2016 August - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Sign Stevan Ridley

August 28th, 2016 at 12:42pm CST by Rory Parks

The Colts have signed free agent running back Stevan Ridley, which Kevin Bowen of Colts.com first reported via Twitter. The signing has since been confirmed by multiple sources.

Ridley was cut by the Lions just a few days ago, and he could be a quality backup for starter Frank Gore. The Colts have spoken at length about their plan to preserve Gore and keep him on a pitch count. Last year, Gore wound up carrying the ball 260 times and Indianapolis wants to dial that number down so that the veteran can be fresh late in the season. Before the Ridley signing, Robert Turbin was listed as the Colts’ No. 2 back with Jordan Todman, undrafted rookie Josh Ferguson, and Trey Williams also on the depth chart.

It remains to be see how many backs the Colts will carry, but the team could certainly use a player with Ridley’s upside in the backfield. A former third-round pick, Ridley averaged 5.1 yards per carry in limited action during his rookie season in 2011, then exploded for 1,263 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in 2012. However, fumbling issues landed him on the bench in New England, and a devastating ACL/MCL injury limited him in both 2014 and 2015.

After spending his first four years in the NFL with the Patriots, Ridley signed with the Jets last season, but didn’t see the field all that much after coming off the PUP list. With Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell handling the majority of the workload out of the backfield, Ridley took over for Zac Stacy as the No. 3 back and earned just 36 carries, totaling only 90 yards for a career-worst 2.5 yards per attempt. His stint with Indianapolis could represent his best opportunity to reestablish himself as a quality back.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Tony Romo, Dak Prescott

August 28th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Rory Parks

The injury that Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo suffered Thursday night is a compression fracture of the L1 vertebra, and while it will not require surgery, Romo could miss six to 10 weeks, as ESPN.com’s Todd Archer reports. Despite the injury, and despite his age (36), Romo is not considering retirement and has no doubt that he will return to the field this season, as ESPN’s Ed Werder tweets.

Rookie signal-caller Dak Prescott, who has been impressive in training camp and in preseason action, will get the nod in Romo’s absence. And there are those who believe the job should not simply be handed back to Romo upon his return. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, for instance, concedes that Romo’s contract–which makes him virtually uncuttable through 2017–and his history with the club mean that he will likely be reinserted in the starting lineup when he is healthy. However, Robinson also notes that Dallas is getting very little return on Romo’s six-year, $108 million contract extension, and if Prescott performs as well in the regular season as he has in the preseason–a big “if” to be sure–the club should think twice about yanking Prescott, especially since the team should only be thinking about Romo in terms of weeks and months, and not years, at this point.

Joel Corry of CBS Sports believes Romo may be an ideal candidate for short-term injured reserve. The Cowboys could place him on IR now, and although only one player on injured reserve may return to the active roster in any given year, Dallas does not have to designate who that player will be right away. As Corry writes, “Putting Romo on IR would remove the temptation for Dallas to rush him back on the field before he has sufficiently recovered, especially if Prescott falters, when the risk of re-injury would be greater.” Plus, even though Romo would be ineligible to return before Week 9 if the Cowboys go that route, that would not be a major concern in this case. As Corry points out, “Considering that Dallas’ bye is in Week 7, Romo would only be missing one game, the Week 8 contest [against Philadelphia], over the most optimistic estimated return time by going on IR.”

Corry also explores free agent quarterbacks that Dallas could pursue. The potential options in that regard are predictably less than intriguing, with names like Josh Freeman and Michael Vick topping the list (the team could also seek a reunion with Brandon Weeden if he is ultimately cut by the Texans). Alternatively, Dallas could look to trade for a player like Cleveland’s Josh McCown, Denver’s Mark Sanchez, or the Jets’ Geno Smith. It should not cost more than a late-round 2017 or 2018 draft pick to acquire a quarterback of that caliber, and instead of giving up a pick, the Cowboys could also look to deal a player from a position of strength (Darren McFadden and Ronald Leary are two names that jump immediately to mind).

In any event, the Cowboys appear to be approaching a crossroad in franchise history, and Prescott’s performance over the first half of the season will go a long way in dictating which path the team will take.

