Connor Barwin Announces Retirement
Connor Barwin is hanging ’em up. This week, the longtime NFL pass-rusher announced his retirement from the sport. 
“[On Tuesday], I turn 33 and after a decade of playing the greatest sport there is, I’m excited to say I’m moving on to the next chapter of my life,” Barwin wrote on social media. “To my coaches, teammates, fans, and family – thank you all! It was an honor to compete on Sundays for the last ten years. Houston, Philadelphia, LA, and New York – couldn’t have dreamed of a better journey. Thank you for the good times and all the support!”
Barwin enjoyed some of his best years with the Eagles from 2013-2016 and lobbied for a return late in the summer. That never came to fruition and Barwin is ready to move on to life after football.
Barwin’s very best season came in Philly in 2014 when he racked up 14.5 sacks, made the Pro Bowl, and earned second-team All-Pro honors. He signed a one-year deal with the Rams in 2017, and, although he had five sacks, his performance wasn’t well-regarded by the advanced metrics. Then, Barwin signed a two-year deal with the Giants before the 2018 season but didn’t make waves in New York, either.
While things didn’t necessarily end on a high note, Barwin leaves the game after an impressive total run. He notched 56.5 sacks across ten NFL seasons for the Texans, Eagles, Rams, and Giants, and that’s plenty to celebrate on his 33rd birthday.
Rams’ Joseph Noteboom Done For Year
Rams left guard Joseph Noteboom is done for the year, head coach Sean McVay announced. Unfortunately, team doctors didn’t need long to make a diagnosis after Noteboom tore his ACL and MCL. 
[RELATED: Rams To Place Aqib Talib On IR]
Noteboom, a third-round pick in the 2018 draft, appeared in every game for the Rams last year and started for them on the interior line in all six games this year. That includes every snap of the first five games, plus ten snaps on Sunday, before the fateful injury.
Losing him will be rough, particularly on the heels of losing Aqib Talib on the other side of the ball. The Rams started 3-0, but they’re in the midst of a three-game skid with losses to the Bucs, Seahawks, and 49ers.
Rams To Place Aqib Talib On IR
For a second straight season, the Rams will place Aqib Talib on IR. The 12th-year cornerback’s rib injury will end up sidelining him for at least eight more weeks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Talib missed Sunday’s game against the 49ers and would not be able to return until Week 15 because of this transaction. This timetable closely mirrors the Rams’ 2018 Talib plan. The Pro Bowler went on IR after Week 3 and returned in early December.
Los Angeles’ defense suffered last season without Talib, with teams picking on Marcus Peters in what became a tough season for the then-fourth-year veteran. The contract-year corner will again become the Rams’ top outside cover man. The Rams roster veteran Troy Hill, ex-waiver claim Darious Williams and third-round rookie David Long at corner. Hill started in Talib’s place against San Francisco.
The Rams were playing better when they placed Talib on IR in 2018. The defending NFC champions are now 3-3, having lost three straight. Talib’s future with the team is also murky, with the 33-year-old defender’s contract expiring at season’s end.
The Rams traded for Talib in their action-packed 2018 offseason but by December will have seen him miss 15 games. Talib was far more reliable in Denver, having missed just six games in four Broncos seasons.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/12/19
Here are Saturday’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: OL John Wetzel
Los Angeles Chargers
- Promoted from practice squad: WR Jason Moore
- Waived: TE Stephen Anderson
Los Angeles Rams
- Promoted from practice squad: RB John Kelly
- Waived: WR Nsimba Webster
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted from practice squad: CB Nik Needham
- Waived: S Doug Middleton
Minnesota Vikings
- Promoted from practice squad: LB Cameron Smith
- Waived: WR Davion Davis
New York Giants
- Re-signed: QB Alex Tanney
- Waived: RB Austin Walter
Seattle Seahawks
- Promoted from practice squad: TE Jacob Hollister
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Placed on IR OG Zack Bailey
Rams Rule Out Todd Gurley For Week 6
Todd Gurley‘s quadriceps issue will keep him out of the Rams’ Week 6 game against the 49ers, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com tweets. The team previously listed the All-Pro running back as doubtful.
This will keep a key Rams weapon off the field for a pivotal NFC West matchup. Gurley had played in each of the Rams’ five games, and although his usage rate and yardage numbers are down, the two-time first-team All-Pro had scored five touchdowns.
Malcolm Brown stands to start for Los Angeles in its home tilt, with rookie Darrell Henderson seeing additional time. Henderson has only played two offensive snaps this season, receiving one carry. The Rams matched the Lions’ RFA offer sheet submitted to Brown this offseason and have given him 26 carries through five games. While Brown’s operated as Gurley’s backup, he has a team-high (among running backs) 4.4 yards-per-carry average and two TDs.
Gurley’s knee resided as one of this year’s top talking points. That issue may or may not be impacting the fifth-year running back’s workload, but it’s a thigh contusion that has interrupted Gurley’s 2019 instead.
