A.J. Green To Return To Practice
- Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis says wide receiver A.J. Green expects to return to practice on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). With Cincinnati sitting at 5-7-1, a Green return would be more important to fantasy players than the Bengals’ 2016 season at this point. Green has missed the past three games with a severe hamstring injury. He sits 36 yards away from a sixth straight 1,000-yard slate.
2017 NFL Draft Order Through Most Of Week 14
The final month of the regular season will dictate the playoff futures for teams like the Cowboys, Patriots, Chiefs, and Raiders. For other teams, the postseason is a statistical impossibility. Already, the Jets, Jaguars, Browns, Rams, Bears, and 49ers have been mathematically eliminated. The Chargers, Saints, Panthers, Eagles, Bengals, and Cardinals are not technically out of it, but their chances are remote.
Here’s where those teams and the others not currently ticketed for the playoffs stand in the draft order (Note – Ties are broken by strength of schedule):
- Browns 0-13
- 49ers 1-12
- Jaguars 2-11
- Bears 3-10
- Rams 4-9 (pick belongs to Titans)
- Jets 4-9
- Panthers 5-8
- Chargers 5-8
- Saints 5-8
- Eagles (pick belongs to Browns) 5-8
- Cardinals 5-7-1
- Bengals 5-7-1
- Bills 6-7
- Colts 6-7
- Titans 7-6
- Vikings (pick belongs to Eagles) 7-6
- Packers 7-6
- Redskins 7-5-1
- Ravens 7-5 (Note – The Ravens play their Week 14 game tonight against the Patriots.)
- Dolphins 8-5
Strength of schedule via SB Nation.
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
A.J. Green Aiming For 2016 Return
Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green is progressing in his recovery from the hamstring injury he suffered Nov. 20, but he’ll miss Sunday’s game against the Eagles, according to Bob Holzman of ESPN. Although the 3-7-1 Bengals are all but out of playoff contention, the five-time Pro Bowler has no plans to shut himself down for the season. “I want to get back,” he told Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. “No matter what type of season we have, I’m not the type of guy to cash it in. So, whenever it’s ready, I’ll be ready to go. But, I’m not going to rush it because I’m not going to have this be a continuing issue.”
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
Bengals Re-Sign Rookie Defensive Tackle
- The Bengals signed defensive tackle DeShawn Williams two days after waiving him, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. In turn, the team placed cornerback Chykie Brown on IR, per Owczarski (on Twitter). The 30-year-old Brown played in five games for Cincinnati this season, doing so after playing four years with the Ravens and Giants.
Marvin Lewis Likely Safe
- Jackson’s former employer, the 3-7-1 Bengals, are among the NFL’s biggest disappointments this year after making five straight playoff appearances. Their 2016 struggles are unlikely to cost head coach Marvin Lewis his job, though, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Lewis is under contract through next season, and owner Mike Brown doesn’t like to pay people who don’t work for him, notes Florio. The 58-year-old Lewis is the league’s second-longest-tenured head coach, trailing only New England’s Bill Belichick, yet Cincinnati hasn’t won a playoff game in his 14-season run.
Bengals Activate Cedric Peerman
The Bengals have activated running back Cedric Peerman from the injured reserve, reports Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Inquirer (via Twitter). The team has also promoted long snapper Tyler Ott to the active roster. To make room, the team has waived defensive tackle DeShawn Williams.
The Peerman news isn’t much of a surprise, as the Bengals designated the running back as their player to return from the injured reserve. The veteran fractured his left arm during the preseason, shelving him for the first three months of the season.
The former Pro Bowler will make an instant impact on the Bengals’ struggling special teams unit, and he’ll also provide some depth to a running back corps that recently lost Giovani Bernard for the season. Of course, it’s unlikely the 30-year-old sees any snaps at running back behind Jeremy Hill and Rex Burkhead. Despite playing 16 games last season, Peerman didn’t get a single carry, and he only has 64 career carries in his seven-year career.
Starting long snapper Clark Harris is doubtful for this weekend’s game, necessitating Ott’s promotion. The Harvard product will be playing in his second NFL game, as he served as the Giants snapper during last year’s regular season finale. The 24-year-old has also spent time with the Patriots and Rams.
Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Clemson in 2015, has been inactive for every Bengals game this season. Owczarski notes that the defensive tackle’s tenure in Cincinnati is likely over, as the 23-year-old is unlikely to clear waivers.
Bengals Pick RB Cedric Peerman For Return
The Bengals announced that they have designated running back Cedric Peerman to return. Teams only get one IR-DTR move per season, so today’s news means that we will not see rookie cornerback William Jackson III take the field this season.
So far this year, the Bengals’ secondary has been lackluster, leading some to believe that Jackson would get the nod. However, the team is also hurting in the third facet of the game. Peerman is a special teams stalwart for Cincinnati and the Bengals decided that they would benefit more from having him on the field than the young Houston product.
When Rams quarterback Jared Goff made his debut earlier this month, Jackson was the only 2016 first-round pick who was still waiting to take the field. Now, he has solidified the unfortunate distinction. Jackson will turn his focus to 2017 when he hopes to propel the Bengals’ defense with his exceptional speed.
At 3-6-1, the Bengals are not likely to make the playoffs, but they also haven’t been mathematically eliminated. After losing Giovani Bernard for the season and losing A.J. Green for multiple games, the Bengals are sending a message today that they are not giving up on 2016.
Bengals DT Brandon Thompson Returns To Practice
- The Bengals announced that they have formally cleared defensive tackle Brandon Thompson – previously on the PUP list – to return to practice. They now have an open spot on the roster. Thompson has spent four-plus seasons in Cincinnati, appearing in 39 games.