on the New Orleans roster, as the club can turn to Manti Te’o, Nathan Stupar, or the recently-signed Gabe Martin to fill in for the time being.
The linebacker is the second Saints starter to go down this week. On Tuesday, tackle Zach Strief was placed on IR with an MCL sprain.
Bears Audition Two Kickers
The Bears could be considering a change at kicker. Today, the team brought in Roberto Aguayo and Josh Lambo for a tryout, a league source tells Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). 
Connor Barth has been the Bears’ kicker since taking over for Robbie Gould in 2016. Last year, the veteran converted on just 78.3% of his field goals. This year, the 31-year-old has missed two of his four attempts, though one of those was a 57-yard try against Green Bay last week. The other miss was a 47-yard attempt against the Steelers in Week 3. To his credit, he is a perfect 7-of-7 on extra points in 2017 and he missed only one XP last year.
If signed, this will mark Aguayo’s second stint with Chicago in 2017. The former second round pick was claimed by Chicago after he was waived by the Bucs, but he was unable to prove himself in camp and was dropped three weeks later. The Bucs took on Aguayo’s $428K salary guarantee when they picked him up on the waiver wire and they had nothing to show for it.
Lambo lost the Chargers’ kicking competition to undrafted rookie Younghoe Koo this summer. After he was cut, he worked out for the Raiders, Eagles, and Jaguars, but was unable to find a home with any of those teams.
Cowboys To Place Charles Tapper On IR
Cowboys defensive end Charles Tapper is set to undergo surgery on his right foot, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Tapper will be placed on injured reserve as he heals from what sounds like a season-ending procedure. 
Tapper is believed to have fractured of the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. It’s an unfortunate break for the youngster, particularly since he missed his entire would-be rookie season with a back issue. His 2017 campaign has been put on hold, and likely ended, after two games in which he recorded three tackles and one sack.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, David Irving is returning from suspension just as Tapper exits. The defensive end served a four-game ban for violating the league’s PED policy over the summer. Last year, he graded out as the league’s No. 29 interior defender, per the metrics at Pro Football Focus.
Tapper, a 2016 fourth-round pick, appeared in 39 games with Oklahoma in three seasons and piled up 13.5 sacks and 24 tackles for loss.
Titans Did Not Consider Colin Kaepernick
With Marcus Mariota dealing with a hamstring injury, the Titans signed veteran quarterback Brandon Weeden. The move raised some eyebrows around the football world since Weeden is the latest middle-of-the-road signal caller to get an opportunity ahead of Colin Kaepernick. Apparently, Kaepernick wasn’t even considered. 
[RELATED: Raiders Have Not Considering Kaepernick Either]
Coach Mike Mularkey told reporters on Wednesday that he wasn’t aware of any conversations about signing Kaepernick (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Cameron Wolfe). The justification is in line with what we’ve heard before from other teams, both on and off the record. Kaepernick, he said, is not familiar with the Titans’ type of offense while Weeden offers familiarity with a similar system thanks to his time in Houston and Dallas.
Weeden auditioned alongside Matt Barkley, Matt McGloin, and T.J. Yates on Tuesday and turned in the best performance of the quartet. He has not appeared in a real NFL game since 2015.
The Raiders, who will be without Derek Carr for some time, also did not consider Kaepernick.
Mariota practiced for the Titans on Wednesday, but he was limited. He is considered day-to-day as the Titans prepare for their Week 5 contest against the Dolphins.
NFC East Notes: Redskins, Norman, Giants
Today’s look at the NFC East:
- Redskins cornerback Josh Norman has a rib fracture and some minor damage to the lining of one of his lungs as a result, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, he has not been ruled out for Washington’s post-bye game against San Francisco on Oct. 15. Norman has a 79.7 overall score from Pro Football Focus so far this season, down from his best work in 2015 (87.7) and 2016 (81). Still, Norman ranks as one of the league’s most talented corners and the Redskins badly want him in action for Week 6.
- So far, the Giants‘ high-profile signing of Brandon Marshall is not working out, as ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan writes. Marshall, who has a history of drops, has allowed at least four balls to go through his hands in the first month of the season. It’s possible that the 33-year-old is simply over the hill. He could also still be plagued by the shoulder injury he suffered in the preseason. Through four games, the ex-Jet has just 16 catches off of 30 targets for 139 yards. Marshall has indicated that he wants to retire after the 2018 season when his two-year deal expires, but he might not see Year Two with the G-Men at this rate.
- New Browns wide receiver Bryce Treggs says the Eagles offered to match the salary offered by Cleveland if he was willing to stay on the practice squad (Twitter link via Scott Petrak of The Chronicle-Telegram). However, he chose the Browns because he wanted to play. Treggs, a 6’0″ receiver out of Cal, first broke out in 2013 as a sophomore when he caught 77 passes for 751 yards and one score. In his final year on campus (2015), he had 45 grabs for 956 yards and a career-high seven TDs.
AFC East Notes: Bills, Gilmore, Jets, Glennon
The Bills managed to build a winning secondary after losing Stephon Gilmore in free agency, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. The Bills have allowed a league-low 13.5 points per game and lead the division with a 3-1 record. Meanwhile, the Patriots are off to a disappointing 2-2 start after adding Gilmore on a five-year, $65MM contract.
The Bills took some heat when they didn’t use the $14MM tag on Gilmore or sign him to a lucrative extension, but they instead spread that cash out to add free agent safeties Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. They also snagged corner Tre’Davious White in the first round and landed E.J. Gaines in the Sammy Watkins deal with the Rams. That quartet counts for about $10MM against the team’s salary cap this year, which is only slightly higher than the $8.568MM hit New England has for Gilmore.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- The Jets took a beating for their offseason moves, but Brian Costello of the New York Post gives them credit for passing on quarterback Mike Glennon in free agency. The veteran signed a three-year, $45MM deal with Chicago but now finds himself riding the pine behind rookie Mitch Trubisky. Josh McCown may not be a superstar, but the Jets avoided a costly blunder by passing on Glennon and they currently find themselves at 2-2.
- One month into the season, the Bills‘ signing of Stephen Hauschka has proven to be one of the team’s most impactful offseason moves, Sal Maiorana of The Democrat and Chronicle writes. This week, Hauschka was named the AFC’s special teams defensive player of the week for the second time in a row. The kicker currently stands fourth on the NFL’s all-time list for field goal accuracy at 87.3%, putting him behind only Dan Bailey, Stephen Gostkowski, and Justin Tucker. So far this year, Hauschka has connected on eight of nine FG attempts and made all seven of his extra points tries.
- The Patriots would be wise to trade quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com opines.
- Dolphins lineman Mike Pouncey says that hip replacement surgery is inevitable, but it sounds like he can stave it off until his career is through.
Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/17
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: OLB Vontarrius Dora
New York Giants
- Signed: OL Anthony Fabiano
New York Jets
- Signed: LB Freddie Bishop
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: WR Rashard Davis
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: RB LeShun Daniels
- Released: DE Whitney Richardson