Cardinals’ Johnson, Palmer Done For Season
The Cardinals were hoping to get at least one of David Johnson or Carson Palmer back before the end of the season. On Wednesday, coach Bruce Arians announced that a return to action is unlikely for both players. In fact, no one on Arizona’s IR has progressed all that much in rehab, Arians says, and that group includes rookie running back T.J. Logan.
At 4-6, the Cardinals’ odds of making the playoffs are not all that strong, but it will be even tougher to sneak in without two of their most important offensive players. The odds calculator at Football Outsiders gives the Cardinals just a 0.4% chance of reaching the postseason.
Johnson was among the league’s best offensive players last year with more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. The Cardinals swung a surprising trade for Adrian Peterson before the deadline, but the veteran has not been able to replicate his production.
Recently, Palmer expressed optimism that he could return at the very end of the season.
“I could potentially be available the last two weeks of the season,” Palmer said earlier this month. “Who knows? I don’t know where I’ll be (with rehab) at that point. I don’t know where we will be as a team at that point. I just try to be as ready as I can as quick as I can.”
The 37-year-old (38 in December) will probably weigh retirement this offseason. If he does decide to play, there is a contract in place for 2018.
Broncos To Start Paxton Lynch At QB
First, the Broncos made a change at offensive coordinator. Now, they’re making a big change under center. In Week 12, the Broncos will start Paxton Lynch at quarterback. Tuesday was an off day in Denver, so head coach Vance Joseph waited until Wednesday morning to deliver the news to the rest of his staff and the players. 
[RELATED: Broncos Fire OC Mike McCoy, Promote Bill Musgrave]
In some ways, this has been a long time coming for the 2016 first-round pick. In another sense, this was a quick ascension up the ladder. Last week, Paxton suited up for the very first time in 2017 as Brock Osweiler‘s backup with Trevor Siemian marked as a healthy scratch for the first time since Peyton Manning retired. This Sunday, Lynch will start, Siemian will serve as the QB2, and Osweiler will be left off of the active roster.
Last season, Lynch was on the field for three games and two starts. In that short sample, he completed 49 of 83 passes with two touchdowns against one interception. The Broncos have had some concerns about Lynch’s NFL readiness, but there’s no time like the present given their 3-7 record.
Last week, when discussing the possibility of starting Lynch, Joseph indicated that he would tailor the offensive game plan to the rookie’s strengths.
“That’s on the coaches and myself if he does play for us to make have a system that fits Paxton,” Joseph said Monday. “He’s practiced the last two weeks. Again guys, it won’t be soccer. It’s football for him. What he’s practiced the last couple weeks may be called a little different. It may be called more of the same stuff, but it’s just football, so he’ll be fine.”
Lynch’s first start of the season will come on Sunday against the Raiders.
The news was first reported by Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Bills To Start Tyrod Taylor At QB
After a disastrous game, the Bills are pulling the plug on the Nathan Peterman experiment. Starting this week, the Bills will reinstall Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback. 
“It’s the right thing for our team. It was my decision and it will always be about what’s best for our team,” McDermott told reporters.
The Bills shocked everyone last week when they announced that Taylor would be benched in favor of the rookie QB. Taylor has admittedly been shaky this season, but the change seemed risky and a bit too future-minded for a team still in the thick of the playoff chase. After Peterman had a historically bad outing against the Chargers, the Bills are flip-flopping and hoping that it’s not too late to land themselves a wild card spot.
Taylor’s performance in these final six games (assuming he holds on to the starting job) will impact the Bills’ playoff chances as well as his own future with the team. The Bills can keep Taylor at an affordable $10MM salary for 2o18 with a $6MM roster bonus due in March. Alternatively, the Bills can cut him early in the league year, leaving them on the hook for just $1MM.
Taylor’s first assignment will be to lead the Bills to victory over the Chiefs on Sunday. According to Football Outsiders, the 5-5 Bills still have a 23.7% chance of making the playoffs.
Jerry Jones Says He Won’t Sue NFL
The idea of a Jerry Jones lawsuit against the NFL became a real possibility recently, but the Cowboys owner has backed off of that stance.
