NFL Workout Updates: 11/27/18
Here’s the latest from the workout circuit, all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer, unless otherwise specified.
Arizona Cardinals
Baltimore Ravens
- S Bennett Jackson (link)
Buffalo Bills
- LB James Burgess, P Matt Darr, LB Obum Gwacham, DE Damontre Moore, P Brad Nortman, P Jake Schum (link)
Carolina Panthers
- CB Dexter McDougle (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio)
Green Bay Packers
- T Gerhard de Beer, DE Geneo Grissom, FB Malcolm Johnson, LB Jacob Pugh (link)
Houston Texans
- WR Deontez Alexander, CB Horace Richardson, WR Devin Smith (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Mack Brown, RB Martez Carter, RB Jarvion Franklin, RB Gerald Holmes, TE Khari Lee, RB Akrum Wadley (link)
Oakland Raiders
- DE Darius Jackson, DE Ja’Von Rolland-Jones (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- LB Tyrell Adams, LB Thurston Armbrister, LS Tanner Carew, LS Jon Condo, LS Lucas Gravelle, LS Colin Holba, WR Max McCaffrey, LS Taybor Pepper, WR Jordan Smallwood, WR Jordan Veasy, LB Michael Wilhoite (link)
Marlon Mack In Concussion Protocol
- After going down with a concussion against the Dolphins, Colts running back Marlon Mack is “iffy” for Week 13, tweets Mike Chappell of Fox59. Mack missed three games with a hamstring injury earlier this year, but has averaged 16.5 carries per game since as Indianapolis’ lead back. The 6-5 Colts face a winnable game against the Jaguars next Sunday as they fight for a playoff spot, and would turn to Jordan Wilkins and Nyheim Hines to play more snaps if Mack can’t go.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/26/18
Today’s practice squad updates:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Montay Crockett
Chicago Bears
- Signed: DB John Franklin III
Detroit Lions
- Released: DB Horace Richardson
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Teo Redding
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Je’Ron Hamm, QB Phillip Walker
- Released: DE Anthony Winbush
New York Giants
- Released: K Marshall Koehn
Oakland Raiders
- Released: CB Arrion Springs
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: LB James Onwualu
Washington Redskins
- Released: T Jarron Jones
Colts To Place Jack Doyle On IR
The surging Colts are likely to see a key cog in their offense head to injured reserve. Jack Doyle suffered an injury Sunday that will send him to IR, Stephen Holder of The Athletic reports (subscription required).
It’s a kidney injury, Frank Reich said (via Mike Chappell of Fox 59). Reich said Doyle was hospitalized because of this ailment and underwent a procedure.
Teaming with touchdown maven Eric Ebron, Doyle caught one of Andrew Luck‘s TD passes Sunday — Indianapolis’ fifth straight win — but appears set to see his season end early. Doyle missed five games earlier this season because of a hip injury but had returned to play in the Colts’ past three contests.
Indianapolis was down to just Ebron and Doyle on Sunday, with Erik Swoope, Mo Alie-Cox and Ryan Hewitt out. The Colts are likely to consider adding a reinforcement at this position, Holder notes.
Colts tight ends have caught 18 of Luck’s 32 touchdown passes this season. Though Ebron’s 11 TD grabs comprise much of that total, Doyle scored twice in limited action.
Swoope and Alie-Cox’s five combined scores make them potentially promising fill-ins, but their injuries complicate matters. An 80-reception, 690-yard season sent Doyle to the Pro Bowl last year. He’s signed through 2019 but has no guaranteed money remaining on a three-year, $18.9MM deal.
Frank Gore Taking It “Year-To-Year”
Frank Gore is heading into the final stretch of his 14th NFL season, but the veteran running back isn’t necessarily ready to hang up his cleats. Gore told reporters that he’s taking it one season at a time as he approaches the end of his career.
“I’m still year-to-year,” Gore said (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “I’m going to really take a look at me after the season. Hopefully, I can try to finish strong and do whatever it takes to help my team be successful and also have individual success. I’m going to just evaluate myself and my body and see if I really want to do it again this offseason. I take it one year at a time.”
The 35-year-old hasn’t shown many signs of decline this season. In 10 games with the Dolphins, Gore has compiled 528 rushing yards on 117 carries, and his 4.5 yards-per-carry is his highest mark since 2012. With three more years of similar production, Gore could find himself jumping Barry Sanders and Walter Payton to rank second on the all-time rushing list.
