2016 September - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Release Cortland Finnegan

September 6th, 2016 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Cortland Finnegan‘s time with the Saints did not last long. The cornerback was released this afternoon, as Mike Florio of PFT tweets.

The 32-year-old Finnegan announced his retirement in March 2015, but he returned to football in November when he signed with the Panthers. Finnegan wound up playing in five regular-season games and all three of the NFC champions’ playoff contests, including Super Bowl 50. The veteran, who recorded 18 tackles, failed to add to his career interception total (18) for the second straight year.

The Saints are slated to start Delvin Breaux and P.J. Williams at cornerback, as shown on Roster Resource. Finnegan was expected to provide depth behind both players this offseason, but he apparently didn’t do enough over the last month to make the Week 1 roster.

Finnegan’s deal with the Saints called for him to earn a $985K base salary with a $50K signing bonus and a $650K cap hit due to the minimum salary benefit. New Orleans is now only on the hook for the $50K bonus.

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Saints Sign K Wil Lutz To Active Roster

September 6th, 2016 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Could the Saints be making a change at kicker? One day after agreeing to add kicker Wil Lutz to their taxi squad, the Saints are instead signing him to the 53-man roster, according to agent John Perla Jr. (on Twitter).

Just a few days ago, the Saints cut fellow kicker Connor Barth, which seemingly meant that Forbath had won the kicking competition. The Saints were fond of Barth too and coach Sean Payton acknowledged that the team had a tough time deciding between them. It seems unlikely that the Saints would carry two kickers, so one has to wonder if Forbath could be injured.

Lutz had a tryout with the Saints on Monday, Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune tweets. He made all of his short kicks and while he nailed a few tries from the high 50s, he did miss two attempts from 50+. Lutz was let go by the Ravens when the team cut down to 75. The UDFA out of Georgia State connected on 27 of his 39 field goal tries in college and made 98.1% of his extra point attempts.

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Eagles Shopping Josh Kline

September 6th, 2016 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

Howie Roseman is wheelin’ and dealin’ this offseason. Offensive lineman Josh Kline, a member of the Eagles for all of 20 minutes, is already being shopped, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Eagles are already in “deep discussions” about a trade that would send Kline elsewhere.

After the Eagles sent cornerback Eric Rowe to the Patriots for Kline and a future draft choice, many assumed that Philadelphia was targeting Kline for offensive line depth. Apparently, that’s not the case.

Kline is under contract for the next two years at a reasonable rate, so it shouldn’t be too tough for Philly to find a taker. It’s not clear what they could get in return, however. Stay tuned.

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Bills Sign Brandon Tate

September 6th, 2016 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

Brandon Tate has found a new NFL home. The Bills announced moments ago that they have signed the former Bengals kick returner. The Bills had a spot open on the 53-man roster, so they will not have to release anyone to clear a place for the veteran.

Tate, 28, was on Cincinnati’s roster since the 2011 season, but most of his contributions came on special teams rather than on offense. He’s returned more than 350 kicks and punts during his time with the Bengals, averaging 9.6 yards per return on kickoffs and 24.6 yards on punts. Highly-respected by the Cincinnati coaching staff and front office, Tate was released in advance of the 75-man deadline so that he might be able to latch on with another club.

Tate caught 17 passes for 193 yards in 2014, but recorded only two receptions in 2015. He may see some time on offense, but you shouldn’t expect to see him featured often as a wide receiver in Buffalo.

The kick return specialist worked out for the Broncos late last week but left Denver without a deal.

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Ravens Re-Sign Justin Forsett

September 6th, 2016 at 9:57am CST by Ben Levine

TUESDAY, 9:57am: Forsett’s new deal is a two-year pact worth $6MM, identical to what he had remaining on his old deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. On top of that, Forsett will earn a $100K bonus if eclipses his modest 2015 rushing yard total of 641 yards.

MONDAY, 11:39am: It didn’t take long for Justin Forsett to land back in Baltimore. CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora tweets that the veteran running back has agreed to re-sign with the Ravens. CSN’s Clifton Brown tweets that Forsett will be at practice on Tuesday.

The 30-year-old was released by the team on Saturday, although reports immediately indicated that he’d likely return to the Ravens. There seemed to have been some prearranged agreement between the two sides. The Ravens cleared at least $3MM in cap (not including the $700K in dead money) be releasing Forsett this weekend.

Following a 2014 season that saw him set career-highs in rushing yards (1,266), rushing touchdowns (eight) and receptions (44), Forsett came back down to earth in 2015. The veteran appeared in only ten games, compiling 641 yards on 155 carries. Still, Forsett managed to average 4.2-yards-per-carry, solid numbers for a veteran running back.

Without Forsett, the Ravens would have been forced to rely on Terrance West and Javorius Allen. Rookie Kenneth Dixon is also in the picture, although the fourth-rounder is currently battling a knee injury.

Cecil Shorts To Visit Buccaneers

September 6th, 2016 at 9:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers could be adding in another pass-catching weapon for Jameis Winston to work with. Free agent wide receiver Cecil Shorts is going to visit the Bucs within the next 24 hours, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Shorts could be a great fit for Tampa Bay as Shorts played in coach Dirk Koetter‘s system in Jacksonville in 2011. Shorts was used sparingly in that season, but he likely made a positive impression on the Bucs’ new head coach since this will be his first visit since being cut loose by Houston. The Buccaneers are wisely looking at available receivers with Louis Murphy sidelined for at least the first six weeks of the season.

