Redskins Fire Jay Gruden
The Redskins have officially fired head coach Jay Gruden. In the interim, offensive line/assistant head coach Bill Callahan will take over the operation, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
“Through the first five games of the 2019 season, the team has clearly not performed up to expectations, and we all share in that responsibility,” the team said, via press release. “Moving forward we are committed to doing all that we can collectively as an organization to turn things around and give our Redskins fans and alumni a team they can be proud of in 2019 and beyond.”
Last week, we heard another round of reports indicating a rift between Gruden and the organization, specifically as it pertains to first-round pick Dwayne Haskins. Reportedly, owner Dan Snyder & Co. drove the selection of the Ohio State quarterback – Gruden did not want him. This year, Gruden refused to start Haskins, citing his lack of NFL readiness.
Of course, Gruden’s recent off-the-field controversy didn’t help matters either. Days ago, a video surfaced in which Gruden appears to be smoking marijuana with a young woman. The Redskins declined to comment on the viral video, but it has been speculated that the Redskins leaked these year-old videos, so they could fire Gruden “with cause”, helping to ease potential financial ramifications of a firing. It’s reminiscent of circumstances leading up to the firing of GM Scot McCloughan.
Gruden also addressed recent comments by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith, where Smith stated that Gruden had quit on his team.
“I heard about that one. That one is far from the truth. Those are fighting words for me,” Gruden said. “That’s one thing I will never do or have done in my life. I work extremely hard, getting up early as hell and working late and doing the best I can to get ourselves a victory this week. I have a lot of respect for everyone in this locker room and the last thing I would do to these players is quit on them because I know they’re not going to quit on me.”
The Redskins are 0-5, but it’s fair to wonder whether this is truly the fault of Gruden. The Redskins were not necessarily built to win in 2019 and the club’s constant discord is clearly holding the franchise back.
Callahan, 63, is a highly-respected figure in the NFL. Sometime during or after the Redskins’ press conference at 1pm ET, we’ll learn whether Callahan will garner consideration for the permanent post.
Callahan took over for Jon Gruden as the Raiders head coach in 2002 and held the post through 2003, before he was fired. After going 4-12 as Oakland’s head coach in ’03, he served as Nebraska’s HC for four years.
Antonio Brown Files Grievances Against Raiders, Patriots
It was an inevitably, but free agent wideout Antonio Brown has now filed his much-discussed grievances against the Raiders and Patriots, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. We learned last week that Brown could be filing the following grievances:
• Fine appeals with the Raiders: $215K
• Salary guarantees with the Raiders : $29MM
• Signing bonus with the Raiders: $1MM
• Unpaid Week 1 salary from the Raiders: $860K
• Salary guarantees with the Patriots: $1MM
• Signing bonus with the Patriots: $9MM
• Unpaid Week 3 salary from the Patriots: $64K
• 2020 option year with the Patriots: $20MM
Rapoport confirms that all of the above grievances have been filed except the one concerning the 2020 option year with the Patriots, which felt like a major longshot anyway. In sum, Brown is seeking roughly $40MM in unpaid salary and bonuses.
However, Brown’s grievances are unlikely to be heard until the spring. Recent reports have suggested that AB stands a good chance of recouping the $9MM signing bonus from New England, but he could have a tough time recovering most of the other amounts.
We heard earlier this week that the NFL has yet to interview Brown concerning the sexual assault/rape allegations levied against him, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk — while acknowledging that Brown does not merit any sympathy — says the NFL could be deliberately slow-playing the situation to keep Brown out of the league. After all, no team will sign Brown while the league continues to stay silent as to whether the embattled wideout is destined for the commissioner’s exempt list, and the league doesn’t really have to say anything until its investigation is concluded (the last step of which is the interview with Brown). That’s not a violation of the collusion provisions of the CBA, but it is a convenient loophole.
Stefon Diggs Generating Trade Interest
Although Vikings WR Stefon Diggs will play today, it seems the tension between player and team is still high. We heard that Minnesota had fined Diggs for missing practice and skipping some meetings this week, and ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweets that the fine total has now exceeded $200K.
