Jets' Darnold could miss game vs. Bills

Sam Darnold could be headed for the sideline this week — and maybe longer.

The New York Jets rookie quarterback has a strained right foot, coach Todd Bowles announced Wednesday, leaving Darnold's status for the team's game Sunday against Buffalo in doubt.

"It's just adversity," Darnold said after practice. "You've just got to deal with it, get better as soon as possible, get back on the field as soon as possible."

Bowles said it was too early to rule out Darnold for the game, and clarified that the injury was a strain — not a sprain, contrary to published reports.

"They've got him listed as day to day," Bowles said.

Darnold was surprisingly wearing a boot on his foot at the start of practice Wednesday, and watched in sweats and a green Jets cap as McCown and Davis Webb, currently on the practice squad, threw passes in individual drills.

"Obviously, I want to be out there with the guys," Darnold said. "I want to go out there and play. Hopefully, if I'm able to go out there and play Sunday, I will. If not, I'm just going to treat it as another learning experience. When adversity hits, it's up to me how to respond. That's all I can worry about."

Darnold was injured during the Jets' 13-6 loss at Miami last Sunday , possibly on a fourth-quarter sack by Cameron Wake in which the quarterback came up limping. He took a few other big hits, so he was uncertain as to when the injury occurred.

Darnold finished the game, and said he was "a little dinged up," but didn't indicate he had any serious issues.

"Yeah, I feel fine," Darnold said Monday. "Some bumps and some bruises, but everything is good."

Bowles said Monday that Darnold had not expressed to him that he was "dinged up." Bowles typically speaks to the team's trainers later in the afternoon on the day after games.

"I mean, it was kind of in the midst of the action," Darnold explained Wednesday. "Sometimes, you get hurt or nicked around and things just kind of happen. I just thought I was fine coming out of the game and went through protocol and that's just kind of how it went. Went through some of the tests and something was obviously a little different than usual."

Darnold dealt with a broken foot in high school that sidelined him for most of his junior season. He said this is not close to as serious an injury.

"Like any injury, I'm just going to go about protocol and do exactly what the trainers do and be in here as much as possible and get better," he said.

If Darnold is unable to start, 39-year-old backup Josh McCown would take his place. McCown was the starter last season, but hasn't taken a snap this year as Darnold won the job out of training camp — beating out both McCown and Teddy Bridgewater.

"When you're in a backup role, you just go in and do your job," McCown said. "That's the main thing. We'll prepare as if — like I do every week — I'm going to be the starter and we'll go from there."

Darnold has struggled mightily during the Jets' three-game losing streak, and he leads the NFL with 14 interceptions.

The No. 3 overall draft pick in April has thrown for 1,934 yards and 11 touchdowns, but his 55.0 percent completion rate and 68.3 quarterback rating rank at the bottom of the league. In his past three games, Darnold has thrown two TD pass and seven interceptions.

The struggles had some fans and media wondering if perhaps Darnold would benefit from sitting a game or two.

Now, it appears he and the Jets might not have a choice.

New York has its bye-week break after the game Sunday against Buffalo, and then doesn't play again until Nov. 25, when the Jets take on New England. That could give Darnold a few weeks to rest and heal the foot without missing much time.

"We don't want to rush things," Darnold said. "That's one thing we don't want to do. I'm eager to get back out there on the field with my guys, but at the same time, I've got to take care of my body, first and foremost."

Patriots sign OL Tobin to 53-man roster

The Patriots have signed offensive lineman Matt Tobin to the 53-man roster.

Tobin practiced with the team on Wednesday. He takes the place of Brian Schwenke, who was placed on injured reserve. The move comes a day after the Patriots signed linebacker Albert McClellan and defensive back Obi Melifonwu and released offensive lineman Cole Croston and defensive lineman Geneo Grissom.

Tobin played four seasons in Philadelphia from 2013 to 2016 and spent 2017 in Seattle. He was inactive for the 49ers for two games this season before being released on Sept. 19.

Tobin was originally signed by the Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He was traded from Philadelphia to Seattle last August.

He has appeared 57 games with 21 starts. 

Miami's Tannehill to miss Packers game

For Ryan Tannehill, the pain persists. It hurts to throw, and it hurts not to play.

The Miami Dolphins quarterback will rest his injured throwing shoulder for the next several days and has been ruled out of Sunday's game at Green Bay, meaning replacement Brock Osweiler will make his fifth consecutive start.

