NFC North Notes: Packers, Perry, Lions
Packers coach Mike McCarthy isn’t offering up a lot of details about Nick Perry’s hand injury, but a source tells ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky that the injury is not as bad the broken hand he suffered last year. In fact, this time around, it’s only one finger that requires treatment. When Perry broke his hand last season, he had to have multiple screws placed into several broken fingers. To his credit, he didn’t miss much time after last year’s surgery and returned to action in time for the end of the regular season and the playoffs.
This is all relatively good news, but there’s still no timetable for Perry’s recovery just yet and, privately, one has to imagine the Packers sweating a bit after giving him a five-year, $60MM contract this offseason.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- George Johnson’s first workout with the Lions this year didn’t go as planned. The veteran defensive end showed up out of shape and was told to address that before circling back. It took only two weeks for Johnson to shed ten pounds and prove himself, leading to his deal this week, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News writes. Now, the Lions are optimistic about what he can bring to the table in his second stint with the club. “He’s still the same guy that works extremely hard, heavy-handed guy that can make some things happen and the rest of it we’ll see,” coach Jim Caldwell said. “I mean, he had an outstanding year that year, and those are hard to duplicate, but he will contribute to our team.” Johnson had six sacks for the Lions in 2014.
- PFR readers don’t have a ton of faith in the Bears‘ ability to bounce back from their 0-2 start.
Saints Release FB John Kuhn
No, this is not a repost. For the second time this month, the Saints have released fullback John Kuhn, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Kuhn Release Makes Room For DL Kendall Langford]
The Saints dropped Kuhn from the roster after roster cutdowns took place on Sept. 2. On Sept. 6, Kuhn was re-signed only to get another pink slip two weeks later.
Kuhn, 35, has made a name for himself as a tough, durable fullback. However, not every team in the league employs a lead blocker, so employment opportunities for Kuhn are somewhat limited. If history is any indication, he might be back on the Saints’ roster before long.
Last year, Kuhn graded out as Pro Football Focus’ ninth-best fullback. The veteran’s 79.7 score was roughly in line with his career average. In addition to blocking, he also got some touches including four rushing touchdowns and 16 catches for 70 yards and one passing TD.
Packers Place OL Jason Spriggs On IR
The Packers have placed offensive lineman Jason Spriggs on injured reserve, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Spriggs, a swing tackle, was held out of the Week 2 game with an injured hamstring. Apparently, that hammy is going to keep him out anywhere from eight weeks to the remainder of the season. 
The Packers made Spriggs a second-round pick in 2016 in part because of his versatility. The Indiana product allowed only one sack in his last three seasons on campus and also held his own at guard during Senior Bowl practices. His injury comes at an unfortunate time for Green Bay as starting tackles David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga are both listed as questionable with injuries of their own.
Putting Spriggs on IR will create room for the addition of Ricky Jean-Francois.
Jets Sign Kalif Raymond To Practice Squad
Kalif Raymond‘s muffed punt cost him a spot on the Jets’ roster earlier this week. On Thursday, he was welcomed back, but this time he’ll be on the practice squad. 
“I’m not going to give any excuses,” Raymond said of his costly error in Week 2 against the Raiders (via ESPN.com). “You’ve got to catch the ball. On a punt return, you got to do it. That’s one of the easier kicks of the game that I took for granted.”
Raymond is technically listed as a wide receiver, but he has yet to catch a pass in his two NFL seasons. He earned his spot on the 53-man roster exclusively for his return skills, but the Jets felt they could no longer stick with him after he muffed two punts in Week 1 (both recovered by the Jets) and muffed another in Week 2.
The Jets are expected to put Jeremy Kerley on punt return duty in Week 3 against Miami.
Packers’ Nick Perry To Have Hand Surgery
Packers linebacker Nick Perry is set to undergo hand surgery, coach Mike McCarthy told reporters on Thursday. The timetable for his recovery is not clear at this time. 
“Violent football player. He plays physical,” McCarthy said of Perry. “You look at his play style, that’s really part of his game, the violence he plays with, with his hands.”
Perry has been through this before. Last season, he underwent hand surgery and missed only two games before returning for the end of the regular season and postseason. Last year, he was able to play through the pain with a club on his surgically-repaired hand. It’s not yet known if he’ll go that route this time. After the operation, McCarthy says the team should have a better handle on his treatment plan.
Last year, Perry notched career highs in starts (12), sacks (11) and tackles (52). Prior to 2016, he had only 16 career starts and 12.5 sacks to his credit. The Falcons, Colts, and Jets all expressed interest in him this offseason, but the Packers retained him with a five-year, $60MM deal, making hm one of the league’s highest-paid 3-4 outside linebackers.
