Chargers Place Melvin Ingram On IR-DTR
The Chargers have used the designated to return spot on their injured reserve, placing linebacker Melvin Ingram on the list, according to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). Ingram, who suffered a hip injury, will now miss at least the next six weeks of practices and eight weeks of games.
In Ingram’s absence, players like Jarret Johnson, rookie Jeremiah Attaochu, and perhaps Tourek Williams could be in line for expanded roles, though it won’t be easy for them to replicate Ingram’s production as a pass rusher. Like fellow starting outside linebacker Dwight Freeney, Ingram recorded a sack and 10 overall quarterback pressures during the season’s first two games, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required).
The Chargers haven’t made a corresponding move to fill Ingram’s spot on the roster, so for now, San Diego is the NFL’s only team carrying 52 players, by our count.
To keep tabs on how teams around the league have used their IR-DTR spot this season, be sure to check out our tracker.
NFC Notes: Hester, Urlacher, Sproles
In an interview with WFAN’s Boomer & Carton show, Lions tailback Reggie Bush said that embattled Vikings running back Adrian Peterson should be allowed to play football, writes NFL.com’s Marc Sessler. “Adrian Peterson, I’ve known for a while, and he’s a good guy,” Bush said. “... I don’t know all the details of the situation what happened, but I know me and like a lot of other guys who were born in the ’80s, and even before then, were raised differently and disciplined differently. And I was one of those kids. I got what we called ‘whoopings,’ whooped with belts and stuff like that. For me, growing up, it was normal. And not to say, not to try to downplay the situation at all, I think that this is genuine, and obviously, I’m sure there’s no ill intent against his own son.” More from the NFC..
- Coach Lovie Smith definitely wanted Devin Hester in Tampa but the money situation simply didn’t work out in the Bucs‘ favor, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former Bears standout wound up signing with the Falcons this offseason.
- Former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher resigned his job as a broadcaster job at FOX Sports 1 Tuesday and the Bucs have an injury to starting middle linebacker Mason Foster. Some may be wondering if Urlacher would be a fit for Tampa Bay but if it does happen, it won’t be this week, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs plan to go with backup middle linebacker Dane Fletcher in Thursday night’s game at Atlanta.
- Former Eagles president Joe Banner tweeted that he tried to sign Darren Sproles when he a free agent after his time with the Chargers. However, the speedy tailback badly wanted to reunite with Drew Brees in New Orleans and wound up with the Saints. Sproles’ presence in Philadelphia years earlier might have made a big difference for the team, Banner writes.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap gives his thoughts on Robert Quinn‘s extension with the Rams. The contract is similar to what Fitzgerald envisioned for J.J. Watt initially – it underpays him for his production, but it gives him a window for another mega-contract in just a few years. Quinn also gets a decent guarantee package from St. Louis.
- The Peterson case shows a lack of leadership on the NFL’s part, writes Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press. The Vikings said they’ll let things play out in court for the running back but Powers notes that defensive back Chris Cook, cornerback A.J. Jefferson, and running back Caleb King were never given the same benefit of the doubt when they were in hot water.
Injury Updates: Monday
Here are the latest updates and timelines on a number of notable injuries suffered during Week 2’s slate of games:
- Robert Griffin III told reporters today, including Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter), that an MRI showed no fracture in his injured ankle. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that the Redskins continue to be optimistic about RGIII‘s recovery timetable, suggesting that he may just miss four or five weeks.
- Saints running back Mark Ingram is expected to miss about a month due to the hand injury he suffered during the club’s game against the Browns yesterday, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson figure to receive the majority of the backfield touches in Ingram’s absence.
- Another running back may be sidelined for the next month, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Ryan Mathews has an MCL sprain that could keep him out for four or five weeks. Mathews is hoping to return to the Chargers sooner than that.
- Giants nickel corner Walter Thurmond suffered a torn pectoral muscle against the Cardinals, and will miss the rest of the season, a source tells Pro Football Talk. Thurmond signed a one-year contract with the team in the offseason, so he may have played his last snap for the Giants.
- There’s uncertainty about the timeline for Jamaal Charles‘ return, according to Schefter, who says (via Twitter) that the Chiefs running back has a sprained ankle. How soon Charles can play will depend on how well he’s able to move on it, and how it feels.
- Redskins wideout DeSean Jackson woke up “sore” after sustaining a shoulder injury yesterday, but it appear he avoided any major structural damage, per Cole (via Twitter).
