Injury Updates: Rudolph, Bausby, Hicks, Gallman, Sproles
Some key injuries around the league from today’s action:
- There was a scary scene in Pittsburgh, when Mason Rudolph was knocked unconscious by a hit from Ravens safety Earl Thomas. Rudolph was knocked out cold, and was visibly disoriented even after waking up. He was diagnosed with a concussion, and taken to a local hospital as a precaution. Fortunately, Rudolph was cleared to go home from the hospital and is “doing well,” a source told Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Undrafted rookie Devlin Hodges took over for Rudolph, and he looked surprisingly competent. The Samford product, recently signed from the practice squad after Ben Roethlisberger‘s injury, will start against the Chargers next week if Rudolph can’t go.
- Speaking of scary injuries, Broncos cornerback De’Vante Bausby suffered one as well. Bausby was taken to a hospital, and Denver initially said they were waiting on MRI results for his “head and neck area before determining whether it’s safe for him to fly home or stay a night for observation,” according to a tweet from Mike Klis of Denver 9 News. Klis notes that head coach Vic Fangio said he was told Bausby “cleared the serious stage,” but wouldn’t say much more. Fortunately, Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic later tweeted that Bausby had been released from the hospital and would make the flight back to Denver with the team. Broncos spokesman Patrick Smyth tweeted that Bausby was diagnosed with a cervical sprain. Hopefully everything turns out alright for the former AAF star, who was recently inserted into the starting lineup.
- The Bears lost as big favorites to the Raiders in London, and their day got even worse. Star defensive lineman Akiem Hicks hurt his elbow, and it doesn’t look good. Speaking after the game, head coach Matt Nagy didn’t sound overly optimistic. “I don’t think it is, but I don’t – again, I’ll get into more and find out more details,” Nagy said, when asked if the injury was season-ending, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. Hicks made the Pro Bowl last year, and is a key cog in Chicago’s elite defense. Fortunately they have their bye in Week 6, but it sounds like Hicks is going to miss some time.
- The Giants’ running back situation just got even more dire. Of course, they were missing workhorse Saquon Barkley, who is sidelined with an ankle injury. Wayne Gallman took over for Barkley as their lead back, and he was quickly ruled out with a concussion during their Week 5 loss to the Vikings. New York plays on Thursday Night Football against the Patriots this week, so Gallman will have a tough time getting cleared in just a few days. There’s been some talk Barkley could return for that game, although that still seems unlikely. Rookie quarterback Daniel Jones will be looking to pull off a shorthanded miracle.
- Eagles running back Darren Sproles reached a new milestone in his illustrious career, but then got nicked up shortly after. During Philly’s win over the Jets Sproles moved into fifth place on the all-time all purpose yards list, but then left the game with a quad injury. Sproles hasn’t been playing too big of a role so far this season as the Eagles look to keep the 36-year-old fresh, but this is still something to monitor. There was no word on the severity right away.
GMs Expecting Active Trade Deadline
The NFL has experienced a dramatic rise in significant trades over the past several years, and there may be a few noteworthy swaps going down this month as we get closer to the October 29 trade deadline. Indeed, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says there is a sense among general managers that we may see more trades in advance of this year’s deadline than ever before, largely because there is a larger gulf between pretenders and contenders than in seasons past (indeed, there are still six winless teams, which is the highest number at this point in the season since the 1970 merger).
La Canfora says the teams most actively laying groundwork for potential deals are the Saints, Eagles, Ravens, Chiefs, Patriots, and Seahawks. Of course, a number of those clubs have already been pursuing Jacksonville CB Jalen Ramsey, and the Saints, Eagles, Ravens, and Chiefs are casting a wide net for cornerback upgrades.
One of this year’s still-winless clubs, the Broncos, are reportedly more open to moving veteran pieces than they were last year, as La Canfora writes in a separate piece, with Derek Wolfe, Chris Harris, and Emmanuel Sanders all generating interest. Wolfe could make sense for Baltimore, and the Saints are expected to renew their pursuit of Sanders. Even Von Miller could be on the block, per La Canfora, especially since all of his major bonuses and guarantees have already been paid. Miller, 30, is reportedly open to a change of scenery at this point, but Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says the Broncos will not trade him (video link). However, the other players mentioned above could be available if Denver continues to scuffle.