Photo courtesy of USA TOday Sports Images

AFC Notes: Patriots, Broncos, Woodhead

August 28th, 2016 at 11:30am CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots signed Terrance Knighton to a one-year, $4.5MM deal this offseason to serve as a key cog in the interior of the club’s defensive front, but now Pot Roast is in danger of being cut, as Kevin Duffy of MassLive.com writes. Knighton struggled in the team’s second preseason game against Chicago, and he did not log a single defensive snap during New England’s third preseason contest against Carolina on Friday night.

Knighton, who insisted that he is completely healthy, expressed his frustration afterwards. He said, “It’s disappointing just because, you know, I’ve played a lot of ball in this league, seen a lot of things. I’m not going to make too much of it. It is what it is. Whatever happens, happens. If I’m here, I’m here. If I’m not, I’m not. I’m just taking it a day at a time.”

If Knighton does indeed receive his walking papers, he should be able to find work with a club looking for a dependable and durable run-stuffer.

Now for some more notes from the AFC:

It’s looking more and more like Patriots WR Danny Amendola will stay on the PUP list and miss at least the first six games of the regular season, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.
The Patriots had assigned rookie corner Cyrus Jones the same grade as several other players who were still available when the club was set to make its first draft pick (No. 60 overall) this year. As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, the team selected Jones because of his dynamic return ability, which he demonstrated in a big way with a 60-yard punt return Friday night. Reiss points out that Jones taking over the role could help preserve 30-year old returners Julian Edelman and Amendola from taking additional pounding.
Trevor Siemian likely cemented his status as the Broncos‘ starting quarterback after turning in a solid performance during last night’s preseason victory over Los Angeles, Mike Klis of 9News.com writes. At this point Klis would be surprised if the Broncos didn’t release Mark Sanchez, a move that would save the team $4.5MM and a seventh-round pick.
Troy Renck of Denver7 believes that Tavon Austin‘s new four-year, $42MM deal with Los Angeles will set the floor in Emmanuel Sanders‘ contract negotiations with the Broncos (Twitter link). As Renck observes, Sanders is older than Austin, but his production level has thus far been superior.
Danny Woodhead is entering the final year of the two-year extension he signed with the Chargers in 2014, and he would like to remain with the club long-term, as Michael Gehlken of The San Diego Union-Tribune writes. However, contract talks between team and player prior to training camp were unproductive, with the Chargers determining it was not in position to extend Woodhead for a variety of cited factors, including cash committed to other contracts this year. Woodhead, though, will not publicly comment on his contract situation, and simply indicated a desire to focus on the 2016 season.

Steelers Trim Roster To 79

August 28th, 2016 at 10:30am CST by Rory Parks

The Steelers have placed rookie OT Jerald Hawkins on the reserved/injured list and have waived/injured quarterback Dustin Vaughan, as Ray Fittipaldo of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports. Per Fittipaldo, the club has also cut the following players:

LB Jordan Zumwalt
LB Mike Reilly
WR Levi Norwood
WR Isaac Blakeney
TE Michael Cooper
DE Giorgio Newberry
DT K.K. Mosley-Smith
CB Julian Whigham

Zumwalt, the Steelers‘ sixth-round pick in 2014, spent the 2014 and 2015 seasons on injured reserve with a hip injury, and the hip surgery that ended his 2015 campaign before it started took over five hours to complete and included a brutal recovery/rehabilitation period. Zumwalt had been working exclusively at inside linebacker in offseason workouts, but he did not do enough to survive the first round of cuts.

The Steelers now have79 players on their roster and must get down to 75 by Tuesday at 4pm.

Bryan Stork To Report To Redskins

August 28th, 2016 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:05am: In the clearest sign yet that Stork will report to the Redskins, Stork himself tweeted that he is looking forward to making great memories in Washington, and he added a “Hail to the Redskins” hashtag at the end of his tweet.

SATURDAY, 11:25am: While most reports indicate that Stork will indeed report, Redskins coach Jay Gruden didn’t necessarily sound convinced following his team’s preseason win last night.

As Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com notes, Gruden said the lineman will “supposedly” report to the Redskins today, although he notes that Stork still has to make a “final decision.”

THURSDAY, 8:55pm: Stork has informed the Redskins that he will report to team headquarters this weekend, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post.