While Perry is out, the Packers will be relying more on August pickup Ahmad Brooks. Brooks missed the Week 2 game with a concussion, but he is expected to play on Sunday against the Bengals.
Jets To Sign DE David Bass
The Jets have signed defensive end David Bass, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). To make room, the team has waived outside linebacker Freddie Bishop. 
Bass spent the last two seasons with the Titans. In 2015, he set career highs in games (16) and starts (seven) and recorded 1.5 sacks and on interception. His production dipped last year as he appeared in 13 games and played in just over 20 percent of the Titans’ snaps. The Titans opted to use him more on special teams, employing him on 45 percent of those snaps. Bass joined the Seahawks in May and appeared in each of their first two games, but he was cut loose earlier this week.
The 0-2 Jets will take on the Dolphins at home on Sunday in search of their first win.
Saints To Sign DL Kendall Langford
Defensive lineman Kendall Langford has signed a one-year deal with the Saints, as Jim Trotter of ESPN.com tweets. He’ll be eligible to play on Sunday when the Saints face the Panthers in Charlotte, North Carolina. 
[RELATED: Which 0-2 Team Is Likeliest To Rebound?]
Langford, 31, spent the last two seasons with the Colts and was slated for a third until he was released in August. Unfortunately, he has been plagued by knee problems in recent years. He underwent arthroscopic surgery after the 2015 season and lasted only seven games last year before landing on injured reserve. All in all, he played in 301 snaps in 2016 made only ten tackles. He also had zero sacks – a major drop off from his 7.0 sacks in the previous year.
If he’s healthy, Langford can be a difference maker for the Saints. That’s what the Saints – who rank in the bottom two of defensive DVOA through two games – are hoping for.
Ravens’ Jeremy Langford To P-Squad IR
The Ravens placed running back Jeremy Langford on practice squad Injured Reserve, according to a team announcement. In his place, the team has signed running back John Crockett. 
Langford, once the top ball carrier in Chicago, was released in early September. Somewhat surprisingly, he was not claimed on waivers by any of the league’s other 31 teams, making him a free agent. He joined the Ravens’ taxi squad before the start of the season and even spent one game on the roster before being cut and re-signed to the practice squad.
Langford, 25, has 28 games of NFL experience to his credit. Between 2015 and 2016, Langford accumulated 737 career rushing yards and ten career rushing touchdowns with an underwhelming 3.5-yards-per-carry average.\
Crockett, also 25, has only two NFL appearances on his resume, both coming with the Packers in 2015.
Which 0-2 Team Is Likeliest To Rebound?
Nearly three-quarters of NFL teams are in the win column this year while nine teams still in search of their first W. However, starting out 0-2 is not a death sentence. In each of the last four seasons, at least one 0-2 team has made the playoffs. In 2015, two teams (the Texans and Seahawks) both made the postseason, despite an 0-2 start to the year.
In the spirit of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, we want to know which team you think will turn over a new leaf starting in Week 3. Here’s the rundown:
Chicago Bears
The Bears took the defending NFC champion Falcons to the brink in Week 1, and though Week 2’s contest against the Buccaneers wasn’t as close, Chicago has shown signs of life. Rookie running back Tarik Cohen has emerged as a threat in the passing game following injuries to wideouts Cameron Meredith and Kevin White, and he could potentially former a thunder-and-lightning combination with Jordan Howard. Signal-caller Mike Glennon is 18th in quarterback rating and 22nd in adjusted net yards per attempt, so the calls for No. 2 overall selection Mitch Trubisky could come quickly.
Cincinnati Bengals
Moreso than any other team on this list, the Bengals have acted quickly to rectify their early-season woes, firing offensive coordinator Ken Zampese after they failed to score a touchdown in either of their first two games. Things won’t get any easier when Cincinnati travels to Green Bay in Week 3, but perhaps new offensive play-caller Bill Lazor will further implement rookies John Ross and Joe Mixon into the club’s gameplan. Additionally, Lazor will reportedly seek to install a quicker offense that will alleviate the Bengals’ offensive line concerns.
Cleveland Browns
2017 had always been viewed as another rebuilding season for the Browns, but Cleveland has been relatively competitive through two games (especially in Week 1, when it lost to Pittsburgh by only a field goal). A supposedly revamped offensive line still ranks near the bottom of the league in both run blocking and pass protection, and the Browns will need continued improvement from quarterback DeShone Kizer if they hope to compete this year. A broken hand for Corey Coleman — and a disappointing start by veteran pass-catcher Kenny Britt — aren’t helping matters, but a return from No. 1 overall pick Myles Garrett could spark Cleveland’s defense.
