Dion Lewis - Pro Football Rumors

Patriots RB Dion Lewis Returns To Practice

October 27th, 2016 at 12:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Patriots running back Dion Lewis returned to practice today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Now that he has taken the practice field, the Patriots’ 21-day window for activation has begun.

Lewis was placed on the PUP list in late August as he continued his rehab his knee. Lewis was a key cog of New England’s offense before his ACL tear, rushing 49 times for 234 yards and catching 36 passes for 388 yards. He also scored four total touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground. After healing up from ACL surgery this summer, Lewis suffered an additional setback in his knee which also required an operation.

With Lewis sidelined, the Pats have leaned on LeGarrette Blount and James White to power the running game. While they have done a capable job for the 6-1 Patriots, a healthy Lewis would give the backfield a major boost.

Patriots Notes: Lewis, Jackson, Bennett, Butler

October 16th, 2016 at 3:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots have made team-friendly extension offers to a number of their pending free agents — including Martellus Bennett, Malcolm Butler, Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Logan Ryan — but so far, no player has been interested in putting pen to paper, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Given that the salary cap continues to rise, each of these impending free agents figures to cash in the open market, and therefore have little incentive to agree to any offer New England puts on the table.

Here’s more on the Patriots, who are now 5-1 after beating the Bengals today:

After opening the year on the physically unable to perform list, running back Dion Lewis is eligible to begin practicing this week. There’s a chance that happens, but it also wouldn’t be surprising for the Patriots to hold Lewis out of game action until after the club’s November bye, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Lewis has made “positive progress” as he recovers from ACL surgery, per Reiss, but New England will exude caution nonetheless.
Offensive lineman Tre’ Jackson also started the season on the PUP list, but he’s closer to returning than is Lewis, reports Reiss. Mason is expected to practice this week, and should be able to play again as soon very soon. In fact, New England’s release of guard Jonathan Cooper may have precipitated by Mason’s health.
The Patriots recently gave $52,700 raises to four practice squad players — running back Bishop Sankey, defensive end Geneo Grissom, guard Chris Barker, and defensive tackle Anthony Johnson. For what it’s worth, Grissom and Johnson were then promoted to active roster on Saturday.

Patriots Place Lewis, Vollmer On PUP

August 30th, 2016 at 4:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have formally placed Dion Lewis on the PUP list. The running back is in need of a second knee surgery and reportedly will be out for at least another eight or 9 weeks. The PUP list designation sidelines him for the first six weeks of the season.

The Patriots will also place tackle Sebastian Vollmer on the PUP list, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Theoretically, New England can bring him back, but it’s more likely that he will not play this year due to his nagging hip problems.

Lewis’ injury does not involve the ACL or any other ligaments, which is good news for his recovery. Lewis was a key cog of New England’s offense before his ACL tear, rushing 49 times for 234 yards and catching 36 passes for 388 yards. He also scored four total touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground.

Vollmer, when healthy, has been a mainstay at tackle for New England since 2009. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Vollmer as the 42nd-best tackle out of 77 qualified players last season, and he was thought to be on the roster bubble earlier this year. His contract is set to expire at the end of the 2016 campaign and earlier this offseason Patriots passed on discussing an extension with him as a result of his injury issues.

In related news, the Patriots cut linebacker Ramon Humber, tight end Steven Scheu, and offensive tackle Keavon Milton.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Dion Lewis Needs Second Knee Surgery; Sebastian Vollmer To IR

August 21st, 2016 at 11:16am CST by Rory Parks

Patriots running back Dion Lewis, who tore his ACL last November, will need a second knee surgery, according to Jim McBride of The Boston Globe (via Twitter). Interestingly, this report came on the heels of a tweet from NESN’s Doug Kyed, who indicated that Lewis had just walked into the team’s locker room with no knee brace. Kyed, however, subsequently deferred to McBride’s report.

Luckily for the Patriots, Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com reports that, although the nature of the procedure is not yet known, it does not involve the ACL or any other ligaments. Depending upon when he has the procedure, it should be about eight to 10 weeks before Lewis can begin training, which means he will begin the season on the PUP list.

