Packers Hoping For Aaron Rodgers Return
The Packers are “holding out hope” that quarterback Aaron Rodgers can return to the field later this season, reports Rob Demovsyk of ESPN.com. Green Bay officially placed Rodgers on injured reserve earlier today, and because the NFL’s rule require an eight-week minimum absence, Rodgers wouldn’t be eligible to return until Week 15.
Rodgers underwent surgery for a broken collarbone on Thursday, and is now facing a lengthy recovery process. As such, Demovsky admits the Packers’ hope for a Rodgers return is a “long shot,” but it’s not impossible. Green Bay, which currently sits in second place in the NFC North with a 4-2 record, now owns just a 28% chance of earning a postseason berth, down 41% from last week, per Football Outsiders. But if the Packers are able to remain in contention, Rodgers could conceivably guide the club through the regular season’s final two weeks and into the playoffs.
Green Bay will roll with former fifth-round pick Brett Hundley as its starter for the foreseeable future, while former practice squad signal-caller Joe Callahan will be Hundley’s backup. Head coach Mike McCarthy recently indicated the Packers have no intention of adding a veteran quarterback to the mix, but the club did sign undrafted rookie Jerod Evans to its practice squad earlier this week.
Marshawn Lynch Suspended One Game
The NFL has suspended Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch one game for making contact with an official in Thursday night’s game, the league announced. Lynch will appeal the ban, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
League spokesman Joe Lockhart said earlier today that the NFL was exploring all its options with regard to Lynch’s punishment, and they’ve now decided on a single-game ban. Lynch has three days to appeal the suspension, but if no further action is taken, he’ll miss Oakland’s Week 8 contest against the Bills. The Raiders will be granted a roster exemption, meaning they’ll be allowed to add another player to their roster in place of Lynch.
Without Lynch available, Oakland will turn to Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington to man its backfield. Richard and Washington each handled nine carries and played roughly 30% of the Raiders’ offensive snaps after Lynch was ejected last night. While Oakland doesn’t currently have a fourth running back on its 53-man roster, it could promote seventh-round rookie Elijah Hood from the practice squad to cover for Lynch’s one-game absence.
Lynch’s impending fine wouldn’t be his only financial consequence now that he’s been suspended. Lynch will lose $79,412 in weekly base salary, plus an extra $31,250 in gameday active roster bonus money, as a result of his one-game ban.
NFL Exploring Marshawn Lynch Punishment
The NFL is currently exploring its options to punish Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch for making contact with an official on Thursday night, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Lynch, of course, was ejected from last night’s contest following the incident.
“There’s a schedule for fines for offenses,” said league spokesman Joe Lockhart. “There’s physical contact with an official — which is in excess of $30K — unsportsmanlike conduct, unnecessarily entering the fight area. Each (has) a schedule of what the fine would be. In some cases, a suspension is in order. All of this is being reviewed now at the league offices.”
There’s no question Lynch will subject to hefty fines, but whether or not he earns a ban is still up in the air. If Lynch is forced to miss Oakland’s Week 8 contest against the Bills, the Raiders would turn to the same two-headed backfield they deployed last night when facing the Chiefs. DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard split time to perfection on Thursday, as each played roughly 30% of Oakland’s snaps and handled nine carries.
As Gehlken notes, Lynch’s impending fine wouldn’t be his only financial consequence if he is indeed suspended. Lynch would lose $79,412 in weekly base salary, plus an extra $31,250 in gameday active roster bonus money, if he’s handed a one-game ban.
NFL: We Won’t Settle With Ezekiel Elliott
So much for a compromise. On Friday, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart closed the door on a possible deal with Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. 
“We’re not looking to make a deal, we’re very confident our arguments will prevail in court,” Lockhart said (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
A Wednesday report indicated that Elliott’s camp and the NFL have held informal settlement discussions at each stage of the legal process. However, if there were settlement talks taking place, they were not being done directly with Elliott or anyone especially close to him.
One source close to Elliott surmised to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram that such talks may have been taking place between commissioner Roger Goodell and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. It’s not 100% clear if that’s the case, but, if those discussions did go down between Goodell and Jones, they were not fruitful.
For now, Elliott remains in limbo. Thanks to a temporary restraining order, he will be in action this Sunday against the Niners and the following Sunday against the Redskins.
Through five games, Elliott has 393 yards off of 105 carries. His 3.7 yards per carry average isn’t terrible, but it’s a far cry from his 5.1 yards per attempt as a rookie. San Francisco has allowed 112+ yards per contest, so there should be opportunities for him to crank things up at Levi’s Stadium.
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Thursday
Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game ban was set to go into effect immediately…until it wasn’t. On Tuesday, the Cowboys running back was granted a temporary restraining order against the NFL, putting his suspension on hold for at least the next two games.
Then, on Wednesday night, it was reported that there have been settlement talks between Elliott’s camp and the NFL. After months of ugliness, could the two sides conceivably meet in the middle with a ban of, say, three games? Here’s the latest on that:
- Claims of settlement talks between the NFLPA/Elliott’s camp and the NFL are untrue, a person familiar with the situation tells Mike Jones of The Washington Post (on Twitter).
- Meanwhile, sources close to Elliott and the NFLPA tell Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (Twitter links) that they have no knowledge of settlement talks or interest in a compromise. Elliott, as we’ve heard before, is out to clear his name from accusations that he says are without merit. If there have been talks, then a source surmises that they have taken place between Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Roger Goodell themselves.