But while Denver may be willing to talk shop, rival GMs are skeptical that the 0-4 Bengals, led by old-school owner Mike Brown, will be amenable to moving big-name vets despite their fading fortunes. La Canfora’s sources say Cincinnati could net a first-round pick for WR A.J. Green if the acquiring club is able to work out a new contract with him as a condition of the trade (and if Green recovers from his foot injury soon). The Patriots and Saints could make a push for Green or Bengals tight end Tyler Eifert, and Cincy could also swing deals for players like Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap if the club is willing to listen to offers.
Like fellow winless outfits Denver and Cincinnati, the Jets could be active in shopping veteran players in advance of the deadline. La Canfora specifically names Kelechi Osemele and Leonard Williams as players who could be on the move, though he says there has been no trade chatter surrounding Le’Veon Bell at this point.
Finally, though the 0-4 Redskins have been steadfastly refusing to trade Trent Williams, some believe that the team will relent at some point and will ship Williams to a contender in need of O-line help.
Execs Doubt Broncos Will Deal Veterans
- The Bengals were expected to take their lumps this season. The Broncos‘ 0-4 start has surprised. But executives around the league are not anticipating a firesale for either franchise. “I agree they absolutely should be shopping players (ahead of the Oct. 29 trade deadline), but I have my doubts,” an NFL exec told CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. “We’re applying reason and logic, but I’m not sure those teams will fully embrace what needs to be done.” Denver, which did trade Demaryius Thomas before last season’s deadline, has standouts from its previous Super Bowl team on expiring contracts — Chris Harris and Emmanuel Sanders. The Bengals house veterans A.J. Green, Geno Atkins and Carlos Dunlap. But Green is still recovering from injury and the latter two are early into 2018 extensions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/19
We don’t dance now, we make minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Pharoh Cooper
- Released: DT Miles Brown
Denver Broncos
- Signed: LB Jerry Attaochu
- Signed: OT Calvin Anderson
- Waived: LB Keishawn Bierria
Houston Texans
- Released: TE Jerell Adams
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: DT Trevon Coley
- Waived: DT Jihad Ward
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted: TE Stephen Anderson
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived from reserve/injured: S Isaiah Wharton
New York Giants
- Suspended (four games, PEDs): TE Isaiah Searight
New York Jets
- Waived from exempt/left squad: TE Bucky Hodges
Oakland Raiders
- Waived from IR with injury settlement: DT Eddie Vanderdoes
Philadelphia Eagles
- Signed: CB Ryan Lewis
- Released: CB Ajene Harris
Washington Redskins
- Waived: WR Robert Davis
NFL Workout Updates: 10/1/19
Here’s a look at the latest workouts from around the NFL:
Arizona Cardinals
- DL Joel Heath
- DL Zach Kerr
- DL Mike Pennel
- DL Caraun Reid
- DL Anthony Zettel
Atlanta Falcons
- LB Andrew Dowell
- LB Ahmad Thomas (signed with ATL p-squad)
Baltimore Ravens
- LB Josh Bynes
- LB Mason Foster
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- DL Domata Peko
- LB Vincent Rey
- LB Dekoda Watson
Buffalo Bills
- WR Deontay Burnett
- DT Willie Henry
- DT T.Y. McGill
- WR Kermit Whitfield
Cleveland Browns
- TE C.J. Conrad
- OT Cody Conway
- DL Frank Herron
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- C Daniel Munyer
Broncos’ Bradley Chubb Suffers Torn ACL
News keeps getting worse for the Broncos. The 0-4 team received word one of its top players, linebacker Bradley Chubb, will miss the rest of the season. Chubb suffered a torn ACL Sunday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Chubb left the Broncos’ Week 4 game against the Jaguars but returned. The emerging talent does not appear to have played on a full tear, with 9News’ Mike Klis tweeting this is a partial tear. But that’s hardly any consolation. With Chubb set for surgery, per Schefter, Denver will have to play the rest of the way without Von Miller‘s sidekick. Vic Fangio confirmed this is a partial tear, per NFL.com’s James Palmer (on Twitter).