Lewis was a key cog of New England’s offense before his ACL tear, rushing 49 times for 234 yards and catching 36 passes for 388 yards. He also scored four total touchdowns, two through the air and two on the ground. After just three games with the club, Lewis signed a team-friendly, two-year extension that gave the diminutive back–who had not played a single regular season snap between 2012 and 2015–some much-needed financial security. He tore his ACL a month later.

It was reported just two weeks ago that Lewis had not suffered a setback in his recovery, and that he was still on track to play Week 1. Now, players like James White and James Develin could see their playing time increase, and while White has been solid in the preseason, Lewis’ injury is still a major blow, particularly in light of Tom Brady‘s suspension.

As if that was not bad enough, McBride also tweets that offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer, who has been on the PUP list with an undisclosed injury, will be placed on IR. It is unclear whether he will land on season-ending IR, or if he will be given a “Designated to Return” status, though Kyed suspects that Vollmer’s season will indeed be over, since the Patriots could have just kept Vollmer on the PUP list if they expected him to return this year.

Vollmer, when healthy, has been a mainstay at tackle for New England since 2009. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Vollmer as the 42nd-best tackle out of 77 qualified players last season, and he was thought to be on the roster bubble earlier this year. His contract is set to expire at the end of the 2016 campaign, and Marcus Cannon will likely serve as the team’s starting right tackle in Vollmer’s absence.

McBride was not done delivering bad news, as he also tweeted that second-year guard Shaq Mason suffered a broken right hand and will be out indefinitely. As Albert Breer of TheMMQB tweets, these injury reports are especially unwelcome for New England, as running back and offensive line are the only two real question marks on the team’s roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

East Notes: Cowboys, Moore, Patriots, Lewis

August 7th, 2016 at 4:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Defensive end Damontre Moore didn’t even last three months on the Raiders’ roster, and is now back on the free agent market after being waived last week. After being cut three times in the span of eight months, Moore could be nearing the end of the line, but one club the could express interest at some point is the Cowboys, opines James Kratch of NJ.com. Kratch is simply speculating, not reporting, but the fit makes sense, as Dallas’ defensive end crop has been depleted by a pair of suspensions handed out to Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory. The Cowboys today signed former Broncos defensive end Shaneil Jenkins earlier today, giving the club another body along the front four, but Moore could serve as another (cheap) option.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

The Cowboys worked out offensive lineman Kelvin Palmer and Audrey Walker yesterday, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Both players have bounced around the league and been a part of offseason rosters, but neither has ever taken an NFL snap. Dallas could simply be updating their emergency list, or it could be taking a look at offensive lineman in preparation for a Ronald Leary trade, though that’s entirely my speculation.
Though Tom Brady will be suspended for the first four games of the regular season, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com doesn’t expect the Patriots to add a third quarterback to the roster any time soon. Instead, the club is likely to roll with only two signal-callers, with Jimmy Garoppolo as the starter and rookie Jacoby Brissett. As Reiss notes, the free agent quarterback market isn’t exactly overflowing with options, and New England could add a practice squad arm if it feels it needs another piece of depth.
Running back Dion Lewis is still on the physically-unable-to-perform list, but Reiss reports that Lewis has not experienced a setback during Patriots camp; rather, the club simply wants to exhibit caution as Lewis works his way back from a torn ACL. As such, Lewis’ usage during the early part of the season could be scaled back, as New England wants to ensure that he’s able to play the entire 16-game slate.

East Notes: Cousins, Carroll, Soliai

February 21st, 2016 at 8:54am CST by Rory Parks

It is difficult to imagine Kirk Cousins playing anywhere besides Washington next season, either under the franchise tag or under a lucrative, long-term deal. The most recent report regarding contract negotiations between the two parties suggested that the prospect of Cousins and Washington striking a multi-year deal was “not good,” although the application of the franchise tag always seems to invigorate stalled contract talks.

But even if Cousins ultimately plays out the 2016 season under the tag, it may not handicap Washington that much in the short-term. As John Keim of ESPN.com observes, Washington’s 2016 cap number already includes Robert Griffin III‘s $16.15MM option, and the team is almost certainly going to cut Griffin in the near future. As such, putting the franchise tag on Cousins really only adds an extra $4MM or so to the team’s cap commitment, as the tag value for quarterbacks is projected to be around $20MM. Certainly Washington would rather have an extra $4MM to spend, particularly since it does not have a ton of cap room to begin with–plus, signing Cousins to a long-term deal might put his first-year cap hit under $10MM, thus creating even more space–but for 2016, at least, the tag might not be as crippling as it otherwise could be.

