Complaints mounting over QB roughing calls
Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake has joined other players in complaining about the NFL’s officiating emphasis to discourage quarterback hits.
Wake says when it comes to the league’s concern about player safety, quarterbacks come first. His teammate, end William Hayes, suffered a season-ending knee injury last week and said his foot caught in the turf as he was trying to avoid landing on Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr.
Rulings on quarterback hits have been a source of debate through the first three weeks of the NFL season, with players complaining about a lack of consistency on such calls.
Short yardage
• Miami Dolphins tight end A.J. Derby and defensive end Andre Branch have been ruled out of Sunday’s game at New England.
Derby suffered a foot injury in last week’s win over Oakland, and Branch hurt his knee. Derby’s injury means more playing time for rookie Mike Gesicki.
Reserve linebacker Chase Allen was also ruled out because of a foot injury.
• The Green Bay Packers are listing receiver Randall Cobb as questionable for this weekend’s game against the Buffalo Bills with a hamstring injury.
Cobb was added to the injury report on Thursday, when he was limited. He is second on the team with 17 catches for 194 yards and a score.
Green Bay returns to the practice field Saturday. The Packers might have to rely more on rookie Marquez Valdes-Scantling if Cobb can’t play on Sunday against Buffalo .
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is listed as questionable for a third straight week with a left knee injury but is expected to play again. Rodgers has worn a knee brace the last two weeks.
He should have Bryan Bulaga starting at right tackle after the veteran was taken off the injury report. Bulaga was limited by a back injury.
Right guard Justin McCray, though, is doubtful with a shoulder injury. Outside linebacker Nick Perry (concussion protocol) is questionable.
• It looks like the Pittsburgh Steelers will return the starting right side of their offensive line for a home divisional rivalry meeting with the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday night.
Starting right guard David DeCastro and right tackle Marcus Gilbert both practiced in full this week after missing the team’s first win Monday at Tampa Bay because of injury..
• The Buffalo Bills list LeSean McCoy as questionable for their game at Green Bay on Sunday even though the running back vowed he’ll play earlier this week.
McCoy spent the past three days practicing on a limited basis and in a non-contact jersey after missing one game with an injury to his rib cartilage. McCoy’s backup, Marcus Murphy, is also considered questionable after hurting his rib in a 27-6 win at Minnesota last weekend.
• Dallas Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee has been ruled out Sunday against Detroit because of a hamstring injury, and defensive tackle Maliek Collins will be sidelined for a second straight week by a knee injury.
Lee’s absence means he will have missed at least one game because of injury in eight of his nine NFL seasons. The only exception was Lee’s All-Pro season of 2016 when he sat out a meaningless finale against Philadelphia after the Cowboys had clinched the NFC East title.
Hamstring issues sidelined Lee for five games last season. He was on the injury report with a hamstring problem before last week’s 24-13 loss to Seattle, then injured the other hamstring in the game.
Collins has battled injuries throughout his three-year career, but these are the first two games he has missed.
Four-time Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick is out again as he recovers from Guillain-Barre syndrome, a condition that affects the nerves. He hasn’t played this season.