Diggs, who signed a five-year, $72MM extension in July 2018, can certainly afford the fines, but it’s still a hefty sum that is not likely to fill the Maryland product with warm and fuzzy and feelings towards the Vikings (but, while the team would be entitled to void Diggs’ $40MM in guarantees, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Vikes have not taken that nuclear approach). Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that multiple teams have tried to capitalize on the discord by reaching out to Minnesota with trade inquiries, but the Vikings have remained adamant in their refusal to trade their disgruntled star this year.
However, Schefter suggests that some teams do believe Minnesota would change its stance if the offer was good enough, and the club could revisit trade talks in the offseason. Diggs is an electric playmaker who could add a charge to most any offense, and given the ever-growing market for wideouts, his current deal doesn’t seem particularly cumbersome.
The Vikings, who are currently 2-2 and in last place in the NFC North, will look to get back above .500 against the Giants this afternoon.
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.
Panthers Place Kawann Short On IR
Kawann Short‘s season is already over. On Tuesday, the Panthers placed the defensive lineman on injured reserve, per a club announcement. 
“KK has done everything he could possibly do to try to play these past two games,” general manager Marty Hurney said in a statement. “But, we have made the decision that it is in the best long-term interest of KK and the team that he undergo surgery to fix his shoulder and focus on his rehab and get ready for next season.”
Short has suffered a partially torn rotator cuff, and those injuries are notoriously tricky to recover from. The surgery, hopefully, will allow short to bounce back in 2020, without the risk of aggravating the injury this year.
Short has been absent for the Panthers’ last two games and wasn’t looking like his usual self in the club’s first two games. It’s a frustrating setback for obvious reasons, but Short has been fairly lucky so far throughout his career – he did not miss a single game through his first five campaigns and missed just two last year.
Thanks to the monster five-year extension he inked in 2017, Short is under contract through the 2023 season. The Panthers, in reality, are only truly locked in with him through 2021: releasing Short in the offseason would saddle them with $17.35MM in dead money and they’d be looking at an $11MM/$9.8MM dead/savings split prior to the 2021 season. After that, there are two low-cost seasons slated for 2022 and 2023.
To take his place on the roster, the Panthers have promoted fellow DL Bryan Cox, Jr. from the practice squad. Cox, the son of three-time Pro Bowler Bryan Cox (duh), has appeared in 18 games for the Panthers over the last two seasons.
The Panthers, meanwhile, are 2-2 with back-to-back wins under the guidance of quarterback Kyle Allen. There’s still no word on when Cam Newton might be able to return.
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.
Raiders’ Vontaze Burfict Facing Season-Long Ban
Vontaze Burfict is facing a season-long suspension for his late-game hit on Colts tight end Jack Doyle, a source tells ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (on Twitter). Burfict has a history of player safety violations and the NFL appears poised to send a message.
“There were no mitigating circumstances on this play,” NFL V.P. of Football Operations Jon Runyan said in an open letter to Burfict. “Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game. Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed appeal officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures. However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designed to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk. Your extensive history of rules violations is factored into this decision.”
A suspension was viewed as likely after Burfict’s ejection from the game, but a season-long ban was not necessarily expected. Burfict may fight the suspension, but he’s facing an uphill battle – in seven seasons, Burfict has earned 14 total fines and/or suspensions from the league office, including three times in 2018.
In Sunday’s game against the Colts, Burfict lowered his helmet and rammed it into the helmet of Doyle. It’s an awful look for Burfict, given his checkered past, and a not-so-great look for the Raiders, who made Burfict a captain this offseason.
If Burfict is indeed suspended for the length of the season, it would be the longest ban for an on-field act in league history, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The previous watermark is believed to belong to Albert Haynesworth, who drew a five-game suspension for stomping on the face of Cowboys center Andre Gurode.
Burfict, 29, has 628 tackles and 8.5 sacks to his credit over the course of seven seasons with the Bengals and 1/4 season with the Raiders. In the Raiders portion, he has tallied 18 total stops.
