Browns QB Shedeur Sanders’ Sudden Injury Ignites Trade Buzz
Shedeur Sanders is dealing with an unexpected back injury, which prompted the Cleveland Browns to elevate practice squad quarterback Bailey Zappe for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.
Sanders was not listed on the injury report all week but was dubbed questionable on Saturday with the back issue. Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot said, “Sanders’ back tightened up overnight, and he alerted the Browns to it on Saturday morning.”
Sanders’ sudden injury sparked rumors that a trade involving Sanders could be imminent ahead of the Nov. 4 deadline.
“I call BS… HE’S GETTING TRADED, and they’re not messing up that TRADE Value! Free Shedeur. NYC wants him,”
“This tells me Kevin Stefanski fully expects Dillon Gabriel to play like (expletive) against the Pats and doesn’t want to field questions as to why he didn’t turn to Shedeur in a blowout loss, or a trade for Shedeur is imminent,”
“Mystery back injury for Shedeur 10 days before the trade deadline?” a fan said with eyeball emojis.
Browns Not Looking to Trade Shedeur Sanders
Despite the rampant speculation surrounding the situation, Sanders’ injury is real, and the Browns have no plans to trade him, per Mary Kay Cabot.
“The soreness is legitimate, and the Browns have no plans to trade Sanders, even though he’s not getting any first-team reps in practice, and might not see the field for a while,” Cabot said. “As for any set schedule for when Sanders will play, the Browns don’t have one. They’ll let it unfold, with some of it depending on the performance of the offense, and some on Sanders’ development.”
But even if Sanders is available on Sunday, he could be listed as the emergency third quarterback, with Zappe active. The rules stipulate that the emergency QB must be on the active roster. And since Zappe was elevated from the practice squad, he’s ineligible for that designation,
The Browns also elevated defensive tackle
Browns QB Dillon Gabriel Under Pressure to Produce
The situation with Sanders comes at a very interesting time. He’s been linked in trade rumors
Gabriel is 1-2 as the Browns’ starter and has not provided much of a spark for the offense. He’s coming off a 116-yard performance in a 31-6 win in wet conditions. Through three starts, he’s passed for 546 yards and three touchdowns, but his 5.1 yards per attempt is among the worst in the
Cabot laid out that if Gabriel continues to be a game manager rather than a game changer, it could lead the Browns to want to get a look at Sanders sooner than expected.
“The Browns definitely want to see more points from Gabriel and the offense, and don’t have him on a short leash. But the passing game does need to improve, or they’ll undoubtedly find themselves tempted to turn to Sanders sooner than perhaps they want to,”
Bears Get More Bad News on Kyler Gordon Before Ravens Game
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Bears cornerback Kyler Gordon.
The situation with cornerback Kyler Gordon has gone from bad to worse for the Chicago Bears ahead of Week 8’s road matchup with the Baltimore Ravens.
Gordon popped up on the injury report Thursday after injuring both his groin and calf in practice and spending the day’s session as a limited participant. The Bears then held him out entirely from Friday’s walkthrough before ruling him out for Week 8’s game.
Things grew worse Saturday when the Bears officially placed Gordon on the injured reserve list, meaning he will miss at least the next four games for Chicago’s defense.
The Bears will now play at least their next four games — including Sunday’s road game against the Ravens — without two of their top cornerbacks. Pro Bowl starter Jaylon Johnson underwent core-muscle surgery in September and is out indefinitely on IR.
The Bears also won’t have their other perimeter starter, Tyrique Stevenson, available against the Ravens. Stevenson injured his shoulder early in Week 7’s win over the New Orleans Saints and sat out every practice this week before the team ruled him out.
The Bears (4-2) will kick off against the Ravens (1-5) at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Losing Kyler Gordon Could Cripple Bears’ CB Room
With Gordon now out for a minimum of four games, the Bears are severely depleted at the cornerback position because of injuries and could remain that way for some time, depending on how much time Stevenson winds up missing with his shoulder injury.
The Bears will count Nahshon Wright, Nick McCloud and Josh Blackwell as their top three cornerbacks when they face the Ravens on Sunday. They will also have Jaylon Jones and practice-squad elevation Dallis Flowers available as backups, though the lack of high-level playing experience across the board raises some alarm bells for them.
On the plus side, the Bears won’t have to deal with two-time MVP quarterback Lamar Jackson after the Ravens announced Saturday that he will miss his third straight game with his hamstring injury. The Ravens will start backup Tyler Huntley (11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 26 career games) in his place — a better matchup for Chicago.
