Luke Kuechly Returns To Practice
- The Panthers announced that Luke Kuechly has returned to practice. The linebacker hasn’t suited up for the team in 20 days, when he was concussed during his team’s win against the Saints. The 25-year-old has 102 tackles and two sacks this season.
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NFL Spending By Team Over Last Four Seasons
The NFLPA has released the official data on team spending over the last four seasons. The Collective Bargaining Agreement stipulates that each team must utilize 89% of the salary cap over two four-year periods, 2013-16 and 2017-20. As previously reported, the Raiders are the only team that has yet to satisfy that requirement for the closing period. The CBA also requires the league, as a whole, to spend 95% of the cap, in cash, for the same period. That requirement has been easily met.
Here is the full rundown of every team’s spending in declining order:
Philadelphia Eagles – $613,928,134
Denver Broncos – $587,712,791
Seattle Seahawks – $584,305,975
Green Bay Packers – $583,138,740
Miami Dolphins – $577,975,260
Kansas City Chiefs – $575,541,332
Buffalo Bills – $573,647,850
Chicago Bears – $568,301,610
Cincinnati Bengals – $567,289,411
Baltimore Ravens – $562,425,698
San Diego Chargers – $562,232,116
Indianapolis Colts – $556,335,689
Atlanta Falcons – $550,614,572
New York Giants – $543,787,033
Arizona Cardinals – $543,327,538
Los Angeles Rams – $541,957,711
New Orleans Saints – $539,836,498
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – $539,736,102
Minnesota Vikings – $539,162,454
New York Jets – $533,151,519
Washington Redskins – $532,545,662
Pittsburgh Steelers – $530,698,171
Detroit Lions – $530,210,549
Tennessee Titans – $524,505,256
Dallas Cowboys – $523,033,036
Houston Texans – $517,212,166
Jacksonville Jaguars – $516,908,734
Cleveland Browns – $516,158,864
San Francisco 49ers – $514,488,198
New England Patriots – $500,083,836
Carolina Panthers – $495,149,346
Oakland Raiders – $491,433,408
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/29/16
Today’s practice squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: OL Kevin Graf
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Chris Hubert
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: CB Asa Jackson
- Cut: LB James Burgess
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: T Jake Rodgers, T Tyrus Thompson
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Tony McRae
New England Patriots
- Signed: TE Kennard Backman, RB D.J. Foster
New York Jets
- Cut: OL Zach Sterup
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB Wynton McManis
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: WR Kevin Smith
- Cut: RB Zac Brooks, RB Malcolm Johnson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: CB D’Joun Smith
Panthers Place Ryan Kalil, Gino Gradkowski On IR
The Panthers announced that they have placed centers Ryan Kalil and Gino Gradkowski on injured reserve. Kalil is being shut down because of a shoulder issue while Gradkowski is being shut down with a knee injury. 
Kalil, a five-time Pro Bowler, was forced to exit the Week 11 game against the Saints. Since then, the team left him home for West Coast games against the Raiders and Seahawks. After thorough evaluation, the Panthers have decided that he will not be able to play again this year. Kalil is tied with the Saints’ Max Unger as the 15th best center in the NFL, according to the advanced numbers at Pro Football Focus. Kalil’s overall grade puts him ahead of notables like Maurkice Pouncey, Nick Mangold, and Ryan Kelly.
Gradkowski, Kalil’s understudy, was forced to leave Sunday’s loss to the Raiders with his own knee injury. Tyler Larsen took over at center when Gradkowski went down and he may continue in that role for the rest of the season.
To fill the two spots on the active roster, the Panthers signed center Ryan Wendell and offensive tackle Dan France, France could see significant playing time this week after right tackle Daryl Williams‘ recent ankle injury.
Panthers Not Ready To Shut Down Kuechly
Although Luke Kuechly will not play against the Raiders on Sunday and remains in the concussion protocol, the Panthers are not discussing shutting their cornerstone defender down for the season, Tom Pelissero of USA Today reports.
The three-time All-Pro has made “encouraging progress” this week after sustaining what is believed to be the second concussion of his career, per Pelissero. However, there is no timetable for a Kuechly return.