Jones told USA Today’s Jarrett Bell he will not sue the league over Roger Goodell‘s contract. Instead, the Dallas decision-maker wants “accountability,” seeking all 32 owners to approve Goodell’s contract rather than just the six-man compensation committee.
The brash owner also didn’t deny he made the comments attributed to him in the explosive report that emerged late last week. But he denied threatening the commissioner.
“As long as those comments are kept in the context of the overall conversation, then I don’t deny that I said that,” Jones said (via Bell). But I deny threatening Roger.”
ESPN.com published a quote from Jones saying he was going to come after Goodell with “everything that I have” in a comment that also included a derogatory remark about Robert Kraft.
As for what’s next with the commissioner, an owner who isn’t on the compensation committee expects Goodell’s contract to now be finalized as soon as next week, Bell reports. A separate owner said Jones’ aggressiveness against the process has actually helped push it closer to completion.
Jones was part of a 32-0 owners’ vote approving the compensation committee to work out a new Goodell deal, but the owner said Tuesday circumstances have changed since he voiced his approval for this measure.
“There have been material changes since the resolution,” Jones said, explaining why he reconsidered his position regarding the May approval of Goodell’s extension. “It should go back to the ownership.”
Mark Maske of the Washington Post reported over the weekend some owners wanted sanctions against Jones for his actions in recent months, with another league source adding Goodell’s contract would be completed soon and Jones would be “dealt with.” Maske also reported another ratification from owners on Goodell’s deal won’t be required despite Jones’ wishes.
Jones, however, said he had support from several owners as well regarding his stance. And he doesn’t believe he should be disciplined for his recent actions, per Bell. He also denied recent reports’ assertions this anti-Goodell charge was solely because of the Ezekiel Elliott suspension.
“This is not about replacing Roger,” Jones said, via Bell. “It’s a misnomer to say it’s payback for Ezekiel Elliott. It is about the accountability of the commissioner to all of the ownership.”
Patriots Cut Cassius Marsh
The Patriots have released defensive end Cassius Marsh. The move did not come with much warning, though Marsh played just two snaps against the Raiders on Sunday. To take his place, the Patriots have signed fellow DE Eric Lee off of the Bills’ practice squad. 
The Patriots acquired defensive end Marsh from the Seahawks in September. In the deal, New England shipped a fifth-round pick and the seventh-round pick it already acquired from Seattle in exchange for sending cornerback Justin Coleman back to the Seahawks. Marsh was expected to provide depth at defensive end as well as special teams help, but his role dwindled over time. In nine games with the Pats, he recorded 16 total tackles and one sack.
He is signed through the year at an affordable rate of $690K, so he would be a low-cost addition for another club on waivers.
Seahawks Waive Dwight Freeney
Dwight Freeney‘s time is over in Seattle. The Seahawks announced that they have waived the veteran. 
Freeney joined the Seahawks in October and recorded three sacks in four games. Although he was effective as a pass rusher in limited downs, the Seahawks appear to be looking for some more well-rounded defensive line depth.
Because the trade deadline has come and gone, Freeney will be subject to waivers. He could draw interest from some contending clubs looking to improve their QB pressure. By the same token, it wouldn’t be surprising to see clubs pass on the 37-year-old. After all, he was without a team until midway through the season.
If this is indeed the end of Freeney’s career, he will leave the sport with an impressive list of accomplishments. In 16 NFL seasons, Freeney earned seven Pro Bowl nods and was First-Team All Pro on three separate occasions. He’s also 17th on the NFL’s all-time career sack list with 125.5 and is second only to Julius Peppers among active players.
Raiders Fire DC Ken Norton
The Raiders have fired defensive coordinator Ken Norton, according to Mike Silver and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). John Pagano, who previously held the title of Assistant Head Coach/Defense, will take over. 
“After careful thought, I have made a difficult decision to part ways with Ken Norton, Jr. as defensive coordinator,” said head coach Jack Del Rio in a statement released by the team. “I have the utmost respect for Ken as a person and as a coach, but I feel that moving John Pagano into the play-calling role will best utilize his wealth of experience. I appreciate Ken’s passion and commitment to the Raiders since coming aboard and wish him the best going forward.”