12:28pm: It sounds like Bryan Stork will suit up for the Redskins after all. The newly-acquired center was leaning towards retirement, but he is now expected to be in town and ready to go this weekend, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

For those of you who weren’t following Storkgate on Wednesday, here is a quick recap. On Wednesday morning, Stork was supposedly on the verge of being released by the Patriots. Later on in the day, the Redskins got word that Stork was about to be cut loose they decided to work out a trade with the Patriots rather than duke it out with other interested teams. Hours later, we learned that Stork was thinking about quitting football altogether.

Had Stork opted to retire, he would have been forced to give up half of his $477K signing bonus (~$238K), in addition to losing his 2016 salary of $600K. His retirement also would have left the Redskins in a bad spot with their offensive line. Washington hoping that Stork will serve as a backup to Kory Lichtensteiger, or maybe even push him for the starting job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Falcons Sign Dashon Goldson

August 28th, 2016 at 9:09am CST by Rory Parks

After bringing him in for a workout yesterday, the Falcons have agreed to sign veteran safety Dashon Goldson, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that it is a “done deal.” Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it would be a surprise if it were anything other than a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract.

We learned several days ago that promising rookie safety Keanu Neal is expected to miss three to four weeks with a knee injury, which sent Atlanta in search of a free agent reinforcement like Goldson. As Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes, however, Goldson will have to content himself with a reserve role upon Neal’s return. Per McClure, Neal will be the starting strong safety upon his return, and Kemal Ishmael will serve as his backup once Ishmael returns from his shoulder injury (Ishmael is expected to return to practice this afternoon on a limited basis).

After having played for the 49ers for six seasons, Goldson has bounced around a bit recently. The 31-year-old has played for three teams over the past four seasons, but he’s only missed six games during that span. The veteran actually had one of his most productive seasons in 2015 with the Redskins, compiling a career-high 110 tackles, although Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Goldson as the fourth-worst safety out of 89 qualified players. The two-time Pro Bowler has averaged nearly two interceptions and one forced fumble per season throughout his nine-year career. Goldson was released by Washington in March, and he garnered some interest from the Rams.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Latest On Colin Kaepernick

August 27th, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chip Kelly told media, including Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, today Colin Kaepernick‘s decision to sit down while the national anthem played last night will not affect his standing in the 49ers’ quarterback competition.

When asked if Kaepernick’s roster spot was in jeopardy, the first-year San Francisco coach responded, “He’s competing with Blaine [Gabbert] to see who our starting quarterback is going to be.”

After the 49ers’ third preseason game last night, Kelly said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, a discussion on cutting ties with the 28-year-old quarterback has not taken place. Kaepernick didn’t fare especially well in his 2016 debut Friday night, but the sixth-year passer would be difficult for the 49ers to release. The 49ers keeping him around after April 1 made his $11.9MM fully guaranteed for this season. That said, the team isn’t exactly operating with a win-now mentality, judging by the league-most $46.6MM the 49ers possess in cap space. By waiting until 2017 to part with Kaepernick, the 49ers would only have to eat $4.9MM in dead money.

Kaepernick would earn an additional $2MM this season by being on San Francisco’s roster for nine games, but again, the team operating this far under the cap might not make his pay-as-you-go contract an issue for this season. But coupling the money and a potential controversy surrounding a player who as of now doesn’t look to be slated to start may become an issue for 49ers management.

Kelly voiced support for the embattled quarterback’s decision to make a racially themed statement by not standing for the anthem, one he also made to much less fanfare last week in Denver — albeit while in street clothes. The 49ers’ statement also recognized Kaepernick’s right not to stand for the anthem. Players are encouraged to stand for the anthem but are not required to do so, the league said in a statement Saturday.

“We recognize his right to express his feelings,” Kelly said. “It’s not my right to tell him not to do something.”

Gabbert looks likely to retain the starting job he grabbed midseason after the team benched Kaepernick before soon placing him on IR. The former second-round pick rehabbed throughout the offseason after three surgeries. San Francisco nearly dealt him to Denver, but Kaepernick’s salary proved to be a stumbling block in those talks after. He refused to accept a pay cut to facilitate a deal, with the 49ers also balking at paying $5MM of his salary to do the same.

Christian Ponder and sixth-round rookie Jeff Driskel are the 49ers’ other quarterbacks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Redskins Cut 10 UDFAs

August 27th, 2016 at 8:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

In preparation for the first of the two roster-cutdown deadlines, this one moving teams from 90 to 75 players, the Redskins waived 10 today, via Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk.