The Broncos took Chubb with the No. 5 overall pick last year and saw him post 12 sacks as a rookie. After three sackless games, the Broncos broke out for five against the Jags. Miller picked up two. However, the perennial Pro Bowler will have a tougher time on this front going forward. The chips and double-teams Miller has frequently seen in his career figure to increase, with the Broncos not as deep as they once were on the edge. Chubb returned to help Miller apply pressure on Gardner Minshew on Denver’s final drive. The Jags still kicked a game-winning field goal and sent the Broncos to 0-4 for the first time in 20 years.
The team did not address the position in the draft or free agency, letting Shaquil Barrett and Shane Ray walk. Barrett leads the NFL in sacks, and Ray is again a free agent. Rookie UDFA Malik Reed is in line to succeed Chubb. The Broncos played Sunday without offseason additions Kareem Jackson, Bryce Callahan and Ja’Wuan James. They have a Week 5 game against the Chargers in Los Angeles. Denver has never started 0-5.
Latest On Broncos' Injuries
- Broncos right tackle Ja’Wuan James is expected to miss two-to-four more weeks while dealing with a knee injury, while cornerback Bryce Callahan is out four-to-six more weeks after undergoing a procedure on his foot, according to Kyle Fredrickson of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Meanwhile, defensive back Kareem Jackson is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Jaguars because of a foot issue, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. As a result, Denver could potentially be without its top three free agent signings for its Week 4 contest.
Broncos’ Bryce Callahan Out At Least 4 More Weeks
Bad news for the Broncos, as they’ll continue to be without cornerback Bryce Callahan for the foreseeable future. Callahan is undergoing a “non-surgical procedure on his troublesome left foot,” a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News.
Klis reports that the procedure will sideline Callahan for at least the next four weeks. The expected timetable is 4-6 weeks, tweets Troy Renck of Denver ABC 7. The Broncos signed Callahan to a three-year deal worth $21MM with $10MM guaranteed back in March, and he’s yet to appear in a game for them. Callahan broke his foot toward the end of last season, and was recovering well until he re-aggravated it in training camp when another player stepped on it.
The team still isn’t placing him on injured reserve, signaling they expect to have him back within that timetable. If they had placed him on IR at the beginning of the season, his current timetable would’ve lined up nicely with the first eight games he would’ve had to miss. Callahan had a big season with the Bears last year, and he followed his defensive coordinator in Chicago Vic Fangio to the Broncos.
Callahan is going to start when healthy, and Denver’s secondary needs him. Isaac Yiadom had been starting at corner but was struggling mightily, and he got pulled for De’Vante Bausby last week against the Packers. Klis writes that the team is expected to give Bausby, an AAF standout, his second-career NFL start this Sunday against the Jaguars.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/24/19
Here are Tuesday’s practice squad decisions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: P Ryan Winslow
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: TE Carson Meier
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: LB Nate Hall
- Released: LB Curtis Akins
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: T Matt Kaskey
- Released: G Rishard Cook
Cincinnati Bengals
- Signed: CB Greg Mabin
- Released: RB Jordan Ellis
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Trinity Benson
Detroit Lions
- Signed: WR Chris Lacy
- Released: RB Nick Brossette
Houston Texans
- Signed: WR Tyron Johnson
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: CB Deante Burton
- Released: RB Darius Jackson
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: DB Alexander Myres
- Released: DB Trevon Mathis
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: WR Ishmael Hyman
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/19
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: T John Wetzel
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted from practice squad: DT Kyle Peko
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: G Kofi Amichia
- Released from IR via injury settlement: DT Destiny Vaeao
Denver Broncos
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Fred Brown
- Released from IR via injury settlement: LB Dadi Nicolas
- Waived: WR River Cracraft
Miami Dolphins
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: CB Marcus Sherels
- Waived: LB Devante Downs
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Nate Stupar
- Waived: TE Eric Tomlinson
Oakland Raiders
- Placed on IR: LB Marquel Lee
Philadelphia Eagles
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Craig James
- Waived: WR Greg Ward
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LS Garrison Sanborn
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted from practice squad: DL Patrick O’Connor
Washington Redskins
- Released from IR via injury settlement: C Casey Dunn
- Waived: DT T.Y. McGill