Major Injuries: Week 2
Here at Pro Football Rumors, we tend to stay away from injury news and report instead on issues concerning player movement, transactions, etc. However, when there is a major injury to a star player, the potential roster impacts of such an injury are readily apparent. As such, we will update this post with those injuries from Week 2 that could significantly alter a team’s personnel decisions going forward.
- Chiefs‘ star players Jamaal Charles and Eric Berry were both ruled out of today’s 24-17 loss to the Broncos (via Twitter). Head coach Andy Reid said both players had suffered ankle injuries, reports Field Yates of ESPN (via Twitter). Charles will have an MRI tomorrow to test the seriousness of his injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
- Earlier, we saw that Bengals‘ receiver A.J. Green went down with a toe injury. Green said after the game that his toe is not broken and that he hopes to play next week, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). Pro Football Talk reports that a league source believes Green should Dr. Anderson in Charlotte to rule out a Lisfranc injury (via Twitter).
- Chargers‘ running back Ryan Mathews suffered a sprained MCL in the team’s impressive 30-21 victory over the Seahawks, reports Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego. He will undergo further tests to see the extent of the injury.
- The Rams‘ versatile playmaker Tavon Austin exited today’s 19-17 win over the Buccaneers with a knee injury, reports Nick Wagoner of ESPN (via Twitter). The extend of the injury is unknown, and Austin will have more tests tomorrow.
- Buccaneers‘ defensive tackle Gerald McCoy was also injured in that game, reportedly breaking his hand, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). It has yet to be determined whether or not McCoy will be able to play through the injury.
- Bears‘ star cornerback Charles Tillman left the Sunday Night Football game with a triceps injury, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune notes that it was a right biceps injury just like this one that forced Tillman to miss a huge chunk of the 2013 campaign (via Twitter).
- Giants‘ cornerback Walter Thurmond suffered what is thought to be a strained pectoral muscle in the team’s 25-14 loss to the Cardinals, reports Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Post (via Twitter). He will receive an MRI tomorrow to confirm.
- Another key piece to the Giants‘ defense, Jon Beason, suffered a toe injury, according to Vacchiano (via Twitter). Vacchiano notes that the team is worried considering a toe injury on the same foot caused him to miss nearly the entire offseason.
Earlier Updates
- Dolphins RB Knowshon Moreno has suffered a dislocated elbow and is expected to miss four to eight weeks, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- We learned earlier today that Griffin suffered a dislocated ankle and could miss the remainder of the season, depending on the severity of the injury.
- Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III suffered an injury to his left ankle, and Washington receiver DeSean Jackson injured his shoulder in today’s game against the Jaguars. The team announced (Twitter links) that neither player will return to the game.
- Meanwhile, Bengals receiver A.J. Green suffered a toe injury in today’s game against the Falcons and will not return, tweets Coley Harvey of ESPN.com.
Chargers Sign Doug Legursky
12:51pm: The Chargers have officially announced the signing of Legursky in a press release.
11:30am: In the wake of Nick Hardwick‘s season-ending neck injury, the Chargers will add some offensive line depth by signing veteran lineman Doug Legursky to their roster, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Legursky, who spent his first four NFL seasons with the Steelers, made 17 starts in 51 total games for Pittsburgh before joining the Bills for the 2013 season. After starting 11 contests in Buffalo, Legursky was cut loose last month when the team trimmed its roster down from 75 to 53 players. The 28-year-old worked out for the Jets earlier this week, but now has found work in San Diego instead.
The Chargers’ press release announcing that Hardwick was done for the year and would be placed on injured reserve indicated that the club planned to replace its starting center with Rich Ohrnberger, so I would assume he’ll still get the first crack at staking his claim to the job. However, if he struggles, we may see Legursky, who has played both center and guard, given the opportunity to earn some playing time.
Chargers Place Nick Hardwick On IR
The Chargers have lost veteran center Nick Hardwick for the season, the team announced today in a press release. According to the club, the longtime Chargers center has been placed on injured reserve due to a neck injury. After starting 67 consecutive games for San Diego, Hardwick is still adjusting to the fact that he’ll miss the rest of the 2014 campaign.
“It’s hard and it’s still setting in,” Hardwick said. “I have a touch of shock I guess and I don’t really know how I feel right now. You’re programmed one way and through everything you’ve done you’ve always continued to push forward and push through to find ways to get on the field. Unfortunately for this season it’s not going to happen anymore.”
