NFL Workout Updates: 10/23/18
Here’s a rundown of today’s NFL workouts:
Cincinnati Bengals
- TE Nick Keizer (Twitter link via Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson)
Detroit Lions
- DL Ziggy Hood (Twitter link via SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan)
New England Patriots
- LS Jon Condo, K Andrew Franks, LB Terence Garvin, LB Christian Kuntz, P Jeff Locke, WR Tanner McEvoy, P Colton Schmidt, WR Deangelo Yancey (Twitter link via ESPN’s Mike Reiss)
New York Jets
- S Ibraheim Campbell, S Kai Nacua, DB Quinten Rollins (via Caplan and New York Post’s Brian Costello)
Tennessee Titans
- TE Ben Koyack, QB Paxton Lynch (via Caplan)
Latest On Patriots RB Sony Michel
Patriots running back Sony Michel went down with a knee injury on Sunday, and while he will likely miss time, the issue is not expected to be “overly serious,” a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New England believes Michel is dealing with “at least” an MCL injury, which would cause a multi-week absence but not end the rookie’s 2018 campaign, tweets Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston.
Michel, who was selected 31st overall earlier this year, had knee concerns heading into the draft and has a torn ACL on his record. Additionally, Michel suffered a knee injury in August that forced him to miss the preseason and the Patriots’ first regular season game. Given that track record, New England is surely worried about Michel’s current injury, but it doesn’t sound as though the Georgia product is in danger of missing the rest of the year.
Since returning to action in Week 2, Michel has quickly taken over as the Patriots’ lead back, and he’s led the team in carries each week since. All told, Michel has managed 4.4 yards per carry on 95 rushes while scoring four touchdowns. He’s given New England the ability to sustain a running game, and ranks fifth in the NFL in Football Outsiders’ success rate, meaning he’s excellent at keeping the Patriots’ offense on schedule with regard to down and distance.
The Patriots have already placed fellow backs Rex Burkhead and Jeremy Hill on injured reserve, leaving James White and Kenjon Barner as the only healthy runners on New England’s roster. Practice-squader Kenneth Farrow is a candidate to be promoted, but the Patriots could also look at the free agent market. They’ve reportedly expressed interest in reuniting with Mike Gillislee, and they’ve worked out a number of backs — including Orleans Darkwa and Charcandrick West — throughout the season.
Patriots Notes: Etling, Gilmore, Michel
Danny Etling didn’t make the Patriots’ 53-man roster, but that doesn’t mean the team is giving up on him. The rookie quarterback, who New England took in the seventh round of this year’s draft, was signed to the practice squad after cutdown day and has been staying very involved. Etling has been on the sidelines during games this year even though it’s “unusual for practice-squad players” to be on the sidelines, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.
Reiss thinks “the club taking a similar approach with him as it did with Jacoby Brissett in 2016 when Brissett was on injured reserve”, and that “the hope is that it helps his growth as a player by allowing him to be part of the game-management process.” It sounds like the Patriots still believe that Etling could develop into something worth keeping some day, and he’ll almost surely be signed to a reserve/futures contract this Winter.
Here’s more from Foxborough:
- Stephon Gilmore signed a massive deal with the Pats two offseasons ago, but he was almost a Chicago Bear. Speaking ahead of the team’s game with the Bears earlier this week, Gilmore revealed he had narrowed it down the the Bears and the Patriots before ultimately choosing New England, Reiss reports.
- The Patriots are being “characteristically tight lipped” regarding Sony Michel‘s injury, but the rookie sensation running back will undergo an MRI tomorrow, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk (Twitter link). Michel’s injury looked scary at first, and it’s possible he’s dealing with something significant that could cause him to miss a lot of time. If that’s the case expect the Patriots, who are already incredibly thin in the backfield, look for more outside veteran help.
- In case you missed it, the Patriots expect tight end Rob Gronkowski to return next week against the Bills on Monday Night Football. Gronkowski missed the game against the Bears after his back flared up in practice.
