Posts by National Football Post

Los Angeles Chargers safety Jaylen Watkins tore his ACL in a Saturday night preseason game, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday.

Watkins, a backup and special teams player with Philadelphia the past four seasons, was placed on the reserve/injured list. He started on

Los Angeles Chargers safety Jaylen Watkins tore his ACL in a Saturday night preseason game, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Sunday.

Watkins, a backup and special teams player with Philadelphia the past four seasons, was placed on the reserve/injured list. He started on Saturday against the Seattle Seahawks in an exhibition game.

Watkins, 26, recorded 17 tackles last season with the Eagles in 12 games (one start).

Los Angeles, which defeated the Seahawks 24-14, also is without injured tight end Hunter Henry and injured cornerback Jason Verrett.

Henry tore the ACL in his right knee in May. Verrett tore his Achilles tendon on Friday during a conditioning test and also is out for the season.

–Field Level Media

Cleveland Browns cornerback E.J. Gaines was carted off the field because of an apparent right knee injury during Sunday's practice, according to multiple media reports.

Gaines' right knee buckled as he tried to break up a pass to wide receiver Jarvis

Cleveland Browns cornerback E.J. Gaines was carted off the field because of an apparent right knee injury during Sunday’s practice, according to multiple media reports.

Gaines’ right knee buckled as he tried to break up a pass to wide receiver Jarvis Landry, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported. The cornerback crumpled to the ground and grabbed his knee as the team’s training staff and head coach Hue Jackson headed to the field to attend to him. Gaines acknowledged fans’ support as he was carted off.

“Obviously, he was a contributing member back there (in the secondary),” Jackson said, according to the Plain Dealer. “He was going to play and was slated to play. That is a part of the game. We do not want to see it. Hopefully, it is nothing major. We will find out more about it. It is football. I hate to lose him, but at the same time, we know that those things do happen.”

Gaines, a 26-year-old out of Missouri, has performed well during the preseason after starting 36 games over the past three seasons with the Rams, first in St. Louis and then in Los Angeles, and then with the Buffalo Bills.

Gaines has three interceptions, four forced fumbles and 185 tackles in his career. His absence could create an even bigger role for first-round pick Denzel Ward, whom the Browns selected fourth overall out of Ohio State this spring.

Two other Browns players left practice early because of injuries. Running back Carlos Hyde was seen rubbing his left shoulder before exiting, while wide receiver Antonio Callaway took part in individual drills but no team drills. Callaway is coming off a groin injury.

–Field Level Media

Buffalo Bills quarterback AJ McCarron will get a second opinion about his injured throwing shoulder, and defensive tackle Kyle Williams could miss the start of the regular season because of a knee injury, coach Sean McDermott said Sunday.

He spoke Sunday before

Buffalo Bills quarterback AJ McCarron will get a second opinion about his injured throwing shoulder, and defensive tackle Kyle Williams could miss the start of the regular season because of a knee injury, coach Sean McDermott said Sunday.

He spoke Sunday before practice but did not provide many details. Both players were injured in the first half of the Bills’ 19-17 preseason win against the Cleveland Browns on Thursday.

McCarron initially was diagnosed with a hairline fracture of his collarbone, but McDermott said subsequent tests on his right shoulder weren’t “totally conclusive.”

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported Saturday that McCarron was expected to miss several weeks. In his absence, the starting quarterback job, at least initially, will go to either first-round draft pick Josh Allen or incoming backup Nathan Peterman. The three have been locked in a competition for the top spot.

As for Williams, he was injured when a Browns player rolled up on the back of his right leg. He had trouble putting weight on his leg as he walked off the field, but he was spotted Sunday during practice walking without a noticeable limp. A black wrap covered most of his right leg, however.

–Field Level Media

Richard Sherman took to Twitter Sunday to voice his dislike of the NFL's new helmet rule.

The veteran San Francisco cornerback blasted the new regulations in a series of tweets, and he proclamed the NFL "will be flag football soon" because of its

Richard Sherman took to Twitter Sunday to voice his dislike of the NFL’s new helmet rule.

The veteran San Francisco cornerback blasted the new regulations in a series of tweets, and he proclamed the NFL “will be flag football soon” because of its player-safety mandates.

“To all those ppl including those who made the rule. I want a video of YOU running full speed and being lead by anything but your head while also attempting to bring down a moving target,” Sherman, 30, wrote Sunday. “You will soon realize it’s impossible.”

He continued:

“There is no ‘make adjustment’ to the way you tackle. Even in a perfect form tackle the body is led by the head. The rule is idiotic And should be dismissed immediately. When you watch rugby players tackle they are still lead by their head. Will be flag football soon.”

The NFL owners approved the new helmet rule in March. It is now a penalty if a player lowers his head to “initiate and make contact with his helmet” against any part of an opponent’s body.

The policy applies to all players and results in a 15-yard penalty. A player also can be ejected.

–Field Level Media

The Cincinnati Bengals surprisingly cut loose a secondary mainstay, releasing strong safety George Iloka, according to multiple NFL Network reports on Sunday.

The move just two weeks before the start of the regular season is a bit of a shock. The 28-year-old Iloka had

The Cincinnati Bengals surprisingly cut loose a secondary mainstay, releasing strong safety George Iloka, according to multiple NFL Network reports on Sunday.

The move just two weeks before the start of the regular season is a bit of a shock. The 28-year-old Iloka had been full-time starter in Cincinnati for head coach Marvin Lewis since 2013.

NFL Media reporters Ian Rapaport and Mike Garafolo both called this decison mostly financial, with Garafolo saying that Iloka is owed $5.3 million in salary and roster bonuses for 2018, with Pro Football Talk reporting Iloka’s cap hit of $6.2 million will be reduced by $4.4 million once the move is official.

Originally a fifth-round pick from Boise State in 2012, Iloka has been a starter in all 76 games he has been active over the past five seasons, missing four games in 2015 because of ankle and groin injuries. He is coming off a year in which he had a career-best 80 tackles for the Bengals along with one interception.

In 83 career games, Iloka has totaled 343 tackles and nine interceptions.

Iloka took to Twitter Sunday afternoon to thank the team that drafted him.

“Thankful for the opportunity Cincinnati. To my former teammates, best of luck and stay healthy, you guys have something special brewing there,” he wrote.

The Bengals may have foreshadowed the move in this year’s draft when they chose Jessie Bates in the second round from Wake Forest. The rookie is competing for playing time along with Clayton Fejedelem, Shawn Williams and Brandon Wilson at safety.

–Field Level Media