Norton has been popular in the Raiders locker room since joining the team in 2015. However, the results have not been to the Raiders’ satisfaction, particularly this year. The Raiders rank dead last in defensive DVOA and that goes a long way towards explaining their 4-6 record. The Raiders were handed a bad loss on Sunday after allowing the Patriots to score 33 points, though the offense didn’t exactly help the cause either (eight points).
It’s fair to wonder if Norton’s dismissal will cure what ails the defense, particularly since Del Rio has such a heavy hand in play calling. Also, the absence of first-round cornerback Gareon Conley has hurt the team’s passing defense, and that’s a factor that was out of Norton’s control.
The Raiders hired Norton after considering big names such as Mike Smith and Wade Phillips. Reportedly, a lack of money and play-calling control led some candidates to withdraw from consideration.
Texans Claim RB Andre Ellington
The Texans have claimed Andre Ellington off waivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Cardinals released the running back on Monday, giving the league’s other 31 teams a chance to snag him.
Ellington will help provide depth to a badly depleted group in Houston. Rookie D’Onta Foreman landed on injured reserve this week with a torn Achilles, joining Tyler Ervin (knee). Meanwhile, Alfred Blue‘s status is unclear due to a lingering hamstring injury. Ellington will slot in as one of three fully healthy backs along with starter Lamar Miller and reserve Jordan Todman.
Ellington, cousin of Texans wide receiver Bruce Ellington, had just 15 carries for 53 yards before his release from Arizona. He did, however, have 33 receptions for 297 yards. He could prove to be a nice complement to Miller, even if he’s not as effective of a runner as he once was. In his first two NFL seasons, Ellington ran for 1,312 yards on 319 carries and caught 85 passes for 766 yards.
The 4-6 Texans were No. 8 in line to claim Ellington based on the inverse of the standings. This means the Browns, 49ers, Giants, Bears, Broncos, Colts, and Bengals all passed on claiming the 28-year-old.
Falcons Waive CB Jalen Collins
The Falcons have waived cornerback Jalen Collins, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Collins will be subject to waivers, meaning that the league’s other 31 teams will have an opportunity to add him to the roster on Wednesday afternoon. 
Collins was set to return from a 10-game suspension this week. The former second-round pick is undeniably talented, but the Falcons are fed up after the 24-year-old’s second ban for performance enhancing drugs as a pro.
Collins’ off-the-field issues date back to his days at LSU. In 2015, he was on course to be a first-round selection, but teams moved him down the board because of his red flags. After the draft, he admitted to failing at least three drug tests at LSU.
Thanks to the aforementioned suspensions and injury, Collins has appeared in just 24 games since entering the league in 2015. Last year, Collins started in six of his eight games and hauled in two interceptions and 31 total tackles.
His latest slip-up was unfortunate, but the Falcons were already planning to start a healthy Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford at cornerback. Over the summer, Collins found himself working with Atlanta’s third string CBs.
Cardinals Waive RB Andre Ellington
The Cardinals have waived running back Andre Ellington. Arizona has also signed running back Bronson Hill to its practice squad.
Although Ellington is a vested veteran, he will be subject to waivers since we are past the trading deadline. He hasn’t had the role of a starter or looked the part of one in some time (he was inactive on Sunday, his final game with the Cardinals), but he could hold value for several teams looking to fortify their running situation. The Redskins, for example, might consider claiming him after losing Chris Thompson for the season. Ellington is not as explosive as Thompson, but he does have soft hands out of the backfield.
In eight games this year, Ellington had 15 carries for 53 yards – good for just 3.5 yards per attempt – and one touchdown. He made a bigger impact as a pass-catcher, hauling in 33 grabs for 297 yards Heading into the season, the Cardinals planned to line up Ellington exclusively as a receiver instead of at running back, though they backed down from that plan in June.
The 0-10 Browns will have top priority on the waiver wire, so they’ll have the first opportunity to add Ellington to the roster. The 49ers (1-9), Giants (2-8), Bears (3-7), Colts (3-7), and Broncos (3-7) will also be among the teams at the front of the line.
In September, the Cardinals planned to have David Johnson, T.J. Logan, and Ellington as their top three backs. Thanks to injuries and Ellington’s ineffectiveness, all three players are out of the equation.