For the time being, Gore is simply focused on this season with the Dolphins. That includes a matchup with his former team, the Colts, this weekend. With Indy on the rise, the running back was asked if he may have signed with that organization too early.
“I can’t say that, man,” Gore said. “They were coming off the AFC Championship [game]. When you’re looking from the outside looking in, you don’t know what’s in the locker room until you get there. . . . When you’re playing with a bunch of injured guys, that’s tough in this league. It’s already hard to win when you’ve got guys healthy. So imagine when you don’t, especially the main guys who run the show. I had a great three years there. The organization was great. Great people. We were fighting. Things just didn’t go the way I was planning.”
Matt Slauson Not Planning To Retire?
- It doesn’t sound like Matt Slauson has immediate retirement plans, despite suffering a scary back injury, Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star notes. The first-year Colts lineman has contributed plenty to the cause despite being sidelined for much of this year, with Keefer noting he’s helped Indianapolis’ younger linemen. The Colts haven’t allowed Andrew Luck to be sacked in 214 straight pass attempts; that’s the longest since the Redskins kept Mark Rypien upright for 252 straight pass plays during the franchise’s 1991 Super Bowl season. Slauson continues to work out with teammates but is 32 and only signed through 2018.
Ryan Kelly Has MCL Sprain
New Titans defensive coordinator Dean Pees had to be hospitalized during Sunday’s game against the Colts because of a medical issue. But the 69-year-old assistant is back healthy and working with the the Titans, Mike Vrabel said Wednesday. Pees was coaching on the Titans’ practice field during their first Week 12 workout, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. The veteran DC stayed at an Indianapolis hospital overnight but returned to Nashville, Tenn., on Monday. He’s expected to make the trip to Houston for the Titans-Texans’ Monday night game.
- The anchor of an improved Colts offensive line will not be available Sunday against the Dolphins. Ryan Kelly has an MCL sprain and will miss Indianapolis’ Week 12 contest. The third-year center feared a much worse injury occurred in Sunday’s win over the Titans. “I was worried about the ACL, but that’s intact. It’s reassuring,” Kelly said, via CBS4’s Mike Chappell. Kelly said he underwent knee surgery in high school and is receiving a second opinion, per Chappell. This malady does not require a corrective procedure, and it’s possible Kelly may be back soon. An addition off the Rams’ practice squad, Evan Boehm will start in Kelly’s place.
Colts Promote RB Jonathan Williams
Jonathan Williams is back in the NFL. Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star reports (via Twitter) that the Colts have promoted the running back from the practice squad to the active roster.
The 2016 fifth-round pick hasn’t done a whole lot in the NFL since his rookie campaign. He finished that campaign with 92 rushing yards on 27 carries with the Bills, but he’s only garnered three carries since then. He spent the majority of the past two seasons with the Saints organization, but he was waived by the team in late September. He caught on with the Colts’ practice squad in early October.
Williams might end up seeing more of a special teams role in Indy, as it’ll be tough for him to get any playing time on a crowded running back depth chart. The 24-year-old will be the fourth back on the active roster behind Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines, and Jordan Wilkins.
Earlier today, the Colts placed cornerback D.J. Killings on injured reserve and waived cornerback Arthur Maulet. Williams will be taking one of these roster spots, with the other opening going to offensive lineman Josh Andrews.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/20/18
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: CB David Amerson
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Chris Jones, WR Jalen Tolliver
- Released: DE Vontarrius Dora
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed from Eagles practice squad: OL Josh Andrews
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: DB Josh Shaw
Colts Place CB D.J. Killings On IR
The Colts placed cornerback D.J. Killings on injured reserve and waived cornerback Arthur Maulet, according to a team announcement. The Colts already plucked offensive lineman Josh Andrews from the Eagles’ practice squad to fill one roster spot, but they have one more vacancy left to fill. 
Killings was promoted to the 53-man roster from the practice squad last week, but an ankle injury limited him in practice. It turns out that his ankle injury is severe enough to rule him out for the remainder of the season.
It’s a frustrating turn of events for Killings, but he’s been here before. He lost his 2015 season at UCF to injury but bounced back in the next season to start in all 13 games. He recorded 42 tackles, three tackles for a loss, one sack, and 11 pass break-ups in his final year on campus, leading to a healthy amount of interest following the 2017 draft. Killings will now set his sights on the 2019 season when he’ll look to see his first live action in the NFL.