Gary Kubiak Open To Offensive Coordinator Position
Former Texans and Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, who currently serves as a senior personnel executive for the Broncos, is open to a return to the sidelines as an offensive coordinator, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. Kubiak, who guided the Broncos to their third championship in Super Bowl 50, stepped down as the team’s head coach in January due to mounting health concerns.
While those health concerns preclude Kubiak from returning to the stress and rigors of a head coaching position, sources close to him say he would welcome the opportunity to work with a quality quarterback on a contending team as an OC. It would likely not be difficult for him to land such a position, as his abilities as a coordinator and play-caller are held in high regard throughout the league. Indeed, some of Kubiak’s longtime assistants like Rick Dennison are having success implementing his offense, and Denver’s offense has regressed considerably since Kubiak’s departure from the sidelines.
As an NFL head coach, Kubiak compiled an 82-75 regular season record and a 5-2 postseason mark, including his one Super Bowl win. He also worked as the Ravens’ offensive coordinator in 2014, which was easily Joe Flacco‘s best season of his career. Although La Canfora does not mention any specific teams that could be in the market for Kubiak’s services, Baltimore could be a speculative fit, as current OC Marty Mornhinweg has been a disappointment, and the Ravens do have a decent talent base. Kubiak, Flacco, and Ravens head coach John Harbaugh worked well together in 2014, as Baltimore advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs and came agonizingly close to moving on to the AFC Championship Game. That was the last time the Ravens have qualified for the postseason.
Kubiak is apparently prepared to accept an offensive coordinator position as soon as 2018, so there could be another big name to keep an eye on during the next hiring season.
Saints’ Delvin Breaux Done For Year?
Saints cornerback Delvin Breaux was scheduled to return to the field soon. Unfortunately, a recent setback in practice may make it difficult for him to play this year, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
The new ailment may require an additional 3-6 weeks of recovery, Rapoport hears. The three week window to activate Breaux starting ticking on October 20, so the Saints would have to carry Breaux as dead weight on the roster for roughly three weeks before even possibly getting him on the field. That’s probably not a worthwhile gamble for New Orleans, so his season is likely over.
Per NFL IR-DTR rules, Breaux could have returned in time for Sunday’s Week 9 matchup against the Buccaneers. Obviously, that is no longer in the cards. It’s a tough setback for Breaux, a third-year pro who has suffered two leg fractures in two years.
Last year, the former CFL standout had a dismal 39.1 mark from Pro Football Focus in his abbreviated six-game campaign. In 2015, however, he had an 85.0 overall score which cast him as a top-15 type of cornerback.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Texans owner Bob McNair, amongst others, will be deposed and asked to turn over all cell phone records and emails in relation to the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Facebook link). Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and owner 49ers Jed York are also among those on the deposition list, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) hears.
Other owners, team officials, and league officials may also be deposed, but those are the individuals confirmed for now.
Here’s more on Kaepernick:
- Colin Kaepernick’s attorney believes that the quarterback will sign with an NFL team soon. “I think within the next 10 days somebody will sign him,” Mark Geragos told Adam Carolla earlier this week (transcript via BleacherReport.com). “I think somebody’s gonna sign him. I think the NFL has to come to their senses, and realize every day that goes by just proves the collusion case even more.” Geragos may have confidence, but there’s no reason to expect a Kaepernick signing anytime soon. A potential spot opened up this week when Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending ACL tear, but Houston opted to sign Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates. For now, Tom Savage is the starter in Houston and there are no known plans for the team to audition Kaepernick.
- NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart deferred to the NFLPA on the topic of having Kaepernick at the next meeting between players and owners (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). “We’d welcome his participation, but that’s an issue for the players to determine,” he said.
Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott To Play Sunday
Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will suit up this weekend against the Chiefs. On Friday morning, the running back’s camp won a crucial decision from the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (Twitter link via attorney Daniel Wallach). 
