Although Broncos head coach Vance Joseph told reporters Tuesday that he “would be surprised” if they traded safety T.J. Ward, his time on their roster is running out, Mike Klis of 9News suggests. Whether the Broncos trade or release Ward, their safety depth makes him expendable, Klis argues. Moving on from Ward would mean jettisoning someone whose reckless style has led to injury issues, as Klis points out that he missed seven games over the previous three years and hasn’t played any preseason games this summer on account of a hamstring strain. While Klis notes that Ward remains a quality player, he nonetheless expects the Broncos to make the difficult decision of parting with a defender who has made two Pro Bowls and started in all 41 of his games during his three-year tenure with the club. Despite Ward’s accomplished resume, both his age (30) and salary ($4.5MM) torpedo his trade value, Klis contends. If the Broncos end up having to cut Ward, they’d avoid paying him any of the $4.5MM he’s owed.
More from the AFC:
- Dolphins coach Adam Gase assured Jarvis Landry this week that he’s not on the trade block – a gesture the wide receiver appreciated. “Coach Gase did an amazing job,” Landry told Steven Wine of the Associated Press. “He called me in and he just talked to me, explained to me the situation and everything that’s going on, and that that’s false (speculation). That’s all I really needed to hear from him.” Regardless of whether the Dolphins have shopped Landry, the contract-year player’s time in Miami could be winding down. Landry informed Wine that he still has no interest in negotiating an extension once the season starts, giving the Dolphins under two weeks to re-sign the prolific pass catcher. They’ve been in no hurry to re-up Landry, though, so it continues to look as if an answer on his future won’t come until next offseason.
- Ravens head coach John Harbaugh updated the statuses of two of his key offensive players – quarterback Joe Flacco and wide receiver Breshad Perriman – on Tuesday, per Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Flacco, who has been out for over a month with a back injury, is throwing again and “moving toward practice,” according to Harbaugh. Flacco still needs medical clearance to return to the field, but Harbaugh expects him under center for the Ravens’ season opener against Cincinnati on Sept. 10. And the coach is “very optimistic” Perriman will suit up for Week 1. The oft-injured 2015 first-round pick has been unavailable since Aug. 1 because of a hamstring issue.
- Bengals tight end Mason Schreck suffered an MCL injury Sunday that will lead to a lengthy absence and impact the team’s roster decisions, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports (on Twitter). As a seventh-round pick stuck behind Tyler Eifert, Tyler Kroft and C.J. Uzomah on Cincy’s depth chart, Schreck was already facing an uphill battle to make the club before the injury.