Now let’s take a look at some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

Mark Eckel of LehighValleyLive.com takes a look at how the Eagles will address their secondary this offseason, a conversation that necessarily begins with cornerback Nolan Carroll, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent. Carroll is a solid player, but the price to keep him should not be prohibitive, especially since he ended the season on IR after breaking his ankle in the team’s Thanksgiving contest against Detroit. If Carroll is retained, Philadelphia could shift Eric Rowe from cornerback to safety, his more natural position, to replace Walter Thurmond, who is likely to depart in free agency.
The Falcons will release Paul Soliai on or after March 9, and the 32-year-old defensive tackle would apparently like to return to the Dolphins, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (via Twitter). Soliai spent the first seven seasons of his career with Miami before signing with Atlanta prior to the 2014 campaign, and although his 2015 performance was not up to his usual standards, he could still be a valuable member of either a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme.
The Jets will make a concerted effort to address the tight end position in free agency and/or the draft, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. The team needs a tight end who can challenge a defense in the middle of the field, and although this year’s free agent class of tight ends is uninspiring–Antonio Gates will likely stay in San Diego, leaving players like Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen at the top of the market–but Arkansas’ Hunter Harvey, widely regarded as the best TE in the draft, should be available when Gang Green makes its first selection in this year’s draft.
Patriots RB Dion Lewis, who was a catalyst of the team’s offense prior to tearing his ACL on November 8, is making good progress in his recovery and should be available for the start of the regular season, as Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com reports.

AFC East Notes: Aponte, Dolphins, Pats, Lewis

January 28th, 2016 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Although there were some rumblings that longtime Dolphins executive Dawn Aponte would be heading to Detroit to help Lions GM Bob Quinn deal with contracts and the salary cap, Aponte will be staying in Miami, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links).

Let’s check in on some more items from out of the AFC East…

The fact that Adam Gase retained nine coaches from the Dolphins‘ old coaching staff doesn’t mean that he had trouble finding better candidates, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. As Salguero explains, many of those coaches drew interest from other teams around the league, so it’s not as if they aren’t highly regarded — special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, for instance, had four interview requests, all of which the Dolphins turned down, says Salguero.
While the Patriots will have some potential free agents to deal with this offseason, the team’s priority may be to lock up the “big four” defenders who could reach the open market after the 2016 season, says Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. New England has a little over a calendar year to explore extension for cornerback Malcolm Butler, defensive end Chandler Jones, and linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower. In Reiss’ view, the latter three players could all be in line for deals that exceed $8MM annually — Butler will be a restricted free agent, so he should be relatively affordable for at least one more year beyond 2016.
Running back Dion Lewis, who signed a contract extension with the Patriots in the fall, is currently on track to be recovered from his torn ACL in time to participate in training camp, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

AFC East Notes: Fins, Whaley, Bowles

November 15th, 2015 at 8:55am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins are in the midst of a disappointing season, and although there is still time for the 3-5 club to reverse its fortunes and claw back into the wildcard race, there are some who are already looking ahead to next season. As Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins can easily create a great deal of cap space in 2016 to address their weaknesses and restock their roster. For instance, Miami will almost assuredly release Greg Jennings, thereby saving $4MM, and it could also cut Jordan Cameron, who has not found his place in the offense and who will count a whopping $9.5MM against the cap next year.

Meanwhile, Ndamukong Suh and Ryan Tannehill have a combined $40.2MM cap hit in 2016, but Jackson notes that the Dolphins could reduce that number to as low as $15.1MM with several relatively simple restructures. Needless to say, such restructurings could hamstring the team in future seasons, but even if the Dolphins choose not to go that route, there are still plenty of opportunities for them to create cap room. Parting ways with Koa Misi and Earl Mitchell, for example, would free up over $6MM of space. The real question, then, is not whether the Dolphins will have the financial wherewithal to improve their fortunes, but whether they can find the right players to do so. Recent history, of course, is against them.