- With all of that in mind, there is very little chance of a settlement taking place, multiple sources tell Mark Maske of The Washington Post (on Twitter).
Redskins’ Jonathan Allen To Return This Year?
This week, it was reported that Jonathan Allen‘s Lisfranc injury would be a season-ender. Turns out that might not be the case. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the defensive lineman will go on injured reserve with a “designation to return.” 
Schefter’s phrasing is a bit puzzling since teams are no longer obligated to designate players for return from IR at the time of injury. But, it sounds as though there is at least some possibility for a mid-season return for the rookie. If that’s the case, then the rules dictate that Allen could rejoin the roster in as little as eight weeks, allowing him to rejoin the squad for the end of the regular season and – if the Redskins qualify – the postseason.
Allen’s injury typically requires 6-8 weeks of rest followed by rehab, as John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes, so Allen will have to be a fast healer in order to get back on the field this year. To his credit, the first-round pick has battled through some tough injuries in the past, including arthritis in both shoulders.
In five games this year, Allen registered ten total tackles and one sack.
NFL, Ezekiel Elliott Discussing Settlement
It’s not just fans that are growing weary of the back-and-forth between Ezekiel Elliott and the NFL. In the midst of a protracted legal battle, the two sides have discussed the possibility of a settlement, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News writes. 
Elliott is adamant about clearing his name and, of course, not serving the six-game ban handed to him by the league. The NFL, meanwhile, doesn’t want its disciplinary powers to be weakened. To save time, money, and energy, the answer could be to shake hands on an agreement that has the Cowboys running back serve a shorter suspension effective immediately.
The settlement talks have been going on for a while, with dialogue happening behind the scenes after each court ruling along the way, one source tells Moore. At previous stops, the league may have felt that it had the upper hand and shied away from a compromise. But, currently, things feel pretty neutral thanks to the temporary restraining order that Elliott has been granted.
For now, all we know is that the TRO should allow Elliott to suit up against the Niners this weekend and against the Redskins the following week. Beyond that, his status remains murky.
Seahawks To Place Cliff Avril On IR
It sounds like Cliff Avril’s season might be over. Coach Pete Carroll says the defensive end will be placed on injured reserve (Twitter link via SiriusXM). Avril is said to be considering retirement, so this sounds like the season-ending variety of IR rather than an eight-week stint. 
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Avril was initially said to be dealing with a “serious stinger,” but the problem goes much further than that. The 31-year-old experienced numbness in his arm, a sign that he could be have a much more serious problem.
Avril appeared in 63 of 64 games for the Seahawks from 2013-16 and racked up 33.5 sacks during that time. Losing him will be a tough blow for Seattle, particularly given the lackluster play they’ve gotten out of the defensive line so far this year. At the same time, Avril has not been playing up to his usual level. He has actually been among the league’s worst edge defenders (among those with enough snaps to qualify), per Pro Football Focus.
Setback For Colts QB Andrew Luck
Andrew Luck has suffered a major setback in his recovery and, for the first time this year, the Colts are leaving the door open to the possibility that he could land on injured reserve. At a surprise press conference on Wednesday, GM Chris Ballard announced that Andrew Luck will not be able to practice this week after experiencing soreness in his shoulder. 
The belief was that Luck could conceivably return in early November, but that seems impossible given the latest news. Instead of practicing, the Colts’ franchise quarterback will receive a cortisone shot and cease all football activities.
With Jacoby Brissett under center, the Colts are off to a 2-4 start. Heading into a date with the Jekyll & Hyde Jaguars and no timetable on Luck’s return, the Colts have reason to fear that this could be a lost season.
Hindsight is 20/20, but one has to wonder why the Colts did not fortify their backup quarterback situation in the offseason. Brissett has done his best to adapt to the new system on the fly, but there has been a significant dropoff on offense.
Redskins’ Jonathan Allen Done For Season
Jonathan Allen‘s rookie season is already over. The defensive lineman’s Lisfranc injury will rule him out the rest of the way, John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears. The Redskins will place Allen on injured reserve this week. 
Initially, the Redskins believed that Allen’s foot issue would keep him out for only 3-4 weeks. However, further testing revealed that the injury was more serious.
It’s a frustrating setback for Allen, particularly given his history of injuries in college. In his five games this year, Allen showed lots of promise and graded out as a higher-end interior defender, per the metrics at Pro Football Focus. He had ten total tackles and one sack in his abbreviated campaign.
If not for his health issues, Allen might have been a top five pick in the 2017 draft. But, because of concerns about his shoulders, the Redskins were able to scoop him up at No. 17 overall. His future is bright, but Allen will have to put everything on hold until the offseason.
With Allen sidelined, the Redskins will lean a bit more on reserve defensive end Matthew Ioannidis and nose tackle Stacy McGee. As detailed by PFF, Ioannidis looked sharp against San Francisco on Sunday, ending the day with two sacks, one hit, and three additional QB hurries. Ioannidis has 20 total pressures this season off of just 121 pass-rushing snaps.
While the Redskins have options to plug from within, they’ll add a defensive lineman for depth, at the very least. They may also explore some veteran options.
The Redskins are 3-2 after topping the 49ers. Next up is a Monday night game against the Eagles in Philadelphia.