Lions Place Haloti Ngata On IR
The Lions announced that they have placed Haloti Ngata on injured reserve. Ngata suffered a bicep injury last week against Carolina that will keep him off the field for the rest of the season. 
Players can return from IR after eight weeks and bicep injuries aren’t always season enders, but this tear is significant enough to rule the defensive tackle out for the rest of the year. Ngata has never played in less than 12 games in any given season, so this is largely new territory for the veteran.
Ngata’s 2017 campaign ends after five games with seven tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. It’s possible that this will mark the end of his career as well.
Ngata will turn 34 in January and his contract will expire at the end of the season. Earlier this year, he was giving real thought to retirement and coaches weren’t sure whether he’d actually suit up until March.
Ngata has earned many millions throughout the years and has a career resume that few can match. He’s been a starter since entering the league as a first-round pick of the Ravens in 2006 and has been playing at a high level for all 12 years. He was – and still is – among the league’s most talented interior linemen and earned five straight Pro Bowl nods from 2009 through 2013. He also picked up a pair of First-Team All-Pro selections (2010, 2011) during that stretch. With a Super Bowl ring on his finger, Ngata can walk away from the game knowing that he met all of his goals and then some.
Texans To Sign DE/LB Lamarr Houston
The Texans didn’t stop after reaching an agreement with free agent defensive lineman Kendall Langford earlier tonight — they’re also planning to sign linebacker/defensive end Lamarr Houston, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26.
Although the Texans lost two of their best defenders — J.J. Watt and Whitney Mercilus — to season-ending injuries on Sunday night, they’re still firmly in the AFC South race. They sit alongside the Colts and Titans at 2-3, and all those clubs are one game behind the division-leading Jaguars. With one fell swoop, the Texans have now added two veteran defensive players who between them offer 225 games of NFL experience.
Houston, 30, was never able to stay fully healthy after inking a five-year, $35MM contract with Chicago prior to the 2014 campaign. In three seasons with the Bears, the 30-year-old Houston appeared in just 26 of a possible 48 games and made only 10 starts. He managed nine total sacks in Chicago, but eight of those came in 2015, his only healthy year with the Bears.
Houston, who was in town today to work out for the Texans, has been busy since being released by Chicago last month. In addition to the Texans, he’d met with or auditioned for the Patriots, Saints, and Buccaneers.
Giants To Meet With Branden Albert
The Giants will meet with offensive tackle Branden Albert later this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Albert worked out for the Seahawks on Monday, but he left Seattle without a deal. 
Albert was upset about his contract this summer and unsure about whether he wanted to play at all in 2017. It was said that he had “no desire” to play in late August, but he apparently had a change of heart this fall.
The 32-year-old (33 in November) was once among the league’s better tackles, but it’s fair to wonder what he has left in the tank at this stage. The Seahawks are in dire need of tackle help, so it’s perhaps telling that he did not sign with them after his audition. Then again, given his contractual demands over the summer, it’s possible that the two sides were just too far apart on Monday.
The jinxed Giants – who are without both Odell Beckham Jr. and Brandon Marshall for the remainder of the season – head to Denver on Sunday in search of their first win.
Cardinals Release RB Chris Johnson
Chris Johnson‘s time in Arizona has come to a close. The Cardinals released CJ2K in order to make room for the newly-acquired Adrian Peterson. 
[RELATED: Cardinals Acquire Adrian Peterson From Saints]
The 31-year-old rushed for 814 yards and three touchdowns before giving way to David Johnson as the club’s starting running back in 2015. He missed the bulk of 2016, but the team circled back to him again this year when D. Johnson suffered a wrist injury. This time around, things didn’t work out quite as well. The older Johnson had 114 yards off of 45 carries, averaging out to 2.5 yards per attempt.
Johnson has six 1,000-yard seasons (including a 2,000-yard campaign) and three Pro Bowl nods on his resume, but those days are likely behind him. If he can’t find a team willing to give him consistent playing time, it’s possible that he could just hang ’em up.
“I need to be involved,” the speedster said in June. “At this point in my career, I don’t want to sit on the sideline. I want to get in the game.”