Rob Gronkowski Likely To Return In Week 8
Although he missed the Patriots’ Week 7 victory over the Bears, tight end Rob Gronkowski is expected to return when New England faces Buffalo in Week 8, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Gronkowski never even made the Patriots’ team flight to Chicago, as he’s currently dealing with back and ankle injuries. Back issues, of course, have been a recurring problem for Gronk ever since he entered the league in 2010, but that apparently won’t keep him out of next week’s game. He’ll have an extra day to get ready, as the Patriots are playing on Monday night in Week 8.
While the Patriots managed to pull out a victory against Chicago without Gronkowski, New England’s offense is clearly a more well-rounded unit with its All-Pro tight end on the field. Gronkowski also has $3.3MM in performance-based incentives built into his contract, and every missed contest deprives Gronk a chance to boost his yearly statistics. Additionally, he collects roughly $109K via a bonus for each game he’s active.
Without Gronkowski available, the Patriots turned to Dwayne Allen as their top tight end against the Bears. Fellow tight end Jacob Hollister may have played a role had he not also been inactive with a hamstring injury.
Jacob Hollister Out For Patriots
- Rob Gronkowski is almost certainly going to miss the Patriots-Bears game, with ankle and back trouble keeping the all-world tight end home after his team departed for Chicago. But the Patriots will also be without backup Jacob Hollister, the team announced. This leaves Dwayne Allen as the only healthy tight end available. The former Colt has one catch this season. The Pats still haven’t declared Gronk out, which would make for an interesting sequence of events were he to play without boarding the team plane.
Rob Gronkowski Out For Week 7?
Rob Gronkowski is listed as questionable on the Patriots’ injury report. That designation may soon change.
The Patriots departed for Chicago, and the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride reports (via Twitter) Gronkowski was not with the team. Thus, he stands to miss New England’s Week 7 game.
Gronk is listed on the Pats’ injury report with ankle and back maladies, with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport noting the back trouble surfaced Friday (Twitter link).
While Gronkowski could conceivably take a later flight to the Windy City, not traveling with the team is almost always a sign a player will not participate in a game. The Patriots are still not ruling Gronk out for Sunday, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter), but it certainly seems a long shot he’ll play.
The 29-year-old tight end’s played in all six Patriots games thus far this season but is a perpetual injury risk, having missed extensive time in the past. Back trouble has plagued him in the recent past, too, with Gronk having missed much of New England’s 2016 Super Bowl title season with back issues.
In the conversation for greatest tight end ever, Gronkowski is in his ninth season with the Patriots. He’s caught 26 passes for 405 yards and a touchdown this season. While his yards-per-game figure of 67.5 is down from his best seasons, he made some key catches in the Patriots’ 43-40 win over the Chiefs.
The four-time All-Pro also agreed to another incentive package this offseason, and the $3.3MM package is tied largely to his availability. Any absence will hurt his chances of cashing in like he did last season.
Dwayne Allen and Jacob Hollister would be the top Patriot tight ends if Gronk indeed can’t go. They’ve combined for four catches this season.
Patriots Rework Stephon Gilmore’s Contract
The Patriots have opened up some much-needed cap space prior to the NFL’s trade deadline. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the team restructured cornerback Stephon Gilmore’s contract, opening up $3.7MM of cap space in 2018.
ESPN’s Mike Reiss has some more info on the reworked contract (via Twitter), noting that $4.95MM of Gilmore’s base salary was turned into a fully guaranteed roster bonus, which is prorated over four years. Gilmore is still due his full $9MM for 2018, and the move will add an extra $1.2375MM to the cornerback’s cap numbers between 2019 and 2021 (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on Twitter).
The move will provide the Patriots with a bit more flexibility as they approach the October 30th trade deadline. While the organization was previously rolling with a bit more than $1.6MM in cap space, today’s move increases that number to around $5.3MM in space. This will allow the front office to fill a number of holes, with Volin pointing to needs at running back, linebacker, and defensive end.
