While one game during the regular season won’t make-or-break a team’s season, Week 7 may end up having a bigger impact on the 2013 season than most. Several key players suffered serious injuries, possibly altering the landscape of the rest of the season.
NFL news roundup: Percy Harvin to return to practice, trade rumors begin to swirl
It was a busy Monday in the NFL with injury updates, a trade and more.
Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Reggie Wayne, Sam Bradford and Brian Cushing all suffered season-ending injuries while Doug Martin, Jay Cutler and Lance Briggs will miss considerable time due to injury. More on those and other injuries can be found here. While injuries dominated Monday's headlines, they weren't the only NFL stories of the day.
Washington safety Brandon Meriweather was suspended two games on Monday after being flagged for multiple personal fouls on Sunday against Chicago. Meriweather has been fined several times during his career for illegal hits, including a $42,000 fine earlier this season.
Meriweather is planning to appeal the suspension, but if it stands, rookie Bacarri Rambo is expected to take over in the starting lineup.
The Baltimore Ravens traded left tackle Bryant McKinnie to the Miami Dolphins for a late-round draft pick. The deal comes a few weeks after McKinnie was demoted into a backup role once the Ravens acquired Eugene Monroe in a trade with Jacksonville. The Dolphins have had issues along the offensive line this season and McKinnie should be an upgrade.
Kevin Nogle of The Phinsider pointed out that McKinnie nearly signed with Miami during the offseason before returning to Baltimore.
Percy Harvin began running earlier this month and the Seattle wide receiver is ready to take the next step in his recovery. Still on the physically unable to perform list, Harvin is expected to return to practice on Tuesday. Depending on how he progresses through the week, Harvin could be activated in time for Monday's game against St. Louis.
At the very least, Harvin is getting closer to making his 2013 debut. He can practice for three weeks before the Seahawks would either have to activate him or send him to injured reserve. With Harvin coming back, Danny Kelly of Field Gulls is looking forward to seeing how the wide receiver is used:
More interesting to me will be how the Seahawks plan to use Harvin in their offense. Will he be just another slot receiver and will the Hawks use their standard schemes? Will they change things up dramatically for Harvin-specialized plays? Personally, I hope it’s the latter, but I’m not sure that will be the case.
Jermichael Finley spent Sunday night in intensive care after suffering a neck injury, but the Packers tight end tweeted that he was transferred out of intensive care and had full feeling in his arms and legs. Finley remained down on the field for several minutes after taking a blow above the shoulders. He appears to be on the road to recovery, even if Mike McCarthy said it was premature to determine a timetable for his return.
According to a report from ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Finley suffered a bruised spinal cord in his neck.
With rookie Jordan Reed playing well, Washington is reportedly shopping Fred Davis around the league. The six-year veteran appeared on his way to establishing himself as a top tight end before an Achilles' tendon injury last season. He came back this season, but has not been as productive as he was earlier in his career.
Davis is currently playing on a one-year deal and could be an attractive option for a team looking for some help for the stretch run. If Washington is going to pull off a deal, it will have to do so somewhat quickly with the trade deadline approaching on Oct. 29.
Josh Gordon has been mentioned in trade rumors since Cleveland traded Trent Richardson and those rumors continued on Monday. According to Adam Schefter, three teams have contacted Cleveland about trading for Gordon. Two of those teams have offers on the table for what Schefter called “a high pick and a player.”
Despite the offers, Cleveland doesn’t appear interested in moving the young wide receiver. There are rumors involving Gordon and the Jets and while Mike Krupka of Dawgs By Nature is still taking the rumors with a grain of salt, that could change.
There is one thing for certain, however, and that is that teams are interested in Josh Gordon and if the price is right, this could very well develop into a headline in the days and weeks to come.
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