NFL May Make Players Stand For Anthem
The NFL may institute a rule change that will mandate players to stand for the national anthem, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Commissioner Roger Goodell issued the following letter to team executives and presidents (Facebook link, from Schefter): 
“We live in a country that can feel very divided. Sports, and especially the NFL, brings people together and lets them set aside those divisions, at least for a few hours. The current dispute over the National Anthem is threatening to erode the unifying power of our game, and is now dividing us, and our players, from many fans across the country.
I’m very proud of our players and owners who have done the hard work over the past year to listen, understand and attempt to address the underlying issues within their communities. At our September committee meetings, we heard directly from several players about why these issues are so important to them and how we can support their work. And last week, we met with the leadership of the NFLPA and more players to advance the dialogue.
Like many of our fans, we believe that everyone should stand for the National Anthem. It is an important moment in our game. We want to honor our flag and our country, and our fans expect that of us. We also care deeply about our players and respect their opinions and concerns about critical social issues. The controversy over the Anthem is a barrier to having honest conversations and making real progress on the underlying issues. We need to move past this controversy, and we want to do that together with our players.
Building on many discussions with clubs and players, we have worked to develop a plan that we will review with you at next week’s League meeting. This would include such elements as an in-season platform to promote the work of our players on these core issues, and that will help to promote positive change in our country. We want to ensure that any work at the League level is consistent with the work that each club is doing in its own community, and that we dedicate a platform that can enable these initiatives to succeed. Additionally, we will continue the unprecedented dialogue with our players.
I expect and look forward to a full and open discussion of these issues when we meet next week in New York. Everyone involved in the game needs to come together on a path forward to continue to be a force for good within our communities, protect the game, and preserve our relationship with fans throughout the country. The NFL is at its best when we ourselves are unified. In that spirit, let’s resolve that next week we will meet this challenge in a unified and positive way.”
Saints Trade Adrian Peterson To Cardinals
The Saints have traded Adrian Peterson to the Cardinals, as first reported by Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The two sides have since confirmed the swap via press release. The Saints will receive a conditional 2018 sixth-round pick, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
Peterson has struggled mightily in New Orleans, averaging just three yards per carry. The Cardinals are hoping that a change of scenery will help him get back to his old form. Perhaps the Cardinals are also banking on Peterson having fresh legs. He had only 27 rushing attempts through four games as Mark Ingram and Alvin Kamara led New Orleans’ rushing attack. He’ll also have the benefit of two bye weeks – one with the Saints in Week 5 and one with the Cardinals in Week 8.
The Cardinals have been on the lookout for running back help ever since losing David Johnson to injury. Without one of the game’s most electrifying tailbacks, the Cardinals have been unable to get anything going on the ground.
Peterson ostensibly will slot in as the Cardinals’ top running back. Kerwynn Williams, Andre Ellington, Elijhaa Penny, and D.J. Foster will be there in support, but Chris Johnson will not be after receiving a pink slip on Tuesday.
From the get-go, Peterson seemed a suspect fit for the Saints. Despite his Hall of Fame credentials, Peterson did not look to be on the same level as Kamara or Ingram. When he wasn’t getting the playing time he expected, he immediately lashed out at head coach Sean Payton and went public with his displeasure. We heard in mid-September that the Saints didn’t have any intention of trading or releasing Peterson. Weeks later, they’ve had a change of heart.
Initially, when he signed his two-year, $7MM deal with New Orleans, Peterson insisted that he would not make a fuss over his workload.
“I don’t need all those carries to be my best,” Peterson said in the offseason. “I don’t think I became a great player by having to have 20 or 30 carries to get 200 yards. If they feed it to me, hey, I’m going to eat. Whenever I get opportunities, I’ll take advantage of them.”
Josh Gordon Admits To Hard Drug Use
Josh Gordon is looking to get clean from more than just marijuana. In a new mini-documentary, the Browns wide receiver opened up about his complete history of substance abuse. 
Previously, it was believed that Gordon’s current ban was for marijuana use. Fans were disappointed when he was denied reinstatement this spring, but the commissioner’s decision makes more sense upon learning the full scope of Gordon’s issues.
