AFC Notes: Gronk, Hightower, Broncos, Bengals
After checking in on a few items from out of the NFC earlier this afternoon, let’s shift our focus to the AFC and round up the latest….
- The MRI on Rob Gronkowski‘s knee revealed only a minor knee strain, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The star tight end will likely be good to go in a week or two, which is great news for the Patriots.
- The Patriots also got relatively good news on linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who is week to week with his knee injury, per Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Russini adds that Hightower will be re-evaluated within the next few days.
- The Broncos suddenly have a contracts problem on their hands for 2016, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who notes that the team will only be able to rely on the franchise tag to retain one of Brock Osweiler and Von Miller. Osweiler has won his first two starts as a Bronco, but it seems a little too early to assume he’s worthy of a significant investment. After five more regular season games and at least one playoff contest, Denver should have a much better idea of Osweiler’s value.
- The Bengals worked out six defensive backs today, including cornerback Bradley Fletcher, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link), cornerback Chykie Brown was also a part of that group. With Darqueze Dennard out for the season, and other members of the secondary banged up, Cincinnati seems to be keeping an eye out for possible depth additions.
AFC Notes: Collins, Manning, Browns
Star linebacker Jamie Collins has been out of the Patriots’ lineup since the end of October because of an illness, one that president Jonathan Kraft isn’t worried will spread throughout the team, per Mike Petraglia of WEEI.
“Jamie’s getting better and getting stronger every day,” Kraft said Sunday. “I know people in non-football life that end up with really bad viruses and get knocked out of their professional lives for a while.”
Continued Kraft, “This was something that doesn’t have us worried about the physical infrastructure at the facility. There wasn’t anything related to Jamie’s issues that had anything to do with the facility.”
Kraft’s words indicate that Collins’ illness isn’t MRSA, a staph infection-causing disease that has affected NFL teams in the past. Most recently, it ended the season of Giants tight end Daniel Fells in October.
Collins returned to practice Friday, so it appears he’ll be back in game action sometime this season.
And now a look at some of the Patriots’ AFC counterparts, including their Sunday night opponent:
- Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning, currently on the shelf because of a plantar fascia injury, is eager to return to the field as soon as possible. The team doesn’t share in his eagerness, though, and it’s causing friction between the two sides, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Regarding the possibility of a healthy Manning backing up Brock Osweiler, a source told La Canfora, “We know this much — he’s not going to go quietly. He’s going to have to be dealt with.”
- After briefly losing his job to Johnny Manziel, Josh McCown is back as the Browns’ starting quarterback – which he’s ambivalent about, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. While McCown relishes playing again, he isn’t pleased that his opportunity comes at the expense of Manziel – whom the Browns benched because of off-field issues. “You understand that you have a job to do, and the coaches make the decision and tell you you’re playing and you move forward accordingly,” said McCown. “But at the same time, I’m in the room with [Manziel] every day, and we’ve built a relationship. I’m a big advocate of his and a fan and a friend as well.”
- The Browns have noteworthy free agents-to-be in safety Tashaun Gipson, tight end Gary Barnidge and receiver Travis Benjamin. If they only re-sign one, it should be the 25-year-old Gipson, writes Tom Reed of Cleveland.com. Gipson hasn’t been as sharp this season after leading the AFC in interceptions in 2013 and ’14, which could drop his price. That’s something Reed believes the Browns should look to capitalize on after they couldn’t reach a long-term deal with Gipson last offseason, when he was coming off a Pro Bowl campaign.
La Canfora’s Latest: McDermott, Lions, Kroenke
Let’s take a look at some of the latest notes and observations from CBS Sports scribe Jason La Canfora:
- Both La Canfora and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com have delved into some of the most notable names who will be connected to head coaching vacancies this offseason. Rapoport mentions Bears OC Adam Gase, Patriots OC Josh McDaniels, Jaguars offensive line coach Doug Marrone, and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable as veterans of the head coaching interview circuit who will be generating plenty of buzz this offseason. Other less familiar candidates who have also piqued the interest of teams around the league include Panthers coordinators Mike Shula (offensive) and Sean McDermott (defensive), and Bills RB coach Anthony Lynn (all Twitter links). La Canfora explores the case for McDermott in more detail, noting that Carolina’s defense under McDermott’s watch has been among the league’s best for some time, but given the Panthers’ success this season, McDermott has been getting more attention around the league. La Canfora says it would not be a surprise if McDermott met with four to six teams during wildcard weekend, which is likely to be a bye week for the Panthers. Per La Canfora, a team that hires McDermott would do well to add current Chargers head coach Mike McCoy as its offensive coordinator. McCoy is rumored to be on his way out of San Diego at the end of the year, and he and McDermott share a “mutual admiration” for each other. The addition of McCoy would also help to alleviate concern regarding McDermott’s abilities on the offensive side of the ball.