The motion for a brief administrative stay will allow Elliott to play in the Cowboys’ upcoming game, but a six-game suspension still looms. He’ll remain in limbo until a three-judge panel rules on his fate. After that ruling, we may finally have some finality on the Elliott saga, though it’s hard to bank on that given the back-and-forth nature of the legal process so far.
There were rumblings of a potential settlement in October, but both sides have gone on the record to say that they are not interested in meeting in the middle. The NFL does not want to set a precedent of players reducing suspensions by using the pressure of the legal system. Elliott, meanwhile, is determined to clear his name of any association with domestic violence.
Elliott, 22, has 690 yards off of 164 carries, giving him the third-highest total in the league and 4.2 yards per attempt. He’s also tied for the league lead with six rushing touchdowns.
If Elliott’s six-game suspension is put into effect after the Chiefs game, he’ll be forced to miss games against the Falcons, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins, Giants, and Raiders. He would not be eligible to return until Week 16 against the Seahawks.
49ers’ Pierre Garcon Done For Year
Pierre Garcon‘s season is over. 49ers GM John Lynch says the wide receiver will be placed on IR with no chance of a late-season return after suffering a neck injury (Twitter link via John Lund of KNBR 680). 
Garcon, 31, joined the Niners in March on a three-year, $23MM free agent deal. In order to preserve their cap space for the 2018 season, the Niners gave the veteran a jaw-dropping $17MM in effective guarantees. When Garcon returns, he’ll go from one of the league’s highest-paid receivers this season to one of the league’s better values at the position.
In what turned out to be a half-season, Garcon had a team-leading 40 catches and 500 yards receiving. For the first time since his rookie season, he did not find the end zone.
Garcon posted 1,000-yard seasons in 2013 and 2016 and surpassed 700 in both 2014 and ’15. In ’16, Kirk Cousins‘ near-5,000-yard season included 79 Garcon receptions and three scores.
Browns To Meet With Josh Gordon
Josh Gordon has been reinstated by the NFL. However, it remains to be seen whether the Browns want him back. In a statement released on Thursday, top exec Sashi Brown announced that the team will meet with the wide receiver. 
“We’ve been informed of the league’s decision to reinstate Josh,” said Brown, the team’s executive vice president of football operations. “The personal well-being of all our players is of the utmost importance to us. We respect and commend Josh for taking the steps necessary to have the opportunity to return to the league. Josh will be in our building in the coming days and we look forward to having him back and sitting with him to discuss his future on our team.”
The Browns aren’t committing to anything just yet, but it sounds like they’re at least open to the possibility of allowing Gordon to rejoin the team. The wide receiver has been a pain to deal with – to say the least – but the 0-8 Browns are not in a position to turn away a player of his caliber.
If he is to be allowed back in the building, Gordon will have to demonstrate that his days of drug abuse are behind him. It was once believed that Gordon was dealing with only a proclivity for marijuana. We now know that he has been battling much more serious demons.
Texans Have No Plans To Work Out Colin Kaepernick
Texans owner Bob McNair has not given coaches the green light to audition Colin Kaepernick, despite a report from Howard Balzer of Sports On Earth (Twitter link) indicating otherwise. Balzer now indicates that his tweet was intended to be a joke. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has confirmed that McNair has not signed off on a Kaepernick workout.
[RELATED: Deshaun Watson Done For Season]
The Texans have managed to stay afloat at 3-4 despite injuries to key defenders J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus. Asking them to keep their playoffs alive with Tom Savage under center, however, might be too much to ask. Kaepernick stands as the most polarizing figure in the football world today, so it stands to reason that the Texans may want to see what he can offer. But, for now, there are no plans to kick the tires on the former Niners signal caller.
Last week, McNair found himself in the middle of a major controversy when he likened the player-led anthem protests to “inmates running the prison.” He has since apologized for those remarks.
For now, the Texans will forge ahead with Savage as their starter against the Colts. The newly-signed Matt McGloin will be his backup.