“I’ve used alcohol on many, many occasions, Xanax on many occasions, cocaine several occasions, marijuana most of my life, codeine, cough syrup, methazine is very prevalent where I’m from,” Gordon admits (transcript via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). “It’s what I grew up using.”
Gordon has yet to reapply for reinstatement, but a league source tells Cabot that he plans to file paperwork in conjunction with the release of the interview. Presumably, he’ll have to demonstrate that he has been on the straight and narrow for a significant period of time in order to be allowed back into the NFL. Even then, Gordon will likely have to serve a four-game ban first.
Hopefully, Gordon is ready to put his demons behind him for good.
“I think it might be therapeutic for me to talk about it,” Gordon says in the doc. “I’m in the position I’m in now and I’m grateful for it. I’m able to give this message and this opportunity for you to learn from my mistakes and for me to tell them my story.”
Giants’ Brandon Marshall Done For Season
Giants wide receiver Brandon Marshall announced on Instagram that he will have season-ending ankle surgery. This marks yet another devastating setback for the 0-5 Giants. 
In Week 5, the Giants lost four receivers to injury and three of them – Odell Beckham Jr., Dwayne Harris, and Marshall – for the season. Initially, the feeling was that Marshall could return after missing a handful of games, but those hopes have been dashed.
Marshall, who joined the team this offseason, recently found his groove, but he might have played his last game for Big Blue on Sunday. He is under contract through 2018 thanks to his two-year, $12MM deal, but he is afforded little security beyond this season.
At the age of 33, he was eager to prove that he could still produce at a high level. He struggled mightily in the Jets’ offensive quagmire in 2016, but he reeled in 109 catches for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns in the previous season.
Marshall’s season ends with 18 catches for 154 yards in five games, including 14 receptions for 112 yards combined in Weeks 3 and 4.
Seahawks Work Out Branden Albert
It sounds like Branden Albert could play football this year after all. The offensive tackle worked out for the Seahawks on Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
Albert, a former Pro Bowler, dominated headlines in the offseason. On paper, he was slated to start at left tackle for the Jaguars after they acquired him via trade with the Dolphins. After unsuccessfully pushing Jacksonville for a revised contract, Albert retired and then tried to flip-flop only to have the door slammed in his face. Albert has been free to sign with any team since August, but this marks the first mention of him we’ve heard this fall.
The Seahawks have had glaring holes on the offensive line for some time and Albert could help to improve the unit. Per the metrics at Football Outsiders, Seattle has just the 23rd ranked O-Line in the NFL. Left side starter Rees Odhiambo is the lowest ranked qualified tackle in the NFL according to Pro Football Focus, and starting right tackle Germain Ifedi isn’t rated much better.
Albert missed one-quarter of last season due to injury and registered a career-worst 42.2 overall score on PFF. However, he’s been strong in the past, including 2013 and 2015 campaigns which resulted in Pro Bowl nods.
Buccaneers To Sign Kicker Patrick Murray
The Buccaneers are changing kickers again, as Tampa Bay is currently working out a deal with free agent Patrick Murray, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
Tampa Bay is unsurprisingly auditioned kickers following incumbent Nick Folk‘s dreadful performance against the Patriots on Thursday night. Folk missed three field goals in a game the Buccaneers ultimately lost by five points, so Tampa Bay took a look at Andrew Franks, Josh Lambo, Mike Nugent, Marshall Koehn, and Cairo Santos on Monday.
The Buccaneers, of course, are no strangers to problems at placekicker. Folk was initially signed to replace Roberto Aguayo, whom general manager Jason Licht & Co. drafted in the second round of the 2017 draft after a trade up. Aguayo struggled through his rookie campaign and the 2017 season before being waived, but Tampa Bay is now making a special teams transition once again.
Murray, 26, will now begin his second stint with the Buccaneers, as he was the club’s kicker during the 2014 campaign. The Fordham product didn’t appear in the NFL in 2015, and managed only two games in Cleveland last season before suffering an injury. For his career, Murray holds an 80.8% field goal conversion rate, and he’s missed only one extra point attempt.
Folk, meanwhile, will be placed on injured reserve with a “minor” designation, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That means Tampa Bay will be forced to release Folk once he’s deemed fully healthy. When that happens, the Buccaneers will eat the rest of Folk’s 2017 salary.