With Hardwick out of the lineup, San Diego is expected to turn to Rich Ohrnberger as its starting center. The club will also have an open spot on its 53-man roster, so a corresponding move will likely be announced soon.
As for Hardwick, who turns 33 this Friday, he had been in the last year of his contract, so it remains to be seen whether he’ll be back with the Chargers – or even playing in the NFL at all – next season. This isn’t the first neck injury for the former Pro Bowler, who would require medical clearance before returning to the field.
Chargers Restructure Antonio Gates’ Deal
The Chargers have freed up some cap space by converting a portion of Antonio Gates‘ base salary for 2014 into a signing bonus, reports Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). According to McIntyre, the move creates $1.5MM in cap savings for San Diego.
Gates, who is listed as questionable for tonight’s game in Arizona with a hamstring injury, had been set to earn a base salary of $5MM this year, but that figure has been cut to $2MM. The new $3MM bonus will be prorated over the final two years of the contract, adding an extra $1.5MM to next year’s charge.
With Ladarius Green on the rise in San Diego and Gates entering his age-34 season, there’s a reasonable chance he’ll have to accept a pay cut or be released before the 2015 season. After the restructure, the veteran tight end has a cap number of about $9.76MM for next year, including a $5.9MM base salary and about $3.86MM in potential dead money.
NFC Notes: Cowboys, Mathis, Bucs, Vikings
Jerry Jones and the Cowboys won’t face tampering charges resulting from Jones’ June conversation with Adrian Peterson, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN. Late last month, Don Van Natta of ESPN.com reported that Jones and Peterson had spoken over the phone, and the Vikings running back expressed interest in playing for Dallas. As our Luke Adams noted at the time, if a team is contacted by a player who is under contract with another club, that team must immediately report the contact to the club which holds the player’s rights. Sources tell Mortensen that Jones asked the Cowboys’ legal team to call the Vikings after the story came out, and Minnesota agreed not to file any charges. More from the NFC:
- An injury forced Evan Mathis from today’s game against the Jaguars, but early indications are that the Eagles guard didn’t tear his ACL, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Losing Mathis, who will have an MRI tomorrow, would be devastating for the Eagles — Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated him as the best guard in the league last season.
- Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford will join the team for today’s game after revealing that he recently underwent a coronary angioplasty. “I had a couple stents,” Tedford told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. “…It’s nice just to be up and around. We’ll see how much I can do next week and kind of ease back into it.” Quarterbacks coach Marcus Arroyo will call plays for the Bucs for the time being.
- Christian Ponder was inactive as the Vikings No. 3 quarterback against the Rams today, and Jason La Canfora wonders (via Twitter) if a trade for the 2011 first-rounder makes sense for a QB-needy team.
- The 49ers will use Lawrence Okoye, currently a member of San Francisco’s practice squad, at both defensive end and offensive tackle, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who notes that long-limbed Okoye might fit better along an offensive line than on a defensive front.
- In a piece for the National Football Post, Joel Corry looks some key questions heading into the 2014 season, including whether the 49ers can overcome absences from contributors like Aldon Smith, NaVorro Bowman, and Glenn Dorsey.
Minor Moves: Saturday
As most of the team’s prepare for their season-debut tomorrow, some minor moves are likely to be made. We’ll keep track of the day’s transactions right here, with the most recent moves being added to the top:
- Defensive lineman Garrison Smith has been dropped from the Dolphins‘ practice squad in order to make room for the previously-reported addition of Brandian Ross, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Wilson also clarifies (via Twitter) that Quinton Pointer‘s release from the Buccaneers, which is noted below, was an injury waiver.
Earlier updates:
- The Buccaneers are expected to add receiver Solomon Patton to the 53-man roster, reports Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter). The team released cornerback Quinton Pointer and former University of Florida receiver Louis Murphy to make room for Patton and Dixon.
- The Seahawks have waived wide receiver Phil Bates, reports Terry Blount of ESPN (via Twitter). Blount believes this will open room on the roster for a cornerback.
- The Chargers have waived Vincent Brown after reaching an injury settlement, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Brown will be eligible to be claimed on Monday at 4 P.M. ET.
- The Dolphins have re-signed safety Brandian Ross to their practice squad, reports Caplan (via Twitter).
- The Eagles have released receiver Arrelious Benn from IR with an injury settlement, reports Caplan (via Twitter).
- The Ravens have promoted running back Fitz Toussaint from the practice squad to the active roster, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Toussaint will replace the recently released Derek Cox.
