Rod Streater

Extra Points: Bironas, Harrison, Rudolph

Rob Bironas was planning to continue his NFL career before his unexpected death earlier this week, according to Titans punter Brett Kern. “I talked to him on Friday, because he had the workout with the Lions, and he was so excited that it went well. I told him I was proud of him,’ and that’s the last thing I told him,” Kern told reporters, including Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean. “He was really looking forward to signing with another team.” More from around the NFL..

  • James Harrison‘s deal with the Steelers is for the veteran’s minimum, minus the three games already played, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette. Including his $65K bonus, he’ll collect just over $851K for this season.
  • There’s a chance Vikings tight end Kyle Rudolph could be placed on the IR-DTR list, but “probably not,” head coach Mike Zimmer told reporters, including Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (on Twitter).
  • Free agent cornerback Champ Bailey feels healthy and tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that he is willing to play nickel or safety if that’s what it takes to land a job somewhere.
  • Teammate Tyvon Branch is headed to the IR, but the Raiders got some good news on teammate Rod Streater. His agent tells Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that Streater only requires minor surgery and hopes to return in 4-5 weeks.

Injury Updates: Sunday

The NFL is almost through another week of football, and the injuries are piling up yet again. An unfortunate reality of the league is that no team will leave healthy from week to week.

Zach Links and Luke Adams have already discussed some of the bigger names to go down. Matt Cassel‘s foot injury paved the way for Vikings‘ first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater‘s NFL debut. Dennis Pitta left the Ravens‘ win with a dislocated hip, and Chargers‘ tailback Danny Woodhead could miss the rest of the season with a high ankle sprain and fractured fibula.

Here are some other injury notes from around the NFL:

Monday Roundup: Gaffney, Suh, Bills

Let’s round up some links from around the league to close out this Monday night:

  • The Panthers waived-injured sixth-round draft pick Tyler Gaffney on Sunday, hoping they could sneak him past waivers and put him on IR after he suffered a season-ending knee injury on Friday. However, the Patriots thwarted those hopes by claiming Gaffney earlier today. Of course, the Panthers could have kept Gaffney on the 90-man camp roster, but, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes, Carolina GM Dave Gettleman noted that the team needed that roster spot for another running back (who turned out to be Fozzy Whittaker). In response to the Patriots’ acquiring Gaffney, a move that breaks one of the league’s many “unwritten rules,” Gettleman replied, “It’s business.”
  • During a brief, almost impromptu session with the media earlier today, Lions‘ defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh did not offer any real explanation as to why extension talks with the team have been tabled, nor did he say much about his long-term plans, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Suh merely reiterated yet again that he wants to remain a Lion. See Birkett’s article and our own Luke Adams’ post from earlier this afternoon for more details on the Suh dilemma.
  • Mike Sando of ESPN.com (subscription required) offers his thoughts as to how the Seahawks can keep their title window open once quarterback Russell Wilson inevitably gets a new deal that will pay him many times what he currently earns.
  • Albert Breer of NFL.com writes that the Saints are entering 2014 with tremendous confidence, despite their jettisoning of veteran stalwarts like Roman Harper and Will Smith and their increased reliance on their young talent on both sides of the football.
  • Tim Graham of the Buffalo News writes that the bidding process to buy the Bills begins Tuesday.
  • Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes that Donald Trump will bid on the Bills, but Trump says his chances of becoming the franchise’s next owner are “very, very unlikely.”
  • Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets that Raiders‘ receiver Rod Streater has been diagnosed with a concussion.
  • Matt Bowen of the Chicago Tribune gives the early edge in the Bears‘ backup quarterback battle to Jimmy Clausen. He also notes that defensive tackle Lamarr Houston and wideout Marquess Wilson have been impressive in camp thus far.
  • Liz Mullen of SportsBusinessJournal.com tweets that NFL agents Michael Perrett and Kevin McGuire have left SportsTrust Advisors to form their own firm.