The Dolphins (5-4) have a bye next week. The goal is for Tannehill to return for the game at Indianapolis on Nov. 25, he and coach Adam Gase said.

But Tannehill said his shoulder still hurts on every throw. And the bigger issue is a lack of arm strength.

"The pain I can deal with," he said Wednesday, speaking to the media for the first time since he was hurt Oct. 7. "It's not just pushing through pain. It's physically being able to get the ball where it needs to go."

After being hurt against Cincinnati, Tannehill rested his arm for 10 days and then began a throwing program. But every pass puts stress on the capsule, and the result when he threw was disappointing, Tannehill said.

"It just wasn't close to where it needs to be to do the job," he said.

With progress slow and uneven, the Dolphins decided more rest is best.

"We haven't had the jump that he was looking for," Gase said. "That's why we're kind of taking a step back."

A step back sounds like setback, but Tannehill said he's confident he'll play again this season — perhaps even at Indy.

"It has been kind of a weird deal," he said. "I'll shut it back down, and we'll see where we're at next week."

The Dolphins have been hit hard by injuries this year. Gase said the status this week of tackles Laremy Tunsil and Ja'Wuan James, both nursing knee injuries, likely won't be determined until shortly before the game.

Both were limited in practice Wednesday.

Tannehill said he expects to play through pain the rest of the year when he returns. There's no indication surgery will be needed after the season, he said.

The NFL fined the Dolphins $30,000 and Gase $15,000 for an injury report violation a month ago involving Tannehill.

The Dolphins listed Tannehill as participating fully in practice on the Thursday before the Week 6 game against Chicago. In fact, Tannehill was limited because of a throwing shoulder injury that forced him to miss the game, and he hasn't played since.

"We have been fully cooperative and transparent with the NFL throughout this process," the Dolphins said in a statement Wednesday. "We received the penalties imposed and will have no further comment."

Browns lose two more to injuries

The losses are piling up for the Browns — in the standings, and on the sideline.

On Wednesday, two defensive starters were added to the stack.

Cleveland placed linebacker Christian Kirksey and cornerback E.J. Gaines on injured reserve, ending their seasons with seven games remaining and putting further strain on a unit lacking quality depth and experience.

"Those two guys, they really set a precedent for what we wanted to do as a team, as a defense," said cornerback T.J. Carrie. "And, of course, they'll still be here sparingly in and out throughout the week, but it's a lot different when they were on the field fighting with you, blood, sweat and tears with you, through the trenches.

"We're going to definitely miss that. Those are two players that we can't replace."

One of the team's captains, Kirksey injured his left hamstring in the second quarter Sunday as the Browns (2-6-1) lost their fourth straight game, 37-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Gaines sustained his second concussion in three weeks when he took a knee to the helmet while trying to make a tackle in the first quarter.

The loss of Kirksey is especially damaging because he's one of the team's leaders. The fifth-year pro has played on the weak side and in the middle this season, making 43 tackles and two interceptions.

"Kirko is kind of the heart and soul of the defense, heart and soul of the team in the locker room, on the field, just how he goes about his business," said linebacker Joe Schobert, a 2017 Pro Bowler who returned to practice after missing three games with a hamstring injury. "It's the next-man-up mentality, but there's things that you're going to miss."

Schobert's return will help ease the loss of Kirksey, and the Browns are expected to have defensive back Damarious Randall for Sunday's game against Atlanta after he missed last week's game with a groin injury.

Linebacker Jamie Collins (ankle) and rookie cornerback Denzel Ward (hip) were limited in practice, but interim coach Gregg Williams expects both back on the field Thursday.

Randall, who has played cornerback and free safety, felt he was healthy enough to play last week, but Williams kept him out so he would have the versatile defensive back for multiple games. Randall's absence became magnified when Ward and Gaines went down on the Chiefs' opening drive, forcing Williams to adjust his game plan against the NFL's most electrifying offense and play seldom-used reserves Denzel Rice and Tavierre Thomas.

"It's very hard," Carrie said of losing two key players. "It changes the game plan. It changes a lot of things because you can only give practice reps to so many guys, and so you get guys that come in and they're athletes, but it's hard when you don't know the schematics of the little details that we put in for that game."

And, as luck would have it, the banged-up Browns will have to deal with a talented Atlanta team that has overcome its own injury issues and reeled off three straight wins.