- La Canfora also has a look at potential candidates for the Lions GM job, noting that the team may have difficulty courting some of its top choices given the questions concerning team ownership and the fact that new team president Ron Wood is an unknown commodity in football circles. However, the Lions’ resurgence in recent weeks, the talent on the roster, and the fact that the club has a history of “unwavering loyalty” to its front office executives could allow the team to nab a prized candidate. Those candidates include names like Seahawks pro personnel director Trent Kirchner, Packers player personnel director Eliot Wolf, Patriots director of pro scouting Bob Quinn, and Ravens assistant general manager Eric DeCosta. Of those names, Quinn may be the most likely option, considering that Wolf and DeCosta are both fairly comfortable in their roles as GM-in-waiting for their current clubs, and Kirchner will be the top candidate for a number of teams.
- If Stan Kroenke‘s plan to move the Rams to Los Angeles falls though, La Canfora identifies several other options for the St. Louis owner. The league knows that if Kroenke loses out to the Chargers and Raiders in the race to LA, it would have to work actively to find other solutions for Kroenke, with London and Denver representing two such solutions. Kroenke–who remains focused on LA at the moment and has not actively considered any alternatives–has business interests in England and owns Premier League powerhouse Arsenal. Colorado, meanwhile, serves as Kroenke’s base, and his family owns the NBA’s Denver Nuggets and NHL’s Colorado Avalanche. La Canfora’s sources indicate that Kroenke could purchase the Broncos at some point down the road–La Canfora writes that team ownership will be in flux when Pat Bowlen passes on–and sell the Rams to an investor looking to keep the team in St. Louis. However, Broncos Vice President of Public Relations Patrick Smyth took to Twitter shortly after La Canfora’s report, tweeting that the plan is to keep ownership of the Broncos in the Bowlen family.
AFC Notes: Broncos, Dolphins, Chargers
The Broncos’ acquisition of tight end Vernon Davis at the trade deadline earlier this month didn’t pay dividends in the 10th-year man’s first two games with the team. The longtime 49er was on the receiving end of just five targets in those two games – both losses – and totaled a pair of catches for 19 yards. Davis’ role increased last Sunday, though, when quarterback Brock Osweiler made his first career start in place of an injured Peyton Manning. Osweiler was perfect when he targeted Davis, finding him on all six attempts for 68 yards, and the Broncos beat the Bears, 17-15. Not surprisingly, Davis praised Osweiler after the duo’s first game together.
“Sometimes it takes awhile to get on the same page and develop that chemistry with a quarterback. But with this guy, it’s like we connected from Day One,” said Davis, per Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post.
Davis also had kind words for head coach Gary Kubiak, saying, “I dreamed of being in a place like this, a system, a coach who understands talent.'”
As a free agent in a few months, Davis certainly isn’t a lock to remain in Denver beyond this season. But more performances like the one he turned in last week will increase the 31-year-old’s chances of continuing his career under Kubiak.
More from the AFC:
- Edge defender Quinton Coples has practiced just three times for the Dolphins since being claimed off waivers from the Jets, but he appears poised to play this weekend against his old team, as James Walker of ESPN.com. As Coples himself observes, playing against the Jets after spending three and a half seasons with the team – and less than a week after they cut him – should be “quite interesting.”
