NFL Notes: Bengals, Browns, Giants, Jaguars

Bengals

• The Bengals officially ruled out LB Vontaze Burfict (concussion), CB Adam Jones (groin), CB Dre Kirkpatrick (concussion), RB Joe Mixon (concussion), LB Nick Vigil (ankle) and S Shawn Williams for Week 14’s game.
• Cincinnati also has DT Geno Atkins (toe), CB Darqueze Dennard (knee), LB Vincent Rey (hamstring) and S Brandon Wilson (ankle).
• Bengals HC Marvin Lewis did say that he thinks Atkins will be okay for Sunday’s game. (Geoff Hobson)

Browns

• The Browns officially list S Jabrill Peppers (knee) as doubtful for Sunday’s game against the Packers while DT Danny Shelton (chest/ribs), TE Seth DeValve (hip), WR Sammie Coates (ankle/knee), DE Tyrone Holmes (knee) and CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun (knee) are listed as questionable.

Giants

Giants impending free agent G Justin Pugh says he’s hoping to avoid offseason back surgery.

“Talking with our medical staff, they always are making sure that I’m doing the best thing for myself and talking to the coaches, everyone wants to make sure I’m healthy,” Pugh said, via Dan Duggan of NJ.com. “That’s kind of where we’re going. I don’t want to make it even worse. It’s not at a point now where I’m going to have to get surgery or anything like that, so I don’t want it to get to that point.”

Ian Rapoport reports that Pugh is expected to see back expert Dr. Robert Watkins in California on Tuesday. According to Rapoport, at his last visit, Watkins did not recommend surgery and said that he would just need to rest his back.

We have him featured in our Top 25 – 2018 NFL Free Agents list.

• Dan Duggan of NJ.com takes a look at the top four candidates for the Giants’ GM position if the team wants to move quickly over the next few weeks.
• If this ends up being the case, the names to keep an eye on, according to Duggan, are Dave Gettleman, Scot McCloughan, Louis Riddick and Kevin Abrams.

Jaguars

Jaguars WR Allen Hurns, who is expected to miss a fourth straight game with a high ankle sprain, says he’s “pretty confident” he’ll be back before the end of the regular season.

“Just going by the week,” Hurns said, via Phillip Heilman of the Florida Times-Union. “I haven’t had any setbacks – that’s the good thing about it. I’ve been progressing.”

“It’s so tricky with that [injury] because the soreness moves around – it’s in one spot one day and may move to another spot the next day.”

“Hopefully I get back before that so [if the Jaguars qualify for the playoffs], I’m in a groove and back used to things because there will be a transition,” Hurns said. “I’m not going to be fully healthy, but I want to be back [to full health] as much as possible.”

• The Jaguars officially list LB Telvin Smith (concussion) and CB Jalen Ramsey (hamstring) as questionable for Week 14.