Now let’s take a quick swing around the other clubs in the AFC East:

We heard several days ago that even if the Bills fall out of the playoff race in 2015, head coach Rex Ryan would still return for 2016, though GM Doug Whaley‘s future in Buffalo would be much more uncertain. But as Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News writes, the club’s 2015 draft class has been crucial to the team’s relative good fortunes this season, and although Skurski does not explicitly say so, it may be that the rookies’ cumulative success could save Whaley’s job.
Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News believes Todd Bowles was the right hire at the right time for the Jets, but a series of questionable in-game decisions, particularly decisions related to clock management, have cast a black cloud over Bowles’ otherwise promising first season as a head coach. Bowles’ job will not be in jeopardy any time soon, but his ability to learn from his early blunders will ultimately define how successful his tenure with Gang Green will be, and how long it will last.
When a player signs an extension prior to exploring free agency, he is often said to have left money on the table. However, as Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes, the recent case of Patriots RB Dion Lewis runs counter to that narrative. Lewis signed a two-year deal in October that led many writers to praise New England for once again securing a major contributor with a team-friendly contract. But as Reiss says, Lewis’ season-ending ACL tear shows just how fragile one’s career can be, and just how important it is for many players–particularly players who entered the league as late draft choices or undrafted free agents–to get paid as soon as possible.

Patriots’ Dion Lewis Out For Season

November 9th, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots continued their winning ways on Sunday, moving to 8-0 with a victory over Washington. However, an offense that has been plagued by injuries this season has been dealt a serious blow. According to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (via Twitter), running back Dion Lewis will miss the rest of the 2015 season with a torn ACL.

Lewis, 25, was in the midst of a breakout year in New England, one that earned him a contract extension and has seen him become one of Tom Brady‘s favorite targets. In addition to rushing for 234 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his seven games, Lewis added another 388 receiving yards and two TDs on 36 receptions. Those 36 catches placed the former fifth-round pick third on the team, behind Julian Edelman and Rob Gronkowski.

So far this season, the Patriots’ injuries on offense have been primarily on the offensive line, where nearly every position has been hit by health problems over the last couple months. Lewis is the first skill-position player to go down with a major injury this season, so Brady will still have plenty of weapons at his disposal. Still, New England will have to change its game plan going forward with Lewis no longer in the mix.

LeGarrette Blount figures to take over the majority of the rushing duties in Lewis’ absence, with Brandon Bolden perhaps getting more looks as a receiver out of the backfield. James White should also see a little more action, and the Patriots could explore adding another back to the roster once Lewis officially lands on the injured reserve list.

Injury Updates: Big Ben, Lewis, Hankins, Cole

November 8th, 2015 at 8:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here’s a look at some more injury news from today’s games:

Bills running back LeSean McCoy injured his shoulder in the victory over the Dolphins today, and will probably have an MRI in advance of Thursday’s game against the Jets, writes Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr was spotted wearing a cast on his arm following the overtime win over St. Louis, writes Jason Gonzalez of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The team staff helped him carry his bag while exiting the locker room.
Adam Schefter adds to the reports about Lewis’ injury, noting that the Patriots running back has no swelling, which is a good sign. However his ACL is loose, which is a bad sign. Ultimately, they are still waiting on the MRI (via Twitter).

Earlier Updates:

The Patriots are awaiting the results of an MRI on running back Dion Lewis, but the club is hopeful that he only suffered an MCL sprain, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Regardless, Lewis figures to miss some time, prompting New England to turn to LeGarrette Blount as the team’s primary back.
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger left today’s game against the Raiders with a foot injury, and was eventually taken to a hospital for further evaluation, per Pittsburgh’s PR staff (Twitter link). Roethlisberger was unable to put any weight on his left foot, and head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters, including Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), that the veteran QB will undergo an MRI. Roethlisberger, of course, just returned to action after missing several weeks with an MCL sprain.
Giants defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins suffered a torn pectoral during today’s game against the Buccaneers, the team announced on Twitter. While there has been no official announcement, such an injury is expected to be season-ending.
Vikings backup linebacker Audie Cole fractured his ankle today, head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters, including Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Per Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link), Zimmer confirmed that Cole will miss the remainder of the season. Cole hasn’t been a factor on the Vikings’ defense, but he was playing more than half of the club’s special teams snaps.