- Despite being well respected in NFL training circles, according to Jarrett Bell of USA Today, ex-Dolphins trainer Kevin O’Neill has been unable to find a job as a trainer since the team fired him in 2014 and the odds of getting another are slim. O’Neill believes he’s a scapegoat for Miami’s bullying scandal in 2013, one that mainly involved offensive linemen Richie Incognito and Jonathan Martin. O’Neill, according to Martin, laughed as players hurled racially charged insults at Asian-American trainer Naoshisa Inoue. O’Neill downplayed the severity of the incidents, however. “They made fun at how he talked a little bit,” said O’Neill. “He laughed about it. I laughed about it, too. I didn’t laugh about anything that had to do with anybody’s mom or girlfriend, or somebody using a racial slur.”
- At 2-8 and coming off a 30-point drubbing at the hands of the Chiefs, it’s fair to say there aren’t many players on the Chargers’ roster who deserve to be viewed as part of the solution going forward. One rarity is standout cornerback Jason Verrett, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Said head coach Mike McCoy, “He is out here every day, competing. That’s why he’s as good a player as he is: he loves to compete.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Broncos Sign Christian Ponder
12:36pm: The Broncos have placed edge defender Kenny Anunike on injured reserve, ending his season, in order to clear a spot on the roster for Ponder, tweets Mike Klis of 9News.
11:30am: After hosting him for a visit, the Broncos will sign quarterback Christian Ponder to a contract, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). With Peyton Manning injured, but still on the active roster, the Ponder signing will give Denver four quarterbacks on its 53-man squad.
Ponder, 27, started 36 games during his four years with the Vikings, though he was essentially the team’s No. 3 signal-caller in 2014, behind Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel on the depth chart. With a career 59.8% completion rate and 75.9 passer rating, Ponder didn’t find a very active market when he hit free agency this offseason — he ultimately signed with the Raiders, but was released by Oakland prior to the regular season.
With Manning sidelined in Denver for at least a couple more weeks, the Broncos will lean on Brock Osweiler as the starter and seventh-round rookie Trevor Siemian as the backup for now. As Rapoport explains (via Twitter), Ponder will start as No. 3 on the depth chart while he learns the offense, and could eventually move up to No. 2, but that’s not a given, since the Broncos like Siemian.
The Broncos put in a waiver claim on Jimmy Clausen this week, after the signal-caller was cut by the Bears. While the Ravens ended up landing Clausen, the fact that Denver submitted a claim suggested that the team wanted to add another veteran to the mix, with its only two healthy quarterbacks having combined for a single NFL start.
Broncos Notes: Manning, Clausen, McDaniels
As we heard on Tuesday, Peyton Manning is expected to be sidelined for at least the next two weeks as he continues his recovery from a plantar fascia tear, and if Brock Osweiler plays well in Manning’s absence, it seems likely that the future Hall-of-Famer will get even more time to recover. As Osweiler gets set for a Week 12 showdown with the Patriots, let’s check out the latest out of Denver….
- A source close to Manning told Mike Klis of 9NEWS this week that the Broncos quarterback was “incensed” by a report claiming that he is making plans for 2016, with the Broncos or otherwise (all Twitter links). Klis notes that the 39-year-old did give some thought to retirement after last year, so historically he doesn’t consider his future plans during the season. Head coach Gary Kubiak was also dismissive of reports that Manning plans on playing in 2016, calling them “totally false.” Presumably that means the veteran quarterback simply hasn’t made a decision yet, and Kubiak’s not suggesting Manning has decided not to play in ’16.
- Before making arrangements to work out Christian Ponder, the Broncos put a waiver claim in on Jimmy Clausen, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. However, the former Bears backup was instead awarded to the Ravens. Baltimore, of course, also had a need at quarterback after Joe Flacco went down with a season-ending ACL injury.
- With a game in Denver coming up this Sunday night, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels reflected back on his time as the Broncos’ head coach, indicating that he’s thankful to the club for giving him that opportunity, as Jimmy Toscano of CSNNE.com details. “[I] wish we’d have done better,” McDaniels said. “But again I’ve learned a lot of different things after that experience, looking back on it, and hopefully it’s made me a better person and a better coach at the same time.”
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Peyton Manning Out For At Least Two More Weeks
Peyton Manning is expected to miss at least the next two weeks as he continues his recovery from a plantar fascia tear, as Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com writes. Manning will spend at least the next week in a walking cast before beginning additional rehabilitation.