At least five teams are interested in Shorts, so it’s possible that the wide receiver may make other visits after this, even if he finds the Bucs to be a good fit. In Shorts’ first and only season in Houston, he racked up 42 catches for 484 yards and two touchdowns. His best season came in 2012, when he caught 55 passes for 979 yards and seven touchdowns for Jacksonville.

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Cowboys Won’t Place Tony Romo On IR

September 6th, 2016 at 9:22am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL’s new rules for the injured reserve list allow teams to bring one player back from IR without having to designate that player for return in advance. That tweak gives teams lots of flexibility, though any player placed on IR before the season cannot be brought back before Week 8. With that in mind, the Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones said in a radio interview that he will not put Tony Romo on IR, leaving open the possibility that he could return to the team sooner than that (link via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer).

[RELATED: Romo’s Prognosis Worsens]

In Jones’ mind, the 53rd player on the roster would not be more valuable than what the return of Romo could mean. When asked if Romo could return before the Oct. 30 game vs. the Eagles, Jones said he would not rule anything out.

On one hand, giving up a roster spot for several weeks is a bold move for any team with playoff aspirations. On the other hand, the Cowboys are entrusting the quarterback job to a fourth-round rookie and it would be foolish for the Cowboys to keep Romo benched for an additional week or two in the event that Dak Prescott falters. Dallas added Mark Sanchez as a backup this weekend, but it’s not clear what he has to offer after being discarded by the Broncos.

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Browns Didn’t View Wentz As Top 20 QB

September 6th, 2016 at 8:43am CST by Zachary Links

This offseason, the Browns had an opportunity to stand pat with the No. 2 pick in the draft and potentially solve their quarterback situation for years to come. However, in April, the Browns struck a deal with the Eagles to add to their stockpile of picks. Everyone assumed that the Browns were not sold on Carson Wentz, but it turns out their evaluation of the North Dakota State QB was harsher than you might expect. Also, as executive Paul DePodesta hinted to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com, the Browns might have kept the pick if they thought Jared Goff would slip.

“We have to make judgments on the individual players and we’re not always going to be right,” DePodesta said. “But in this particular case, we just didn’t feel it was necessarily the right bet to make for us at this time. Again, it comes down to individual evaluation of a player…Even though you have a desperate need for [a quarterback], you have to resist the temptation of taking that guy just because you have a need if you don’t believe he’s one of those 20 guys at the end of the day. I think that’s the hardest part, just maintaining your discipline because you have the need. That’s what we did this year.”

Soon enough, we’ll know whether the Browns’ signing of Robert Griffin III was a smart move. But, regardless of how RGIII does in Cleveland this year, DePodesta says the team will continue to evaluate options at quarterback. That’s probably the right approach as Griffin will be the Browns’ 25th starting quarterback since 1999.

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49ers, Tank Carradine Agree To Extension

September 6th, 2016 at 8:20am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers and Tank Carradine have agreed to a one-year extension, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. Originally slated to hit the open market after the 2016 season, Carradine will now be in SF through 2017. Financial terms are not yet known, but Carradine did receive a signing bonus of $1.25MM, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.

Carradine, 26, started out as a defensive lineman after being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. Now, he’s going back to outside linebacker, the position he expected to play when he came out of FSU. As Aaron Lynch serves his four-game suspension, the Niners are banking on Carradine to form a rotation with Ahmad Brooks and Eli Harold.

After slimming down from 300+ pounds to 275, Carradine says he feels healthier and more energetic. Niners defensive coordinator Jim O’Neil says that he is transitioning well to the new position.

“He can set the edge,” O’Neil said. “He’s heavy handed. I would not want to block him if I was a tight end. He continues to show up as far as pass rush and he’s gotten better every rep that he’s gotten as far as pass coverage. So he’s done a nice job progressing at the position.”

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Latest On Josh Sitton

September 5th, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Behind-the-scenes issues likely factored into the Packers’ surprising decision to release guard Josh Sitton on Saturday, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com details.

Cracks may have started forming in the relationship between Sitton and the Packers when he was critical of their offensive game plan last December, leading irked head coach Mike McCarthy to tell reporters, “Josh Sitton needs to play guard.” Months later, the team informed Sitton in training camp that it wouldn’t discuss a contract extension with him during the season, which may have worsened the two sides’ relationship. Before the Packers released Sitton, he was set to earn $6.15MM in 2016 to conclude the five-year extension he signed in 2011.

While there might be acrimony between Sitton and his former employer, the 30-year-old explained Monday that he wasn’t trying to get back at Green Bay by signing with the NFC North rival Bears.

“Honestly, it didn’t have anything to do with sticking it to the Packers,” the three-time Pro Bowler said (via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com). “I’m more familiar with the division. [Chicago is] close to where I was. I like the weather up here. We had a few other teams interested. It’s too damn hot in the south.”

One of Sitton’s new teammates, fellow guard Kyle Long, said Monday that he heavily recruited Sitton.

“I wouldn’t get out of his ear,” Long stated.

Both Sitton (three years, $21.75MM) and Long (four years, $40MM) inked expensive deals with the Bears over the weekend, though it was an extension in the latter’s case. Those two should comprise one of the top guard tandems in the league, while the Packers will move forward with the inexperienced Lane Taylor and the excellent T.J. Lang. Taylor, who’s replacing Sitton on the left side, picked up just two starts during his first three seasons.

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