Indianapolis Colts
Andrew Luck won’t practice this week, and although the Colts had been eyeing an early October return for their star quarterback, it’s beginning to seem like it could be longer before we see Luck back on the field. If Indianapolis continues to struggle, will the Colts even bother with putting Luck back into the lineup? General manager Chris Ballard made a handful of low-cost defensive additions this offseason, and if No. 1 cornerback Vontae Davis gets healthy, the unit could mesh. But nothing will matter unless Luck can supplant Jacoby Brissett within the next few weeks.
Los Angles Chargers
The Chargers got smashed this week for being unable to fill a soccer stadium for their season opener. We’ll admit that it wasn’t a good look, but things will improve if they start winning and there is reason to believe that can happen soon. The Chargers are winless, but they lost to the Broncos and Dolphins by a combined total of five points. If rookie kicker Younghoe Koo had connected on one of his two missed attempts against Miami or if his 44-yard try against the Broncos was not blocked, the Chargers wouldn’t be on this list.
New Orleans Saints
A top-ten offense and a bottom-two defense by DVOA? We must be talking about the Saints. New Orleans hasn’t started out the season with the easiest schedule in facing the Vikings and Patriots, but improvement on the health front could help their offense in the coming weeks. Left tackle Terron Armstead is reportedly ahead of schedule, and his return could allow rookie Ryan Ramczyk to move to the right side to cover for the injured Zach Strief. Receiver Willie Snead, too, will come back in Week 4 following a suspension. Solutions on defense are less obvious, but development from young players such as corner Marshon Lattimore and linebacker Alex Anzalone is a start.
New York Giants
The Giants have limped out of the gate and head coach Ben McAdoo may be thinking about giving up play calling duties. That’s not the only change that could be coming on offense. Second-year pro Paul Perkins has been averaging just 1.9 yards per carry and the Giants could shake things up by handing things over to Orleans Darkwa, who has 5.2 yards per attempt in a smaller sample size. In theory, that could spark Eli Manning and the passing game, but the offensive line will have to do a better job of protecting its quarterback in order to move the chains.
New York Jets
Wait, wait – hear us out. Yes, the Jets are behind the 8-ball after losing wide receiver Quincy Enunwa for the season and cutting valuable vets like Eric Decker and David Harris. However, they kept the score close in their Week 1 game against the rival Bills and things didn’t get too out of hand against the Raiders until a muffed punt late in the first half. Next up, the Jets have a home date with the Lawrence Timmons-less Dolphins followed by a pair of (dare we say) winnable games against the Browns and Jaguars. We know you won’t pick the Jets, but we hope we at least gave you something to think about.
San Francisco 49ers
Brian Hoyer has been dreadful in his first two games under center for SF and the Niners are hoping that he’ll do better on Thursday night against the Rams. If San Francisco is lucky, defensive tackle Aaron Donald will still be shaking the rust off on national television. However, even if they are able to avoid an 0-3 start, the odds are probably still against this rebuilding club in 2017.
So what do you think? Which of these nine clubs has the best chance to rebound from its poor start in order to earn a postseason berth? Vote in the poll below!
Extra Points: Rams, Shanahan, Raiders
In January, the Rams had planned to interview Kyle Shanahan for their coaching vacancy, but a snowstorm on the East Coast put the powwow on hold, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes. Days later, the team 86’d the meeting altogether as they pivoted eventual hire Sean McVay.
“They told me if I didn’t sit down, they might end up having to move on,” Shanahan said, “and I was definitely OK with that. I think it worked out for both parties.”
On Thursday night, the Rams will get a glimpse at what might have been when they take on San Francisco at Levi’s Stadium. Of course, the Rams are very high on McVay – who is the league’s youngest coach – so they have no cause for regret at this time.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Donald Penn’s new two-year, $21MM extension with the Raiders will not give him a raise from the $6.4MM he was due in 2017, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. However, he did get a $3MM guarantee in 2018 in exchange for signing on for two more years. In 2019, he’s slated to earn a non-guaranteed $6MM, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets. As previously reported, he could get guarantees that extend into the 2019 season based on how well he plays in 2017.
- Based on his history, it’s likely that Bengals offensive coordinator Bill Lazor will look to move the offense quicker with more of a dink-and-dunk approach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com opines (Twitter link). It remains to be seen what the running back rotation will be like. To date, Joe Mixon and Jeremy Hill have not had a lot of carries while Giovani Bernard has drawn the lion’s share of the work. That could change now that Ken Zampese is out and Lazor is calling the plays.
- On Tuesday, the Panthers, Bears, Cowboys, Packers, Jaguars, Chiefs, Dolphins, Jets, 49ers, and Bucs all conducted workouts.