Report: Texans will start Mallett at QB

The Texans are making a quarterback change after one week, sources told NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport Wednesday.
Ryan Mallett will prepare as the starting quarterback for this week’s game vs. the Panthers, Rapoport reported. Brian Hoyer, who’d won the job in a training camp competition after signing with the Texans in March, was benched after struggling in the Texans’ season-opening loss to the Chiefs.
Perhaps for strategic reasons or perhaps because he was simply seeing a nightmare quarterback scenario come true so soon, Texans coach Bill O’Brien said earlier this week he was not going to make a quarterback announcement.
“You’ll have to wait for the first play of the Carolina game to see,” O’Brien said.
Hoyer told reporters last Sunday he understood why O’Brien made the in-game change.
“It couldn’t have gone any worse,” Hoyer said.
Starting Sunday would mark quite a four-week turn for Mallett, who no-showed practice after he overslept the week Hoyer was named the starter. Cameras from Hard Knocks focused on that incident and O’Brien’s anger with Mallett in the following week’s episode.

Source:  PFT.com
Author:  Zac Jackson
Photo: Gene J. Puskar, Associated Press

Panthers lose Kelvin Benjamin to torn ACL

An MRI has confirmed the worst fears of the Panthers after wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin was carted off the practice field today.
Benjamin has torn his ACL, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network first reported and the Panthers have now confirmed. After a great rookie season, Benjamin will now have surgery and miss his second NFL season.
Benjamin made a cut on a pass route and crumpled to the ground without anyone touching him, immediately grabbing his knee. It didn’t look good, and although Panthers coach Ron Rivera said after practice that he was hoping it was just a sprain, that turned out not to be the case.
Last year Benjamin had 73 catches for 1,008 yards and nine touchdowns, and the Panthers were hoping for at least that much production again this year. Instead, it’s back to the drawing board for the Panthers, who will have to hope someone can emerge as an effective No. 1 receiver while Benjamin sits out.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Michael David Smith
Photo: Charles Krupa, Associated Press

Panthers have limited options, if Benjamin can’t play

The Panthers and their fans are currently holding their breath regarding the question of whether receiver Kelvin Benjamin will be available to play in 2015 after a non-contact knee injury raises the obvious fear that he could be done for the year.
If Benjamin ends up missing any significant time, what will the Panthers’ options be?
They can go next man up, keeping a guy who otherwise would have been cut and hoping for the best. If they choose to bring in an established veteran, the biggest name on the market belongs to former Colts receiver Reggie Wayne.
The Panthers also could wait to see who gets released elsewhere, or who may be available via trade. Or maybe they could lure a guy like Randy Moss out of retirement. (It’s a long shot, but he has said he can still play; this would be his chance to prove it.)
Regardless of what they do, a drop off will exist from Benjamin to whoever takes his place, making it harder for the Panthers to get back to the postseason for a third straight year. So the best move at this point could be for the team and its fans to keep holding their breath pending the outcome of Benjamin’s MRI.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Mike Florio
Photo: Charles Krupa, Associated Press

Report: Jason Pierre-Paul also has fractured thumb

This may fall under the category of worrying about a boiling pot when the house is on fire.
But according to Ed Werder of ESPN, New York Giants defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul also has fractures in his right thumb that will take six weeks to heal, assuming there are no further complications from his injuries.
Pierre-Paul had to have his right index finger amputated on Wednesday following an incident with fireworks over the weekend landed him in the hospital. Considering he’s lost one finger altogether, having a broken finger may not ultimately be that great a concern.
Broken fingers heal. Defensive players and linemen are also prone to playing through the injuries more often than not anyway. But given the severity of the rest of Pierre-Paul’s injuries, this may not be a simple broken finger when all is said and done. Only time will tell how he’s able to recover from multiple surgeries.
The report says Pierre-Paul is expected to remain in the hospital an additional 2-3 days.

Source: PFT.com
Author: Curtis Crabtree
Photo: Seth Wenig, Associated Press

Justin Forsett stays in Baltimore

Justin Forsett wanted to get out of the friend zone this offseason and find a lasting relationship with a team after his breakout 2014 for the Ravens.

He didn’t have to look far to find it. The Ravens announced Forsett’s return to the team on Thursday afternoon. Adam Schefter reports that Forsett and the Ravens have agreed to a deal that will keep him in Baltimore for the next three years.

Forsett stepped into the lead running back role in the third week of the season after Bernard Pierce (who was replacing Ray Rice) was injured and never looked back. He ran for 1,266 yards and eight touchdowns on 235 carries and added another 263 yards on 44 catches to help the Ravens advance to the divisional round of the playoffs.

There were whispers of interest from other teams heading into free agency, but Forsett said he wanted to be back in Baltimore and it doesn’t look like he ever got close to leaving.


Source: PFT.com
Author: Josh Alper
Photo: Patrick Semansky, Associated Press

Justin Forsett: The plan is to return to the Ravens

Running back Justin Forsett is preparing to play in the Pro Bowl on Sunday night and would rank high on the list of participants that no one would have thought would be in the game if they’d voted at the start of the season.

After leading the league in rushing yards per attempt, though, Forsett was a good choice for the game and the last act of his breakout season will come before he turns his full attention to figuring out where he’ll play next year. Forsett is set to be a free agent and said recently that he’d like to exit the “friend zone” of short stays and have a long-term relationship with a team.

At the Pro Bowl this week, he said his plan is to have the Ravens be that team.
“That is the plan, they gave me my shot, they trusted me and believed in me enough to give me that shot so I’d like to stay,” Forsett said, via NFL.com. “They expressed that they want me back. I want to be back, so we’ll see what happens.”

The Ravens switched offensive coordinators with Gary Kubiak leaving for the Broncos head coaching job, but new coordinator Marc Trestman said he plans to keep the zone blocking scheme that helped spring Forsett in place for 2015. That would seem to help Forsett’s chances of sticking around, although, as always, the money will wind up determining where Forsett hangs his hat.

Source:  PFT.com
Author:  Josh Alper
Photo: Patrick Semansky, Associated Press