“Peyton and I had a good visit today, and we’ve got a plan in place for his recovery,” head coach Gary Kubiak said. “His foot will be in a cast for at least a week, but he’ll be able to be part of meetings and do some workouts with the rest of the team. We expect him to be unavailable for at least a couple of games. We’ll proceed from there and will continue to support him as he does everything he can to get healthy.”
Manning became the NFL’s all-time leader in passing yardage in his Week 10 start, but the milestone was the lone bright spot in a dreadful performance that included four interceptions and just five completions on 20 passing attempts. Frankly, Manning hasn’t looked right for most of the 2015 season, and he has also been dealing with a rib issue. With Manning ailing, the Broncos will continue to ride with backup Brock Osweiler.
Osweiler, 25, has an opportunity to boost his stock on the open market this winter, since the former second-round pick is in a contract year. More immediately, Osweiler will be tasked with keeping the Broncos atop the AFC West. If Manning’s injury keeps him out for an extended period, he could conceivably be Denver’s playoff starter.
The Broncos are also expected to expected to work out former Vikings starter Christian Ponder on Wednesday, per the report.
AFC Notes: Osweiler, Manning, Dennard, Hoyer
After picking up a victory in his first career start on Sunday, Brock Osweiler will face a tougher test in Week 12. As first reported by Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link) and since confirmed by head coach Gary Kubiak, Osweiler will make another start for the Broncos next Sunday against the undefeated Patriots.
While Osweiler prepares to start a second consecutive game, Peyton Manning is in Charlotte, getting a second opinion on his foot injury, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Multiple reports on Sunday suggested that the future Hall-of-Famer is considering playing one more season, assuming he can get healthy, but Kubiak denied those rumors, suggesting today that Manning is focused solely on his recovery, rather than on 2016 (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post).
Let’s check in on some other items from across the AFC….
- The Bengals‘ fears on cornerback Darqueze Dennard were confirmed by an MRI today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who tweets that Dennard requires shoulder surgery and will be out for the rest of the season. Cincinnati should be able to overcome losing the 2014 first-rounder, since he was only serving as the club’s No. 4 corner in recent weeks.
- Schefter also passes along the latest on the Texans‘ quarterback situation, with head coach Bill O’Brien announcing on ESPN’s NFL Insiders that Brian Hoyer will return to action in Week 12 (Twitter link). That may spell the end of Brandon Weeden‘s time in Houston, unless the team moves forward with three quarterbacks on its roster.
- In the wake of Quinton Coples‘ release, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that it was “well known around the league” that the Jets had the linebacker on the trade block for most of 2015. Obviously, there were no takers prior to the deadline, which doesn’t bode particularly well for Coples’ odds of being claimed on waivers. Meanwhile, head coach Todd Bowles hinted today that he has a player – possibly a kick returner – in mind for Coples’ old roster spot (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com).
- It wasn’t that long ago that it seemed like Colts head coach Chuck Pagano could be fired any day. While he’s still no lock to keep his job beyond the 2015 season, Pagano has his team believing in him, as Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star details.
Extra Points: Manning, Goodell, Hardy, Flacco
As Week 11 winds down, here’s the latest news from around the league.
- Peyton Manning‘s acceptance of a potential front office position could have to wait, with both Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer and Florio (on NBC’s telecast) hearing the 39-year-old quarterback may want to play one more season. It’s doubtful the Broncos keep Manning around at a figure close to the $21.5MM he’s set to earn in 2016 during the fifth year of his five-year contract, but Florio reported Manning would consider continuing his career on another team. Cabot reports Manning might be hesitant to join the Browns‘ front office since his wife Ashley, a part owner of the Memphis Grizzlies, would prefer to stay in the south.
- An old topic appears to be regaining some steam, with Roger Goodell telling Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (on Twitter) a move to expand the regular season is on the table. This would apparently involve reducing the preseason, per Tomasson, who didn’t specify whether this means the 18-game figure that caused so much contention between the NFL and NFLPA years ago. NFLPA president Eric Winston recently didn’t rule out an expansion to 18 games, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk views this subject’s resurfacing centering on the growing number of international games aligning schedules and some teams’ reluctance to give up home contests.