Todd Gurley Unlikely To Face 49ers
The Rams’ latest key NFC West matchup will likely unfold without Todd Gurley. The quadriceps injury the All-Pro back has encountered will bring a doubtful designation, Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com tweets.
Gurley has not missed a game since December of 2018, but instead of the problematic knee issue the two-time first-team All-Pro and the Rams spent the offseason addressing cryptically, it will be a quad malady that has him on the verge of sitting out Sunday’s game against the unbeaten 49ers.
Malcolm Brown will be set to start in Gurley’s place, with third-round rookie Darrell Henderson mixing in. The Rams have also declared Aqib Talib out for Week 6. The Rams have used Brown sparingly this season, giving Gurley 64 carries to Brown’s 26. Brown has also caught just one pass compared to Gurley’s 14. Neither have been particularly effective pass catchers this season, and Gurley is well off his recent prolific paces. Brown is averaging 4.4 yards per carry, however.
A first-team All-Pro in 2017 and ’18, Gurley is averaging 4.2 yards per carry behind Los Angeles’ remade offensive line. His 338 scrimmage yards are noticeably behind the prodigious paces he set in his age-22 and age-23 seasons, which ended in 2,093- and 1,831-yard totals. Now, this quadriceps issue becomes a concern — as do the Rams’ chances of dropping to .500.
A rib injury will sideline Talib, who has been less available in L.A. compared to his Denver days. Talib missed eight games last season, landing on IR for half of it.
Todd Gurley Iffy For Week 6
Todd Gurley has made it through five games without a knee-related absence this season, which could be considered a victory based on the suspicion surrounding the Rams running back this offseason. But the two-time first-team All-Pro has encountered a quadriceps issue and is “up in the air” for Week 6, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Rams initially viewed this as a minor malady, but Gurley is not a lock to suit up against the 49ers. The fifth-year running back has been productive but a cut off his All-Pro form this season. He has yet to post a 100-yard rushing game and, with 338 scrimmage yards, is well off the pace of his past two slates. It would not surprise if the Rams exercised caution here and turned their Week 6 backfield reins over to Malcolm Brown.
- An unorthodox Trent Williams destination: the NFC’s Los Angeles team. While other teams have much bigger offensive line needs, Sean McVay coached Williams in Washington. The Redskins also moved the longtime left tackle to guard for a 2018 game. That would be where Williams would play if the Rams traded for him, with Andrew Whitworth and Rob Havenstein entrenched at tackle. The Rams remain confident in left guard Joseph Noteboom, but Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic notes (subscription required) the team desires immediate improvement up front. PFF grades Noteboom as its fifth-worst full-time guard.
Rams' Clay Matthews To Return Week 10?
There’s still no official word on when Rams outside linebacker Clay Matthews will return to action, but a realistic return date for him would be after the team’s bye week, head coach Sean McVay told reporters. That would line the veteran up for a Week 10 return on Nov. 10 against the Steelers, restoring one of the Rams’ defensive stars for a second-half push.
While Matthews’ busted jaw heals up, the Rams will face the 49ers in an intrastate matchup on Sunday.
Cooks In Concussion Protocol
- The Rams dropped their second straight game on Thursday to fall to 3-2, and now a key player is banged up. Receiver Brandin Cooks was placed in the concussion protocol following the team’s loss to Seattle, head coach Sean McVay said Friday. McVay said Cooks was asymptomatic as of yesterday, but it’s still concerning given Cooks’ history with concussions. Thankfully for the Rams he has a few extra days to get cleared since they played a Thursday night game, but this is still a situation worth monitoring. Los Angeles relies on Cooks to stretch defenses vertically, and him missing anytime is the last thing a suddenly struggling Rams team needs.
Rams’ Clay Matthews Suffers Broken Jaw
Rams linebacker Clay Matthews suffered a broken jaw last night against the Seahawks, head coach Sean McVay told reporters. He’ll miss 4-6 weeks of action, leaving L.A. without one of its defensive stars. 
[RELATED: Rams Sign Jachai Polite To Practice Squad]
Matthews, 33, was bumped by younger players in Green Bay, but the Rams happily scooped him up with a two-year deal worth up to $16.75MM. Through five games this year, Matthews has rewarded their confidence with six sacks, including one takedown against Seattle.
It’s an undoubtedly frustrating situation for Matthews, who has been largely durable throughout his eleven-year NFL career. That’s part of what helped Matthews earned six Pro Bowl nods through his ten seasons in Green Bay and he seemed on pace for a seventh before this setback.
The Rams, at minimum, will be without Matthews for games against the 49ers, Falcons, and Bengals. After that, they have a bye week, so Matthews could theoretically return for Week 10 and miss only three games. If his estimated worst case scenario is accurate – and if he’s not placed on IR – Matthews should be back no later than the team’s Week 12 game against the Ravens.