Texans’ Deshaun Watson Tears ACL
Deshaun Watson may have encountered a brutal setback amid a dynamic start to his career. The Texans believe their rookie quarterback suffered a torn ACL during practice Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). He’s already set for season-ending surgery, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Without Watson, the Texans will turn to Tom Savage as their starter on Sunday against the Colts. Savage, of course, began the year as Houston’s starter before getting the hook in favor of Watson. Given Savage’s iffy start to the year, Houston might want to at least consider some outside options.
The trade deadline has come and gone, but there are still experienced QBs on the free agent market. Of course, Colin Kaepernick is among those without work and many are already calling on the Texans to consider him. There will be increased pressure on Houston to at least audition him in the wake of owner Bob McNair‘s controversial comments.
Already down J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus, losing Watson is a damaging blow considering the promise he’s shown and the franchise’s recent history with quarterback struggles. Watson was on the verge of putting together one of the best seasons ever from a rookie passer. He’d thrown 19 touchdown passes this season, with 18 of those coming in a dominant stretch over the past five Houston games. The No. 12 overall pick in the 2017 draft went 3-3 as the Texans’ starting QB while completing 61.8% of his passes.
Watson tore his left ACL at Clemson in 2014 but returned to become a Heisman Trophy finalist a year later. He’ll look to make a similar turnaround for Houston in 2018.
Colts Place Andrew Luck On IR
The Colts are placing Andrew Luck on IR and commencing a shutdown of their franchise quarterback, the team announced.
Luck told the team’s website he’s “very optimistic” about his future, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets Luck’s being shut down on the recommendation of several doctors. He adds this is not being viewed as a career-ending injury.
“I wish I was better and 100 percent this season, but that’s not the case,” Luck said. “I know I’ll be better from this. I know I’ll be a better quarterback, teammate, person and player from this, and I’m excited for the future.”
Luck had a cortisone injection done in his shoulder to help the pain he began experiencing after resuming workouts, and he hadn’t practiced since. Although Luck’s timetable was murky for most of this season, Chris Ballard said (via Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral, on Twitter) the team did not attempt to mislead and called this a fluid situation. Ballard said Luck’s soreness did not calm down after the injection, but the rookie GM did not say another surgery was on tap (Twitter links, via Chappell).
However, Ballard won’t put a time frame on when Luck will again resume throwing (Twitter link, via Chappell).
Ballard also said (via Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter) he hasn’t heard from one doctor that this is a career-ending injury. The Colts as of now are planning on Luck being ready for the 2018 season, per Ballard (via Chappell, on Twitter).
“We’re going to exhaust all resources because the best interest is the player,” Chuck Pagano said. “It’s long-term, and we said that. It’s for the next 10, 12 years for this guy and for any player. Before we put anybody out there, we’re going to make sure he’s right so we’re going to stick to that process.”
Luck’s injury could have affected Pagano significantly. It’s unlikely he’ll get to coach Luck again. The Colts are 2-6 after consecutive seasons without playoff berths, and given that Ballard did not hire him, the sixth-year Indianapolis coach looms as an obvious Black Monday candidate.
Ballard confirmed the Colts attempted to sign quarterbacks during the summer when it looked like Luck was not going to be ready in time for this season, but the recent GM hire said (Twitter links, via Holder) the team didn’t find anyone it liked and the situation ended up being stabilized once Jacoby Brissett arrived. Ballard did say (via Chappell, on Twitter) he regrets waiting until September to trade for Brissett. Although, it’s uncertain if the Patriots would have pulled the trigger much earlier since he was a candidate to make their roster — one that housed a deeper wideout corps prior to Julian Edelman‘s injury, one that induced the Pats to acquire Phillip Dorsett — during training camp. Brissett is signed through the 2019 season.
The Colts attempted to sign Nate Sudfeld off the Eagles’ practice squad this week, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets, but they worked out four other quarterbacks late last month. The Eagles promoted Sudfeld to their active roster on Wednesday. Rapoport notes (on Twitter) Josh Johnson is likely to be the player signed to fill Luck’s roster spot.