After spending the first five seasons of his career with the Bills, Gilmore joined the Patriots on a five-year, $65MM deal ($31MM guaranteed) prior to the 2017 season. The former first-rounder had an up-and-down campaign during his first season in New England, finishing with 50 tackles, nine passes defended, and two interceptions in 13 games. In six games this season, the 28-year-old has compiled 22 tackles, eight passes defended, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Injury Updates: Patriots, Colts, Lions, Redskins
The final injury reports for Week 7 came out earlier today, and there was a lot of news. Lots of key players will be missing their team’s games, while others will be returning after extended absence. One notable rule-out was the Patriots declaring that starting right tackle Marcus Cannon would miss their game against the Bears. It’s a big loss for New England, especially in a week where they have to go up against Khalil Mack. Mack will now be lining up across from a backup tackle, and could end up making life miserable for Tom Brady.
Here are more injury updates from around the league:
- The Colts have been the most injured team in recent memory the past few weeks, but are finally getting some good news. Star receiver T.Y. Hilton has missed the past two games with a hamstring injury, but is ready to make his return this week. Unfortunately for Indianapolis, they’ll still be without tight end Jack Doyle and receiver Ryan Grant as well as several key contributors on defense like safety Clayton Geathers and defensive tackle Denico Autry.
- The Lions will be without running back Theo Riddick, who went down during the team’s win over the Packers. Riddick has been operating as the Lions’ third down back, and rookie Kerryon Johnson should get more run with him out of the way. On the bright side, the team looks like it could be getting back pass-rusher Ezekiel Ansah, who hasn’t played since Detroit’s Week 1 loss. Ansah is listed as questionable but practiced all three days this week.
- The Redskins will be thin on pass-catchers, as Jamison Crowder has been ruled out for the team’s game against the Cowboys while Paul Richardson is listed as doubtful. Washington promoted Jehu Chesson from the practice squad yesterday, signaling they weren’t expecting Richardson to play. Tight end Jordan Reed should see a ton of looks as the Redskins’ receiving corp is completely depleted.
For a rundown of every team’s injury situation, you can view all 32 injury reports over at ProFootballTalk.com.
NFL Workout Updates: 10/17/18
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account:
Cleveland Browns
- WRs John Diarse, Shay Fields, Tavarres King; FB Dimitri Flowers; C Luke Bowanko; T Gerhard de Beer (link)
Green Bay Packers
- FB Dan Vitale; TE Clive Walford; DT Vincent Valentine; Ss Ibraheim Campbell, Eddie Pleasant (link)
Houston Texans
- RB Ralph Webb; LB Marquis Flowers; CB Horace Richardson (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- RB Devante Mays; WR Tre McBride; G Zack Golditch; DE Anthony Lanier; LB Gimel President; S J.J. Wilcox (link)
New England Patriots
- DE Tank Carradine; LBs Corey Nelson, Tegray Scales; S A.J. Howard (link)
New York Giants
- QB Joe Callahan; WR Austin Proehl; DE Myles Humphrey (link)
Washington Redskins
- CBs Donatello Brown, Tony Lippett; Raysean Pringle, Henre’ Toliver, Marquez White (link)
Jason McCourty On Pace To Hit Incentives; Kenjon Barner Could Have More Job Security
- Reiss also notes that Kenjon Barner, who has been shuttled on and off of the Patriots‘ roster several times since September 12, may have a little more job security right now. Barner’s former club, the Eagles, are very much in need of RB help, and the Pats know that if they cut Barner again, they may not get him back.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes that Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty is on pace to recoup the money that he lost when he agreed to a pay cut before the regular season. New England gave him the opportunity to make up the difference via incentives, and McCourty is well on his way to hitting those incentives. The same cannot be said for Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, however.
- Reiss also notes that Kenjon Barner, who has been shuttled on and off of the Patriots‘ roster several times since September 12, may have a little more job security right now. Barner’s former club, the Eagles, are very much in need of RB help, and the Pats know that if they cut Barner again, they may not get him back.