Colts Cut LB Sean Spence
Once again, the Colts are parting ways with Sean Spence. The linebacker has been released, according to Mike Florio of PFT. 
Spence joined the Colts as an unrestricted free agent in March but missed the initial cut down to 53. The 27-year-old rejoined the squad roughly two weeks later, but he’s back in the free agent pool today. He already cashed in on $750K in guarantees on the first deal, but the most recent pact was probably non-guaranteed, so the Colts are unlikely to be on the hook for anything after dropping him.
In 2016, Spence appeared in 15 games (six starts) for the Titans and set career highs with 77 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, three passes defensed, and one forced fumble. He finished third on the team in tackles. Spence did not record a tackle in his three games with the Colts this year.
Titans To Sign QB Brandon Weeden
The Titans are planning to sign free agent quarterback Brandon Weeden, according to a league source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link). Weeden was one of four QBs to audition for Tennessee on Tuesday. 
Weeden was cut by Houston in early September just as he was set to enter the second season of a two-year, $4MM deal. The 6’4″ signal caller has not seen the field since 2015 when he appeared in four games for the Cowboys and two for the Texans. The 33-year-old (34 on Oct. 14) has a career 6-19 record.
There has been no official word from the team, but the signing presumably means that Marcus Mariota will not be able to play this weekend. Matt Cassel will likely get the start, unless the team’s confidence is so shaken in him that they would rather start Weeden with only a few days of preparation.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Elliott, Norman
The NFL says it expects a decision from the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals on Ezekiel Elliott’s appeal “soon,” ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Of course, we’ve been here before, but that verbiage may mean that we’ll have a resolution on the Cowboys running back before the end of business on Tuesday.
If the CA5 ruling does not come down today, the league will have to decide how to handle Elliott’s status for Week 5. Earlier this year, the league allowed the running back to play in the season opener when arbitrator Harold Henderson could not reach a decision by the previous Tuesday. If the judge is similarly delayed, it remains to be seen whether the NFL will allow Elliott to go against the Packers on Sunday.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Redskins cornerback Josh Norman has a “significant” rib injury and will miss a “couple of weeks,” coach Jay Gruden told ESPN’s Lisa Salters (link via PFT). Norman left Monday night’s game holding his ribs with roughly two minutes to go in the first half. Testing on Tuesday will reveal the full extent of Norman’s injury. The team is concerned about internal injury, particularly with regard to his lungs (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- The Cowboys miss Doug Free‘s experience and Ronald Leary‘s run blocking, Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News opines. Free retired this offseason while Leary left the team in free agency to sign with Denver.
Titans Show Interest In Four QBs
With Marcus Mariota on the mend, the Titans are looking into adding a quarterback. The team auditioned Brandon Weeden, Matt Barkley, Matt McGloin, and T.J. Yates on Tuesday, according to Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter).
Mariota is day-to-day with a strained hamstring and his status is up in the air for Sunday against the Dolphins. Currently, the Titans have only Matt Cassel on the roster with Tyler Ferguson on the practice squad. If Mariota can’t go, Ferguson could get promoted to serve as Cassel’s backup. Alternatively, the club may prefer to have a QB with some in-game experience at the ready.
The Titans lost by a score of 57-14 to the Texans on Sunday. After Mariota exited the game, Cassel completed 4-of-10 passes and threw two interceptions. He had 21 passing yards in total.
The team’s decision to not include Colin Kaepernick in the audition will raise some eyebrows, particularly since Kaepernick offers similar mobility to Mariota.
Bills To Sign WR Philly Brown
The Bills are signing Corey Brown, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Brown will provide depth at wide receiver for Buffalo while Jordan Matthews recovers from thumb surgery. 
Brown first joined the Bills in March but was waived on Sept. 3. In the last month or so, he worked out with the Jets, Saints, and Pats, but did not sign with any of those clubs. Before his offseason stint in Buffalo, Brown spent the first three years of his career with the Panthers where he hauled in 79 catches, 1,019 yards, and seven touchdowns across 43 games (22 starts).
The Bills are 3-1 after beating the Falcons on Sunday. Next up is a road tilt against the Bengals.
The Lions also showed interest in Brown at the outset of free agency.
Latest On Browns WR Josh Gordon
Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon was released from rehab almost two weeks ago, but we won’t be seeing him on the field right away. Gordon has yet to apply for reinstatement, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (Twitter link). 
Gordon was denied reinstatement this offseason, but the NFL told him that he could reapply in the fall. He ostensibly could get the ball rolling right now, but he may need some more time before opening himself up to scrutiny. The reinstatement process requires some steps to be taken on the player’s part – as Chargers center Max Tuerk has learned – and there may be extra hoops to jump through in Gordon’s case since he has been suspended multiple times by the league.
