Gophers in the NFL: Tyler Johnson and Rashod Bateman to get chances
Sep. 28—Rashod Bateman and Chris Autman-Bell leaned on each other when they suffered preseason injuries in August.
The former and current Gophers receivers talk to each other every day, so when Autman-Bell injured his ankle at the U and Bateman hurt his groin in Baltimore, they had each other to go through the process with from afar.
"We went through the same thing," Autman-Bell said last week. "Had surgery on the same time, so it was awesome to be there for my brother, pick him up. He picked me up. It was just get back to work and just get back to it."
Autman-Bell returned for the Gophers against Colorado but suffered a setback vs. Bowling Green and only played in two snaps. Head coach P.J. Fleck expressed optimism Monday that "CrAB" will be back for the Purdue game Saturday.
Meanwhile, Bateman, a first-round pick, will return to practice in Baltimore this week, coach John Harbaugh said. Bateman could make his NFL debut versus the Broncos on Sunday or against the Colts on Monday Night Football on Oct. 11.
Another fellow Gophers wideout, Tyler Johnson, could get more opportunities with the Buccaneers; his Tampa Bay teammate Scotty Miller has a toe injury is expected to be headed to injured reserve.
Johnson put up season-bests against the Rams on Sunday: six targets, three receptions, 63 yards in 34 offensive snaps. He had only one catch across the first two weeks.
Giants linebacker Carter Coughlin also had his best game of the season Sunday and also connected with those in Minnesota on Saturday.
Coughlin had two tackles, his first of the season, in five defensive snaps, and he was cheering on his cousin Cole Kramer from afar. When Kramer came in as the U's wildcat quarterback and scored a touchdown on his first career carry, Coughling tweeted: "Let's Go cuzzo!!!"
Former U kicker/punter Ryan Santoso was on his third NFL team in three weeks. With the Lions on Sunday, he made a late 35-yard field goal (his only attempt of the game) and converted both extra points. Maybe he will stick in Detroit for a while now.
Elsewhere, Packers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell had double-digit tackles and a takeaway for a second straight week (12 and a fumble recovery against the 49ers); Jaguars linebacker Damien Wilson had nine tackles; Washington cornerback Ben St-Juste had a season-high seven tackles; Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr. had six; and Texans safety Eric Murray had four.
After a career-high seven catches for 94 yards against the Vikings, Cardinals tight end Maxx Williams had three grabs for 19 yards against the Jaguars.
