NFL Workout Updates: 11/7/17
Today’s workout updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- QBs Joel Stave, Alek Torgersen; WRs Harvey Binford, Dante Edwards (link via Balzer)
Atlanta Falcons
- CBs Jeremy Boykins, Robertson Daniel; S Marcus Cromartie (link via Balzer)
Buffalo Bills
- WR DeVon Edwards; CB Denzel Rice; DBs Dean Marlowe, Chris Prosinski, Tre Sullivan (link via Balzer)
Chicago Bears
- RBs Jahad Thomas, James Summers, Stanley Williams (link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune)
Houston Texans
- CBs Sheldon Price, Will Redmond (link via Wilson)
Indianapolis Colts
- WR Lucky Whitehead; LBs Tyrell Adams, Brooks Ellis, Otha Peters; CBs Makinton Dorleant; S Will Blackmon (link via Balzer)
New York Jets
- WR Lucky Whitehead; CB Michael Hunter (Twitter links via Balzer)
San Francisco 49ers
- WR Dominique Young (link via Wilson)
Bears Place TE Zach Miller On IR
As expected, the Bears are placing tight end Zach Miller on injured reserve. This was the only possible outcome after he had major surgery on his dislocated knee. To take his place on the roster, fellow tight end Ben Braunecker has promoted from the practice squad. Taking Braunecker’s place on the taxi squad will be tight end Colin Thompson. 
Initially, there was concern that Miller could lose his leg in surgery. However, the Bears announced last week that Miller’s operation was “successful,” so he is hopefully out of the woods in that regard. In a statement released on Twitter on Tuesday, Miller said that he has been “down before” but he “will do whatever it takes to get back up.”
In 2016, Miller caught a career-high 47 passes and 486 yards with four touchdowns. At the time of his injury, he was on pace for similar numbers with 20 receptions for 236 yards and two scores.
The Bears are expected to move forward with Dion Sims and second-round pick Adam Shaheen as their top TEs with Daniel Brown in support. They’ll try to improve on their 3-5 record on Sunday when they face the rival Packers in Chicago.
Latest on Zach Miller
One of the scarier stories of this season was the situation regarding Bears tight end Zach Miller‘s serious leg injury. Just a week ago, doctors were performing surgery to save his leg after he dislocated his knee while playing. However, after a successful procedure, the 33 year-old is set to be released from the hospital on Monday, reports Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. According to Mortensen, the surgery was described as “heroic” by one doctor, who relayed that the surgeons needed to repair a torn popliteal artery. The road to recovery is still ongoing as the tight end will likely need multiple surgeries before starting his way to rehab, but the outlook is much better than it was because of the many great doctors and Miller himself as Mortensen outlines in his piece.
More Details On Inman Trade
- The Chargers had been shopping wideout Dontrelle Inman since training camp, but they couldn’t find a partner before completing a deal with the Bears.
[SOURCE LINK]
Bears Won't Bring Kevin White Off IR
- The Bears have not seriously discussed bringing wide receiver Kevin White back from injured reserve this season, coach John Fox told reporters (Twitter link via Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune). White, unfortunately, was never viewed as an IR-DTR candidate, so Fox’s announcement doesn’t come as a big surprise.
Teams Calling On Bears G Josh Sitton
Teams are calling the Bears with interest in guard Josh Sitton, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).With a couple of hours to go until the trade deadline, the 3-5 Bears could be motivated to trade the lineman to a contending club. 
Sitton, 31, carries a $6.8MM cap number this year before that jumps to $8.66MM in 2018. Sitton doesn’t come cheap, but he has been regarded as one of the league’s best guards for nearly a decade, so he is worth it for a team looking to win right now.
Sitton currently ranks as Pro Football Focus’ ninth-best guard, which is actually lower than where Sitton has been situation in previous years. Sitton, who has spent his entire career to date in the NFC North, is coming off of his fourth career Pro Bowl nod.
Bears Likely Done Trading
- Having already made one trade to acquired receiver Dontrelle Inman, the Bears are likely done making deals, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Inman deal was almost a necessity, as rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky needed some sort of offensive weaponry reinforcement following a four-completion day in Week 7. Acquiring more players is probably out of the question given Chicago’s position on the win curve, and dealing away veterans such as cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara would signal the raising of a white flag, something the Bears aren’t willing to do given their surprising 3-5 record, per Biggs.
Bears LB Jerrell Freeman Suspended
Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman has been suspended once again for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, the league announced. This time around, it’s a ten-game ban. 
Freeman suffered a torn pectoral muscle on the first play of Bears’ opener against the Falcons in Week 1. He was placed on injured reserve after the game, but he remarkably still played roughly 95 percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps and racked up 10 tackles in their 23-17 defeat.
The linebacker was likely done for the year anyway, but this new ban seals the deal since there are just eight games left in the year. His suspension begins immediately, per the NFL, so he will not receive his salary while on IR.
Freeman has now accrued two PED bans inside of a year. This latest suspension will cost Freeman upwards of $2MM in take-home pay.
Freeman will be eligible to play early in 2018, but this could be the end of the line for him in the NFL. In a statement released on Twitter, Freeman explained that he has been dealing with a significant head injury. That injury, he says, led him to self-medicate with pills that triggered his positive test.
“I hate to [say] I’m sorry again but I am sorry. I’ve been on IR all year and you try and stay out of sight, but sorry for the distraction. I had been lying to friends, family, and loved ones when it came to the question of, “Are you okay?,” Freeman wrote. “Knowing my career may be over due [to] everything that came with the head injury {that’s been purposely downplayed by me), memory loss and all, has actually been a bit of a struggle. That being said, there’s no excuse to cope with any problems by taking any kind of pills. I don’t know my future but a big thanks to the Bears and the NFL, if I would have used their programs and services earlier than I did, I wouldn’t be in this situation. Sorry again for the distraction.”
Latest On Bears TE Zach Miller
On Monday, Bears tight end Zach Miller had major surgery on his dislocated knee. As first reported by ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (video link), the injury put him at risk for potentially losing his leg. The early word on the operation is good, however, with the Bears terming it as “successful”.
“Successful surgery was performed immediately on Sunday by the UMC vascular surgeons to stabilize his injury,” the team said in a statement. “Zach remains at UMC, along with Bears medical personnel, where he will stay under further evaluation. We are thinking of Zach and his family and support from our entire organization goes out to them.”
A dislocated knee is a complicated injury and especially scary because of the arteries involved. When there is significant vascular damage, surgeons will sometimes have to graft an artery from one leg to the other. If proper circulation cannot be restored, then the patient may wind up losing the limb. Needless to say, Miller’s season is over and his football future is also in jeopardy, but he has a much larger battle to focus on at the moment.
Miller, who spent the first three seasons of his career as an afterthought in Jacksonville, has done his best work over the past three seasons with the Bears. In 2016, Miller caught a career-high 47 passes and 486 yards with four touchdowns. This year, he was on pace for similar stats with 20 grabs for 236 yards and two TDs.
Vic Fangio's Contract Up After 2017
- Vic Fangio‘s contract with the Bears expires after this season, La Canfora reports, adding the 59-year-old DC will be in demand for a head-coaching position come hiring time. The Bears rank 13th in defensive DVOA despite not deploying a player who’s made a Pro Bowl, and Fangio’s unit helped win a game that included four Mitch Trubisky pass completions before holding Drew Brees without a touchdown pass a week later. The 49ers asked permission to interview their former DC for that job, but the Bears denied that request.