- The Patriots have added defensive lineman Kelcy Quarles to their practice squad, according to the team’s official website. They released tight end Allen Reisner to make room.
- Buccaneers cornerback Brandon Dixon, a sixth-round pick by the Jets this past year, will be activated from the practice squad, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora.
- The Bengals have waived defensive end Christo Bilukidi, reports ESPN.com’s Coley Harvey (via Twitter). The team signed cornerback Onterio McCalebb off the practice squad.
- Brandon Barden, a tight end who previously spent time with the Titans, was removed from the Jaguars injured reserve with an injury settlement, reports Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Cornerback Damond Smith was removed from the Chiefs injured reserve with an injury settlement, tweets Wilson.
- Panthers tight end D.C. Jefferson was placed on the team’s reserve/suspended list, tweets Wilson. Jefferson was previously on the team’s injured reserve list.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are the latest minor transactions from around the NFL:
5:17pm:
- The Browns have cut offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann with a failed physical designation, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). That clears a roster spot for Vinston Painter, whose signing was noted below.
- The following players have been removed from their teams’ respective IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (all Twitter links): Ryan McKee (Chiefs), Larry Asante (Raiders), Greg Jenkins (Raiders), and Eric Ward (Titans). C.J. Davis (Seahawks) has also been removed from IR with a settlement, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
4:44pm:
- The Jets have signed linebacker Jeremiah George and wideout Quincy Enunwa to their practice squad, the team announced today (via Twitter). New York selected the duo in the fifth and sixth rounds of this year’s draft, respectively.
4:13pm:
- The Panthers have signed former Jets wideout Stephen Hill to their practice squad, cutting linebacker D.J. Smith, the team announced today (Twitter link). According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Redskins will also interested in bringing Hill in for a workout, but Carolina offered him a deal.
- The Cardinals have added wideout Kevin Cone, defensive tackle Christian Tupou, and running back Dominique Williams to their practice squad, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter).
- Tight end Jerome Cunningham has signed with the Giants‘ practice squad, according to agent Howard Shatsky (via Twitter).
- The Chargers filled their practice squad by adding running back Marion Grice, who cleared waivers after being cut yesterday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The Cowboys have also filled their 10-man squad, adding offensive lineman John Wetzel and defensive back Jemea Thomas, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (via Twitter). Presumably, one of the 10 players on the unit will be cut tomorrow if the team intends to bring Michael Sam aboard.
- A.J. Jefferson of the Seahawks and Justice Cunningham of the Rams have both been removed from injured reserve lists with settlements, according to Caplan and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter links).
3:28pm:
- According to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter), the Browns are signing offensive lineman Vinston Painter off the Broncos‘ practice squad, which will open up a spot on the 10-man unit for long snapper Kevin McDermott, whose signing was noted below. Cleveland will need to make a corresponding roster move to clear room for Painter.
- The Redskins made a series of changes to their practice squad today, signing offensive lineman Braxston Cave and linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat. Linebacker Chaz Sutton and offensive lineman Tevita Stevens were cut.
- Offensive lineman Matt Patchan has been removed from the Buccaneers‘ injured reserve list with a settlement, says Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (via Twitter).
1:23pm:
- A number of teams have filled their 10-man practice squads by adding a player. The Jaguars signed tight end Marcel Jensen, per John Oehser of Jaguars.com (via Twitter); the Bills signed tight end D.J. Tialavea, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com; the Bengals signed wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com (via Twitter); and the Browns officially announced the signing of fullback Kiero Small, which had been previously reported by Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- A pair of clubs also swapped in one player for another on their practice squads. The Dolphins signed defensive end Gerald Rivers and dropped defensive end D’Aundre Reed, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). And the Vikings signed offensive lineman Austin Wentworth to their squad to replace cornerback Kendall James, the team announced (via Twitter).
- The Broncos are also making an addition to their practice squad, in long snapper Kevin McDermott, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter). But Denver already had a full 10-man unit, so we’ll have to wait to hear about the corresponding move.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) provide the respective details for Ray McDonald‘s contract restructure with the 49ers and Glover Quin‘s reworked deal with the Lions.
- The Buccaneers intend to open up a roster spot by placing running back Charles Sims on their injured reserve list with the designation to return, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Teams can begin to use that IR spot as of 3:00pm central time today.
- Cornerback Bobby Felder has been removed from the Bills‘ injured reserve list after reaching a settlement with the team, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550.