After beating the Colts 31-24, the Raiders are at the .500 mark as they head into Week 5 against the Bears. They’ll try to advance to 3-2 as they take the field, likely without Burfict.
Melvin Gordon To Report To Chargers
After reports earlier today suggested that Melvin Gordon may be ending his holdout and returning to the Chargers soon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Gordon will indeed report to the team tomorrow (Twitter link). Gordon will not play in the team’s matchup against Miami on Sunday, but he will presumably return to action the following week.
Gordon needed to return before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency next season, so he is reporting with plenty of time to spare. However, having missed three weeks of action, he will lose out on roughly $1MM of his $5.6MM 2019 salary, not to mention potential fines (which the team may opt to rescind).
Statistically, Los Angeles’ rushing game has not suffered too much in Gordon’s absence, as Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson have 56 carries for 302 yards (good for 5.4 yards per carry) and two TDs. Ekeler is responsible for both of those scores, and he has also been a contributor in the passing game, adding two receiving touchdowns as well.
However, the Chargers have dropped their last two games, and while they are racking up a lot of yardage, they don’t have the points to show for it. Adding another talented and versatile back could certainly help.
The last we heard, Los Angeles was not planning to give Gordon a new contract during the 2019 season, and the Chargers are clearly not willing to give Gordon the type of contract he is seeking. Indeed, per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, Gordon expects 2019 to be his last season with the Chargers (Twitter link).
Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com adds that Gordon was open to being traded to the Texans, who were a logical suitor given their running back needs (Twitter link). But despite the fact that the Chargers gave Gordon permission to seek a trade, Fowler says Los Angeles never made a trade a viable option, with the implication being that the Bolts put a prohibitively high price tag on their former first-round pick.
Chargers’ Melvin Gordon To End Holdout?
Melvin Gordon could be on the verge of suiting up for the Chargers once again. His holdout may end soon, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears, though he has yet to decide on when he’ll report. 
Gordon is considering ending his holdout on Thursday, according to Branson Wright of The Plain Dealer (Twitter link) which may allow him to return to action on Oct. 6 against the Broncos. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) is hearing similar word, though nothing has been firmed up just yet on Gordon’s end. Furthermore, head coach Anthony Lynn said he has not heard from Gordon, as Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com tweets.
Previously, Gordon planned to return at some point in October. Apparently, Gordon’s itch to get back on the field has advanced his timeline. There’s no word yet on whether his return will come with a new contract from the Chargers, though GM Tom Telesco says that he will not give the running back a new contract during the 2019 season.
Gordon has aimed to protect his football future with his holdout, though a source close to Gordon recently said that this would not evolve into a “Le’Veon Bell situation.” The touchdown machine is hoping to stay with the Bolts for the long run, so it only makes sense for this holdout to end differently than Bell’s in Pittsburgh.
The Chargers have been open to trading the Gordon, but they have not received any known offers worth considering. Recently, the Eagles offered up Jordan Howard and a swap mid-round picks, but the Chargers, understandably, were not interested.
Without Gordon, the Chargers have dropped two in a row to the Lions and Texans.
Giants’ Saquon Barkley To Miss 4-8 Weeks
Giants running back Saquon Barkley could miss anywhere from 4-8 weeks, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Right now, the longer timeline is considered more likely, given the nature of his high ankle sprain and the timing of the Giants’ bye. 
The Giants will have off in Week 11, so the smarter play for the G-Men might be to give the young star a full two months to recuperate. In the interim, Wayne Gallman figures to take over as the team’s primary back. He’s not on Barkley’s level, but Gallman does have a career 4.0 yards per carry average to his credit. Gallman might also benefit from the additional running threat that new starter Daniel Jones provides.
Meanwhile, Barkley is intent on getting back on the field ASAP.
“I’m not out for the season,” Barkley said on Sunday. “I’m going to do whatever I can to get back as quickly as possible.”
Barkley, 22, averaged 5.0 yards per tote last year and also caught 91 passes for 721 yards. At minimum, he’ll miss contests against the Redskins, Vikings, Patriots, and Cardinals.