- The Cowboys‘ patience with Greg Hardy is waning, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (as relayed by NFL.com’s Conor Orr). In addition to the on-field blowups and photos of Nicole Holder emerging recently, Hardy’s late nights are a concern to the team despite the defensive end being on a one-year deal. Hardy also showed up late for a meeting last Saturday night before the Cowboys’ game against the Buccaneers. This has induced dialogue between Hardy and Jason Garrett, Jerry Jones and various team veterans.
- As he’s done throughout the season, though, Jones came to Hardy’s aid. “He is aware that everything he does — his personality, his style, his enthusiasm — it’s all going to be interpreted negatively,” Jones told ESPN.com’s Jean-Jacque Taylor. “If he’s not aware of that, then he’s hurting a lot of people. I think he really gets that. We certainly feel that way. He understands it, and he has agreed to really work on it.” This seems to contradict the above report, but it’s in line with Jones’ comments on the embattled defender throughout the season.
- The Ravens will bring in another quarterback (Twitter link via Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun) after Joe Flacco‘s torn ACL injury, which Zreibec notes (on Twitter) the Ravens are confident is a torn ACL and MCL. Zreibec tweets Jason Campbell, Rex Grossman and Bengals practice squad member Keith Wenning are options. Wenning spent time on the Ravens’ roster last season.
- Brian Hoyer will stay as the Texans‘ starter when he returns from a concussion, Bill O’Brien informed the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson. T.J. Yates has helped the Texans to back-to-back wins, while Hoyer sports a 13-to-4 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio.
West Notes: Lynch, Washington, Manning
Marshawn Lynch will visit a specialist in Philadelphia, with a possible sports hernia injury, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Pete Carroll noted after Lynch missed the Seahawks‘ victory against the 49ers that injury hasn’t been ruled out, and such a diagnosis would shelve Lynch for a while.
The Seahawks appear to be in solid shape due to Thomas Rawls‘ presence, however, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio didn’t mince words when characterizing what the rookie’s 255-total-yard day means for the 29-year-old Lynch’s future in Seattle, saying the sixth-year Seahawk will not be back with the team for a seventh season due to the gulf between the backs’ contracts.
With a cap number of $11.5MM, Lynch would be the third-highest-paid Seahawk in his age-30 season. Should the Seahawks take Florio’s advice and turn their backfield over to 2015 UDFA Rawls, who’s slated to make $530K next year, Lynch’s recent extension which runs through the 2017 season contains $5MM worth of dead money going into next season.
Here’s some more news coming out of the Western divisions tonight.
- Former Cardinals Pro Bowl linebacker Daryl Washington continues to violate the terms of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Jay Glazer reported on Fox (as relayed by Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk). The 29-year-old Washington hasn’t played since Week 17 of the 2013 season due to his year-long suspension that hasn’t been revisited. Washington was scheduled to apply for reinstatement in March, and there are concerns his career is over.
- Rams starter Case Keenum sustained a concussion during the team’s loss to the Ravens today, but he continued to play, losing a fumble that led to Baltimore’s game-winning field goal, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. A Timmy Jernigan sack that didn’t count due to an offside penalty negating it did the damage, according to Jeff Fisher. Media learned of Keenum’s concussion only when informed by the St. Louis media relations staff that the quarterback wouldn’t be available for postgame interviews.
- San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer met with Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt to discuss progress on a path to a new Chargers stadium, David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Hunt’s a member of a six-owner committee focused on Los Angeles relocation, and Faulconer’s met with five members of that newly formed coalition thus far. The two didn’t discuss the two LA stadium projects, Garrick reports, with the meeting instead focusing on San Diego’s path to green-lighting construction on its own. Faulconer’s plan features $350MM in contributions from city and county taxpayers, and after California Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent ruling to expedite an environmental review would put this proposal up for a city vote as early as June, but the Chargers have yet to resume negotiations with the city.
- Gary Kubiak hasn’t decided if Peyton Manning or Brock Osweiler will start for the Broncos against the Patriots next week, Florio reports. The PFT scribe notes Kubiak said he’d have a difficult time benching Osweiler after his solid performance against the Bears, and if the fourth-year career backup follows it up with an upset over the Patriots, Kubiak’s previous declaration of starting Manning again when healthy will simply resolve itself when the first-year Denver coach deems the 39-year-old of insufficient health to recapture the job.