The 25-year-old defender suffered a concussion last season that caused him to miss three games. He returned to land on his third All-Pro first team on a team that eventually went 15-1 and appeared in Super Bowl 50. Kuechly missing the same amount of time obviously hurts the Panthers’ chances at returning to the playoffs, but that opportunity may well have slipped away when Kuechly was available given the team’s non-injury issues.
Kuechly’s value to the franchise considered, Carolina making the decision on whether or not to shut its middle linebacker down for 2016 likely hinges on its playoff hopes to some degree. The defending NFC champions are two games behind the NFC South-leading Falcons, with six teams ahead of the Panthers in the wild-card race as well. Bringing Kuechly back if the team loses to the Raiders without him Sunday might involve a more substantial conversation. Carolina did shut down Michael Oher after a lengthy battle with a concussion sustained in September, so long-term thinking has already entered the equation for another key starter.
Kuechly has 102 tackles this season, along with six pass deflections, a forced fumble and an interception. The player set to replace Kuechly, fourth-year man A.J. Klein, just completed the final stage of the concussion protocol, per ESPN.com’s David Newton. So, head trauma has been a key issue for the Panthers this season, its two franchise players being at the forefront.
Michael Oher's Future In Doubt?
After landing on injured reserve with a concussion Friday, it’s possible Panthers left tackle Michael Oher has played his final snap, David Newton of ESPN.com suggests. Oher emphatically shot down that notion on Instagram a few weeks ago, however. At the very least, the soon-to-be 31-year-old is done for 2016, having last appeared in a game Sept. 25. Oher is under contract through 2019 on the three-year, $21.6MM extension he signed in June.
Panthers Place LT Michael Oher On IR
Michael Oher‘s season is over. The Panthers announced that he will be placed on injured reserve, along with cornerback Zack Sanchez. In a related move, tackle Donald Hawkins has been waived. 
After a down year with the Titans in 2014, Oher found his way to Carolina last year and enjoyed a rebound season. Oher appeared in all 16 regular season games and graded out as a top-30 offensive tackle, according to Pro Football Focus. Over the summer, he was rewarded with a lucrative three-year, $21.6MM extension. Unfortunately, Oher has not played since Week 3 of this season due to a concussion. He apparently hasn’t made enough progress over the past two months and he’ll be shut down for the year with an eye on getting healthy for 2017.
Sanchez was one of three cornerbacks drafted by the Panthers this year as they attempted to replace Josh Norman on the cheap. Surprisingly, Sanchez missed the cut in early September, but he was quickly signed to the practice squad. The youngster’s 53-man break came last month when one-time starter Bene Benwikere was released. His year ends with five games played (one start) and eight total tackles.
Panthers Work Out Two Offensive Lineman
- The Panthers worked out guard Josh LeRibeus and former Patriots center Ryan Wendell, tweets Caplan.
[SOURCE LINK]
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/16
Here are today’s practice squad moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB Reshard Cliett
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: CB Tyler Patmon
- Cut: DT Bruce Gaston
Chicago Bears
- Signed: CB De’Vante Bausby, WR Dres Anderson
- Cut: Darius Jennings
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: LS Tyler Ott
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Derrick Mathews
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Signed: TE E.J. Bibbs
Los Angeles Rams
- Signed: LB Randell Johnson
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: S Marcus Ball
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: RB Zac Brooks
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: OL Mike Liedtke, CB Cody Riggs, WR Myles White
- Cut: RB Russell Hansbrough
Panthers Bring Ryan Delaire Back From IR
The Panthers are bringing defensive end Ryan Delaire back from injured reserve, the team announced Tuesday afternoon. Delaire was placed on IR with a knee injury in late September and became eligible for return this week. The team has now triggered a 21-day window to determine whether to put him on the active roster. 
Delaire initially signed with the Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent out of Towson prior to the 2015 season. The Bucs thought highly of him, giving him a $15K signing bonus – quite a bit for a UDFA. However, he didn’t earn a spot on the club’s regular season roster, leading him to Carolina early on in the 2015 season.
The 6’4″, 265 pound athlete appeared in nine games for Carolina last year, tallying eight tackles and 2.5 sacks. This year, he saw time in two games before going to IR.
Teams can only bring one player back from IR under the new rules, but the Panthers didn’t have any priority players that fit the bill. So, Delaire gets to return as a reserve bookend, provided that all goes well in practice over the next three weeks.