Even still, the sudden depletion of depth could force the Bears to consider their options for improving their cornerback room — such as signing a vet — in the coming weeks.
Bears Also Shut Down Braxton Jones With Knee Injury
Gordon is not the only Bear who landed on injured reserve before Week 8’s game.
The Bears also placed offensive tackle Braxton Jones on injured reserve Saturday with a knee injury. He was a limited participant in Wednesday’s first practice before the team downgraded him to a non-participant for the final two sessions to close out the week.
Jones lost his job as the Bears’ starting left tackle when the team benched him for Theo Benedet midway through Week 4’s win over the Dallas Cowboys, but he still provided the Bears with valuable depth and experience at the position before his new injury.
The injury is also likely to diminish — if not completely wipe out — any trade interest Jones may have garnered before the NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m. ET on November 4.
In a corresponding roster move, the Bears signed defensive tackle Jonathan Ford from the practice squad to the 53-man roster after elevating him in each of their past three games. Ford has played 36 defensive snaps this season, but he is less likely to see any playing time now that veteran Grady Jarrett (knee) has been cleared to play again.
NFL Announces Punishment for Broncos Duo Before Cowboys Game
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Riley Moss #21 of the Denver Broncos reacts against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card Playoffs.
Dre Greenlaw was not the only Denver Broncos player who received discipline from the NFL this week. Teammates Justin Strnad and Riley Moss also got bad news from the league as the Broncos prepare to face the Dallas Cowboys.
All three players’ infractions occurred during the Broncos’ 33-32 win over the New York Giants in Week 7.
However, Moss and Strnad have not been suspended for their actions, as Greenlaw was for his.
Riley Moss Fined for Facemask Penalty in Broncos-Giants
GettyRiley Moss #21 of the Denver Broncos tackles Wan’Dale Robinson #17 of the New York Giants.
According to the NFL’s football operations portal, Moss received a fine for an unnecessary roughness/facemask penalty he incurred in the third quarter of the Broncos’ win over the Giants in Week 7.
Moss, a former third-round pick in the third year of a four-year, $5.4 million contract, received an $8,253 fine as a result. It is the first fine Moss has received from the NFL in his career.
This was also the least costly of his two penalties in the game, as the Giants eventually punted.
Moss was also penalized for pass interference in the fourth quarter, which, while questionable to draw protest from Broncos head coach Sean Payton, more importantly led to a Giants touchdown on the following play.
“That was silly,” Payton told reporters on October 19. I had just felt like, man, I’m close with a number of people on that crew. But it just so happens in the last three times, the numbers haven’t been good. And I knew the certain penalty was wrong. That’s hard, because it made it first and five that led to their first score [of the second half]. That’s happened one other time. I just wanted them to hear me. You can’t do that.”
NFL EVP Telegraphed Justin Strnad Fine
GettyJustin Strnad #40 of the Denver Broncos reacts against the New York Jets.
Like Moss, whose unnecessary roughness penalty was sure to draw a fine, Strnad’s comes as little surprise. In one key way, it is even less surprising.
Strnad had an interaction with referee Brad Allen before Greenlaw confronted the latter.
“There was some contact with, I think it was Justin, No. 40, and each one of those are just isolated,” NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told Mike Florio on “Pro Football Talk” on October 23. “He’ll be held accountable. So, that will come in fine for him.”
Strnad, on a one-year, $2.8 million contract, received a $15,486 fine. Vincent said that while Strnad would be penalized, Greenlaw’s punishment served as an example.
NFL Made Example Out of Dre Greenlaw
GettyDre Greenlaw #57 of the San Francisco 49ers speaks to the media ahead of Super Bowl LVIII.
Vincent presented the idea that the league was using Greenlaw as an example, suspending him and not Strnad, for not only their NFL brethren, but also future generations of pros. Greenlaw’s use of “abusive” and “threatening language” was the basis for his suspension.
Greenlaw was not fined for the incident. However, his suspension was without pay.
“There’s just no place no no place in the game for that,” Vincent told Florio. “Also, I think it’s part of the message that the NFL wants to send to all lower levels of sport. We’ve seen incidents postgame at the youth level between coaches and officials. We don’t need that to happen. And I think if you take a strong stand with the Dre Greenlaw, maybe – maybe – it sends a message to the other.”
Greenlaw can return to the field in Week 9, when the Broncos will visit the Houston Texans, who are 2-4 entering Week 8.
