By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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There’s an old saying in most contact sports that revolves around pain scale and perceived toughness.

Are you hurt, or are you injured?

DeVante Parker seems to be struggling with this distinction, or at least that’s how his coach sees it. Last week, Dolphins coach Adam Gase said he thinks eventually, Parker will “get tired of being the guy standing on the sideline.”

On Tuesday, Parker was again the guy standing on the sideline, this time with a hamstring injury suffered prior to the team’s final preseason contest. If his absence has started to frustrate the coaches, it’s now seeped into the media room, too. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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After another disappointing preseason, the Jets are cutting ties with former first- and second-round picks.

New York has waived tight end Jace Amaro and waived-injured Dee Milliner, the team announced.

The Jets announced cuts down to 57 earlier Saturday, with all four quarterbacks and Milliner still on the roster. Rapoport noted that New York was looking to trade Milliner before the 4 p.m. ET deadline to have the roster trimmed to 53. The Jets only need to get down to 54 due to a roster exemption for Sheldon Richardson, who will serve a one-game suspension in Week 1.

The move likely brings Milliner’s career with the Jets — an injury-riddled tenure that began with Milliner as the projected successor to Darrelle Revis — to an end after three seasons.

Amaro was selected in the second round (49th overall) of the 2014 draft and after appearing in 14 games as a rookie (recording 38 receptions for 345 yards and two touchdowns), missed all of 2015 with a torn shoulder labrum.

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Anyone who was greatly concerned about the Browns‘ abysmal punting situation following the trade of Andy Lee can now rest easy.

(We know you’re out there somewhere).

Less than 48 hours after the preseason Week 4 in-game tryouts of Casey Redfern and Mike Palardy landed with simultaneous thuds, the Browns have turned to veteran Britton Colquitt to alleviate their field-position needs. Cleveland signed the 31-year-old punter to a one-year deal on Saturday and waived Palardy, the team announced. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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In the days following Tony Romo‘s back injury, emotions ranged across the NFL, and especially the Cowboys faithful.

Denial, followed by despair. Then, curious excitement surrounding the possibilities offered by backup Dak Prescott.

Cliff Avril — the man responsible for the hit that fractured Romo’s back — received plenty of heat via Twitter, and made sure to reach out to Romo to let him know it wasn’t intentional. Romo’s response?

We’ll make amends in January. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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It’s been a rough preseason for Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

Selected in the second round of the 2014 draft, the big tight end looked to be the next athletic pass-catcher to create matchup headaches for opposing defenses. Two disappointing, injury-riddled seasons later, Seferian-Jenkins finds himself stuck behind Cameron Brate and Luke Stocker on new head coach Dirk Koetter’s depth chart.

The relationship between the two hit a snag during OTAs, when Koetter sent Seferian-Jenkins off the field because as Koetter said, Seferian-Jenkins “didn’t know what he was doing.”

Wednesday, the frustration boiled over during a rain-soaked, sloppy 20-13 loss to the Washington Redskins. Seferian-Jenkins could be seen arguing with Koetter on the sideline and had to be separated by receiver Russell Shepard. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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With a fourth preseason game that likely won’t include Dak Prescott still to play, Dallas added another quarterback to its roster Thursday.

The Cowboys signed Jerrod Johnson hours before their preseason finale against the Houston Texans. Johnson, 28, played quarterback at Texas A&M, where he once targeted a wide receiver who later became a first-round draft pick at quarterback named Ryan Tannehill.

Johnson was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2011 and has spent time with the Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens, the Arizona Rattlers of the Arena Football League and the Sacramento Mountain Lions of the now-defunct United Football League. Johnson spent most of the 2016 preseason with the Ravens before being cut on Aug. 29.

Above is the most recent video we found of Johnson, from 2012 preseason action when he was a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Johnson will back up Jameill Showers, who will likely play the entire duration of Thursday’s contest.

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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It’s a new day in Detroit.

There’s a new president, a new general manager, new members of the scouting department and new equipment in a modernized weight room. Ford Field has new LED lights. There are even new, Honolulu Blue end zones.

That has one returning Lion feeling optimistic about the future.

“They’ve brought in what it takes to be a winning organization consistently,” wide receiver Golden Tate said, via MLive.com. “We’re trying to get to where we expect to go in and win our division every year, and things like (this) matter. It shows us they care, and makes us want to play more for them. It drives guys in free agency here.

“We’re just tired of being the same old Lions. We’re tired of being that. We don’t want to be what the Lions have been the last 20-25 years, or however long it’s been. … And we feel like things like the end zones and what they’re doing around the facility, it helps, it matters. They’ve made a bunch of new additions in the weight room, the nutrition, the cafeteria. The meeting rooms are different. There’s so many different things, that I think they matter. They might be small, if you’re looking at them one by one, but they accumulate.” Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Emmanuel Sanders is entering a contract season. And he faces the Week 1 reality of lining up alongside a quarterback who has yet to throw a pass in the regular season.

No better time to look at the glass half full.

“To me, it really doesn’t matter, as long as they throw a catchable pass,” Sanders said when asked what type of demeanor he’d like to see in his quarterback, per the Denver Post. “Trevor (Siemian) is both. He throws a very catchable ball. He can put it there and can make all the throws. I like the decision.” Continue reading →