Needing seasoned secondary help, the Browns claimed Phillip Gaines off waivers from Buffalo and Jermaine Whitehead from Green Bay. To make roster room, Rice was waived.

Gaines spent four years with Kansas City before signing with Buffalo. Whitehead played in 19 games with the Packers from 2016-18.

Schobert's return is vital to Cleveland's defense as he's the one responsible for calling out Williams' pre-snap schemes and getting his teammates organized — an on-field coach.

After missing three weeks, getting back on the field will be a welcomed change for Schobert, who had played every defensive snap since the start of the 2017 season until he got hurt on Oct. 21 at Tampa Bay.

"It is just different. It is weird," Schobert said of being inactive. "Especially with a hamstring. You just walk around on the sideline feeling good and watching people on the field thinking you can be out there — wishing you could be out there. You just have to kind of suck it up and take it into your own role however you can help a team in that aspect.

"That is what I was doing. Just kind of jumped right into more of a coaching aspect, trying to keep myself involved that way. I think it helped."

Falcons add veteran Bruce Irvin

The Atlanta Falcons made a move to bolster their lackluster pass rush by agreeing to a one-year deal with defensive end Bruce Irvin on Wednesday, reuniting the veteran with coach Dan Quinn.

Irvin, cut by the Oakland Raiders on Saturday, became a free agent after clearing waivers on Tuesday with $3.8 million remaining on his contract. The Falcons play at Cleveland on Sunday.

Irvin, 31, is an Atlanta native. He celebrated his return home by posting on his Twitter account "Man it's time! You can't put a price on the chance for me to play for my people and city! It's bigger than money!"

Irvin was expected to arrive in Atlanta on Wednesday night and join practice on Thursday. Quinn said Irvin will play against Cleveland.

The Falcons rank 27th in the league with 17 sacks. Takk McKinley has a team-leading 5½ sacks, but Vic Beasley has only one. Beasley led the league with 15½ sacks in 2016.

The Falcons hope Irvin adds new punch to the pass rush.

"He's definitely a big addition to our team," said defensive tackle Grady Jarrett, who has three sacks. "As a player and as a person, we know the personality he plays with matches what we want to portray or have up front, that dog mentality. We're ready to go hunt."

Quinn said the homecoming and the chance to play in a familiar scheme were motivating factors for Irvin.

"It's pretty rare you get to play in your home city," Quinn said. "He recognized that might be a special moment for him and he really is challenged."

Quinn said Irvin also is motivated to show he can be a successful pass-rushing end after being waived by the Raiders.

"He really is ready to prove it," Quinn said, adding often a player's "most memorable competitive moments are in prove-it times, so I love it he feels he's got some things to prove and really wants to play well. That's what we talked about."

The Falcons' defense had more good news on Wednesday. Linebacker Deion Jones, who has been on injured reserve since suffering a foot injury in the season-opening loss at Philadelphia, returned to practice. He is not eligible to return until next week's game against Dallas and has not been placed on the active roster.

"It's going to be awesome," said Beasley of Jones' return. "We've been waiting on him to come back. He's a definite leader on the defensive side of the ball and not just the defense, on this team. There are a lot of guys who look up to him."

Quinn said Jones' snaps in practice will be watched closely this week. He said he has no timetable on Jones being cleared for a game.

The Falcons (4-4) have won three straight despite losing starting safeties Ricardo Allen and Keanu Neal to season-ending injuries. Starting guards Andy Levitre and Brando Fusco and running back Devonta Freeman also are on IR.

Irvin played with Seattle when Quinn was the team's defensive coordinator.

Irvin had three sacks with Oakland, but played only nine snaps in a 34-3 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Thursday night.

Irvin (6-3, 250) played four seasons with Seattle before joining the Raiders in 2016. He had eight sacks as a rookie in 2012 and matched that career high with Oakland in 2017.

He set a career high with six forced fumbles in 2016. His 11 forced fumbles since the start of the 2016 season are the most in the NFL in that span.

For his career, Irvin has 40 sacks and 15 forced fumbles.

Oakland was expected to enter the season with Irvin and Khalil Mack leading the defense as bookend pass rushers.

Instead, Mack was traded to Chicago a week before the season for a package of draft picks following a lengthy holdout. The Raiders rank last in the league with seven sacks.