Here’s who Washington cut today:

T Al Bond
T Cody Booth
LB Shiro Davis
LB Ejiro Ederaine
CB Jeremy Harris
LB Willie Jefferson
RB Kelsey Young
WR Valdez Showers
WR Dez Stewart
WR Jarvis Turner

UDFAs from over the past two years comprise this class. Jefferson, though, made his NFL debut in 2013 with the Texans and played in six games that year. Harris played in seven games in 2014-15, suiting up for six with the ’14 Jaguars and one with Washington last year.

Ben Watson Tears Achilles

August 27th, 2016 at 6:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a revitalizing season that earned him a two-year commitment from the Ravens, Ben Watson now faces an uncertain future. The 35-year-old tight end tore his Achilles’ tendon on Saturday night, and the Ravens announced (on Twitter) he will be out for the remainder of the season.

Watson suffered the injury on the first play of the Ravens’ preseason game against the Lions, doing so in a game that featured Terrell Suggs and Joe Flacco make their 2016 debuts for Baltimore.

Watson signed a two-year, $7MM deal with the Ravens in March, with $3MM in full guarantees. He’s set to earn $4MM this season. Watson will turn 36 in December and will now be facing the prospect of potentially making a comeback for a 14th season in 2017 on the heels of one of toughest injuries from which to recover.

A former Patriots, Browns and Saints starter, Watson enjoyed his finest statistical season at age 34 last season, catching 74 passes for 825 yards and eight touchdowns — all career highs — and added to the Ravens’ deep, yet muddled tight end corps.

Baltimore still has 2015 second-rounder Maxx Williams, along with 2014 third-rounder Crockett Gillmore. Dennis Pitta remains the Ravens’ highest-paid tight end, but while he was finally cleared to return after the career-threatening hip injury, the 31-year-old is out due to a broken finger sustained in a training camp fight. Pitta
played just seven games in the past three seasons.

So, the Ravens might have the depth to withstand this. But their 2016 passing game — which will attempt to pick up the pieces after the team lost most of its starting skill-position talent in 2015 — will absorb a hit as a result of Watson’s absence.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Sign Tavon Austin To Extension

August 27th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:10pm: Austin will receive $28.55MM in injury guarantees, and $25.5MM will be due by March of 2017, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. The new years in the deal average out to $10.5MM, per La Canfora. By that measurement, the 25-year-old Austin will be the league’s 12th-highest-paid receiver. While that hierarchy will certainly change by the time Austin’s new years commence, this provides security for a wideout that has yet to record 500 receiving yards in a season, making the agreement unique.

5:17pm: The deal stands to keep Austin in Los Angeles through the 2021 season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Similar to the Chiefs’ extension for 2013 first-rounder Eric Fisher, the player selected seven spots behind him will see his new contract add four years on top of the two left on his existing rookie pact.

The Rams announced the deal, via Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter).

5:11pm: It’s a four-year, $42MM extension for Austin, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). That agreement comes with $30MM in guarantees, per Schefter, who adds that incentives could elevate this deal to $52MM. The base value of the deal falls in line with those given to wideouts this summer. Allen Hurns, Keenan Allen and Doug Baldwin each signed extensions for four years and between $44-$46MM.

Austin has not delivered a season like the ones his new NFL tax-bracket peers have but serves as his team’s top receiving option and can contribute in more ways than the more traditional targets, thanks to his prowess out of the backfield and in the return game.

5:07pm: One of two players on whom the Rams picked up fifth-year options on this spring, Tavon Austin is expected to sign a contract extension with the team, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).

The recently relocated franchise will keep its top receiver in Los Angeles for a while. A 2013 first-round pick, Austin recorded career highs in receptions (52), yards from scrimmage (907) and touchdowns (10) last season and saw the Rams trigger his fifth-year option in May. He stood to occupy $12.268MM of the Rams’ 2017 cap as part of that option being exercised. That total represents the seventh-highest among wide receivers for ’17.

The Rams, who also picked up Alec Ogletree‘s ’17 option, expressed desire to extend Austin earlier this year. But that came before picking up that $12MM+ option.

Although a 5-foot-9 gadget-type player, Austin serves as an integral part of the Rams’ offense — one that doesn’t have a traditional No. 1 wideout. Now that Jared Goff is in the fold, the team looks to have secured a key target for the No. 1 overall pick going forward. Austin also rushed for 434 yards last season and contributes heavily as a return specialist.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.