The talented wide receiver has not been on the field since the final five games of the 2014 season. He had 24 catches for 303 yards in the home stretch of that campaign. In 2013, he earned First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors when he had 87 catches for 1,646 yards and nine scores.
It’s not clear if Browns coach Hue Jackson wants Gordon back on the team.
Colts’ Andrew Luck To Practice This Week
Colts quarterback Andrew Luck will return to practice this week, general manager Chris Ballard tells WFNI-1070 AM. It’s a big step forward for Luck, who has yet to play this season. 
[RELATED: Colts C Deyshawn Bond Suffers Torn Quad]
“We’ll slowly start working him back into practice this week,” Ballard said (transcript via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells). “We’ll see how much he gets. But we’ve got a plan in place to where we want him to start getting him reps, and then in time, as we can get him incorporated back into team work and all that, we’ll get him back on the field.”
There is hope that Luck can suit up in time for Week 6 against the Titans, but that could be wishful thinking with less than two weeks to go between now and Monday Oct. 16. A more realistic return date might be Oct. 22 against the Jaguars, but Ballard did not offer speculation on when Luck may suit up again.
Luck’s shoulder injury dates back to Week 3 of the 2015 season and he is hoping to put those woes behind him for good. The Colts could certainly use him back in the lineup after Sunday night’s loss to Seattle left them with a 1-3 record.
Panthers Sign S Jairus Byrd
The Panthers announced that they signed Jarius Byrd. The veteran safety will fill in for Kurt Coleman while he recovers from a sprained MCL. 
[RELATED: Kurt Coleman Sprains MCL]
Byrd was a three-time Pro Bowler during his time with the Bills. He parlayed that success into a lucrative six-year deal with the Saints in 2014, but he was released midway after a frustrating three-year stretch. Byrd intercepted an eye-popping 22 passes in 73 games for Buffalo, but totaled just three picks in three years in New Orleans, where he appeared in 33 games and made 32 starts.
However, the 30-year-old Byrd (31 on Saturday) is coming off his first 16-start season since 2012. He totaled 82 tackles and two INTs in the process, and his performance put him roughly in the middle of Pro Football Focus‘ 89 qualified safeties.
Byrd visited the 49ers in May, but we weren’t hearing much about him before the Carolina deal.
West Rumors: Chiefs, 49ers, Hoyer
Chiefs starting guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif exited Monday night’s game in the first quarter with an apparent knee injury. Tests on Tuesday morning will determine the extent of the injury and the team is hopeful that it is an MCL injury and not an ACL tear, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets.
The Chiefs and Duvernay-Tardif agreed to a five-year, $41.25MM extension in the offseason, making him one of the league’s highest-paid interior linemen. Losing him for a lengthy period of time would be a setback for KC.
Here’s more from the West divisions:
- 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan says he not given any consideration to a quarterback change, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. For now, the Niners are sticking with Brian Hoyer, but it sounds like Shanahan will not hesitate to yank him if he feels it would benefit the team. “I think he needs to play better,” Shanahan said of Hoyer. “And I think we can play better around him. … When you have the time and you have guys open, you need to hit them. I thought he struggled with that at times (Sunday). I know he can do better. But I also know when he did make throws, guys weren’t great at catching them for him, either.” If Hoyer gets the hook, rookie C.J. Beathard will get a chance to show what he can do.
- The Rams will add Mike Thomas to the roster and go to seven wide receivers when he returns from suspension this week, coach Sean McVay said (Twitter link via Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com). Thomas was hit with the ban in July for PED use.
- Cardinals tackle D.J. Humphries is still out with an MCL injury and coach Bruce Arians doesn’t expect to see him back until two weeks from now, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets.
Raiders Not Considering Colin Kaepernick
The Raiders will be without Derek Carr for a while, but they’re not about to go out-of-house to replace him. The Raiders have no plans to add a quarterback to their 53-man roster, a team source tells ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Meanwhile, another source tells his colleague Josina Anderson (Twitter link) that the team is “not yet” ready to consider Colin Kaepernick. 
[RELATED: Raiders’ Carr Suffers Injury]
The Raiders will turn to former Bills starter E.J. Manuel as their No. 1 QB this Sunday and it only makes sense for them to give him a chance before looking at other options. NFL sophomore Connor Cook will serve as Manuel’s understudy, so even if he falters, the Raiders could theoretically still stand pat.
We’re now at the quarter mark of the season, but Kaepernick hasn’t had so much as an NFL nibble in weeks. Last week, we learned that Kaepernick (unsurprisingly) is not interested in the CFL.