Indianapolis’ brass continued to push back Luck’s timetable after his January surgery, much like the Bill Polian-led regime did with Peyton Manning‘s in 2011, and this will end up being the second time in seven seasons the team will have had to redshirt its franchise quarterback.
Luck, though, is obviously in no danger of being cut after this season. However, this shoulder problem lingered for two years, with Albert Breer of SI.com noting (on Twitter) he played through injury for two years and is paying for it now. Luck missed nine games in 2015 but missed just one last season, and the 2016 absence was because of a concussion. The Colts have not advanced to the playoffs since Luck’s third season.
The Colts will now turn things over to Brissett as Luck’s rehab shifts toward the long-term.
Browns Ownership Goes “Nuclear” On Front Office After Trade Mishap
The biggest story from a loaded trade deadline is looking like it was a deal that didn’t happen. Both of Ohio’s NFL teams are dealing with the fallout, one far more than the other.
A disconnect between the Browns’ front office and the coaching staff has long been reported, but now ownership has stepped in after the front office appears to have bungled a trade for Bengals backup quarterback A.J. McCarron. Specifically, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports Dee Haslam went “nuclear” on the Browns’ front office on Wednesday.
The Bengals would have sent McCarron to Cleveland for second- and third-round draft choices, but several reports have noted the Browns did not send in the necessary paperwork in time. McCarron remains a Bengal, and this latest report lends further weight to the Browns having made a seminal mistake on Tuesday.
Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports the Browns contacted the Bengals on Tuesday morning about McCarron’s availability, and the Bengals lowered their asking price to second- and third-round picks. Mike Brown and Sashi Brown were on the phone at around 2:10pm CT, with the latter attempting to convince the Bengals boss to drop the asking price. Mike Brown, per Terrell, held firm by saying this was a good price for an intra-division trade. Terrell adds the Browns then pointed out the 49ers’ deal to acquire Jimmy Garoppolo — who was viewed as a higher-end Cleveland target than McCarron this offseason — only took a second-round pick, prompting Mike Brown to repeat his stance about not being in business of assisting a division rival.
Mike Brown, per Terrell, told Sashi Brown to call back in a few minutes after thinking over the deal. But a call from the Browns saying they would accept the deal didn’t come until 45 minutes later, with around five minutes to the deadline.
The Bengals scrambled to get the paperwork in but managed to send their documentation to the league, with Terrell adding an email coming from Sashi Brown’s assistant — the unfamiliar name on the email adding to the confusion — went unnoticed during this frenzy. Noting teams often check with each other to see if they receive pivotal emails of this sort, Terrell adds this did not happen during the accelerated process.
However, Terrell notes the Bengals having seen this email wouldn’t have mattered since the Browns needed to send signed documentation to the NFL as well.
“All you have to do is notify the league office you are making a deal. That’s an easy thing,” Marvin Lewis said, via Terrell, who reports the Bengals did have a league rep on the phone while they were completing the agreement. “We spoke to a person in there.”
A league source informed Terrell there’s uncertainty about the Browns’ intent on making this trade, adding that there might have been a disconnect between the front office and coaching staff regarding this transaction. The source pointed out how much time elapsed between Mike Brown-Sashi Brown phone conversations as evidence. This comes after cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot reported Hue Jackson was on board with this trade Tuesday.
Florio reports seven teams have told PFT the Browns and Bengals should have separately contacted the NFL about the terms of this trade.
“Only requirement is for both clubs to separately notify the league office via email of trade terms. If trade terms match, deal done,” a source emailed Florio. “No need to sign paperwork and submit prior. Have 15 days to submit trade papers (with terms that identically match emails).”
These latest revelations figure to add to what’s been one of the more dysfunctional setups in recent NFL memory. And with the 0-8 Browns (1-23 since this new regime began work) considering personnel changes, this will not help convince ownership this arrangement can continue as is.