2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

Jets Cut WR Marquess Wilson

August 23rd, 2017 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have released wide receiver Marquess Wilson, according to a team announcement. Wilson had the most career yardage of any receiver on the roster.

Wilson was expected to play a significant role for the rebuilding Jets this year, but a hip injury cost him time in practice and his place on the depth chart. He showed promise in Chicago, averaging 16.6 yards per reception in the 2015 season with career highs in targets (51), catches (28), and receiving yards (464).

Unfortunately, the 24-year-old (25 in September) has struggled with injuries ever since then. Wilson spent the first two months of the 2016 campaign on the PUP list and recorded just nine receptions in three games before suffering a season-ending foot fracture. He has had three left foot fractures in his career and is now working to rehab from his hip issue.

It has been a rough offseason for the Jets’ receiving corps following the release of Eric Decker and the loss of Quincy Enunwa to a neck injury. While Jalin Marshall faces a four-game suspension to start the season, the team’s top receivers will be Robby Anderson plus third round pick ArDarius Stewart and fourth round pick Chad Hansen.

In a related move, the Jets inked former Alabama State tight end Brandon Barnes.

Browns Shopping QB Brock Osweiler

August 23rd, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns will not play Brock Osweiler in Saturday’s preseason game, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Browns are looking to trade him, but that is nothing new, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter) hears. The Browns have been making calls about Osweiler throughout camp, according to sources.

Reviews of Osweiler have generally been positive this summer, but rookie DeShone Kizer has also impressed in practice. On Wednesday morning, we learned that Kizer will be starting on Saturday against the Buccaneers. It was assumed that Osweiler would be the QB2 for that third preseason game, but we now know that he won’t be suiting up at all.

The Jaguars are among the teams that could use a veteran signal caller like Osweiler given the way that Blake Bortles has struggled. The Ravens, who have been in the hunt for an upgrade over backup Ryan Mallett, could also consider a QB like him.

It doesn’t sound like the Browns are hellbent on trading Osweiler and they are indicating that he could still win the starting job between now and Week 1. Even if he doesn’t beat out Kizer, he could be a valuable reserve. If possible, however, one has to imagine that the Browns would like to move Osweiler and get some of his $16MM salary off of the books.

Osweiler came to Cleveland in a deal that was largely unprecedented for the NFL. The Browns received a 2018 second-round pick and a sixth-round pick in exchange for the QB (and his exorbitant salary) and a fourth-round choice.

Giants Waive OL Michael Bowie

August 23rd, 2017 at 9:04am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have waived left tackle Michael Bowie, according to a team announcement. Bowie is facing charges for domestic violence, but the Giants indicated that they could be open to a return, depending on how things shake out.

“We have waived Michael Bowie,” GM Jerry Reese said in a statement. “As we have already stated, we were made aware of this situation on Saturday. The league has started to gather more information. That process will continue. The outcome of that process will determine whether there is another opportunity here for Michael.”

Bowie was reportedly involved in an argument with his girlfriend earlier this month and that dispute turned physical, police say. Bowie was said to have grabbed his girlfriend by the neck and thrown her to the ground. He also allegedly broke two televisions and punched a hole in a wall in the process. The lineman is facing charges of domestic assault and battery plus two counts of malicious injury or destruction of property.

In related moves, the Giants waived guard Corin Brooks and waived/injured wide receivers Darius Powe and Andrew Turzilli. To fill their spots on the roster, they signed wide receivers Marquis Bundy and C.J. Germany and offensive linemen Richard Levy and Matt Rotheram.

Extra Points: Browns, Kizer, Falcons

August 23rd, 2017 at 8:37am CST by Zachary Links

Browns coach Hue Jackson announced that DeShone Kizer will start the team’s third preseason game against Tampa Bay. This as a sign that Kizer is in the lead for the Browns’ starting QB job, despite talk of Brock Osweiler being in the catbird seat this summer.

“He is certainly positioning himself well to earn the starting job heading into the regular season,” said the coach.

In two preseason games, the Notre Dame product has completed 19-of-31 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown. Kizer also added 47 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown. The Browns’ season begins on Sept. 10 when they face the Steelers in Cleveland.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Newly signed Falcons tackle Austin Pasztor is dealing with a pectoral injury, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. He will not play in Saturday’s preseason game and there is no definitive word on his status for Week 1 one way or the other. He is expected to serve as the first tackle off of the bench behind starters Jake Matthews and Ryan Schraeder.
As expected, Jaguars defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. has been officially charged with first degree misdemeanor battery, criminal mischief, and petty theft, per TMZ Sports. Fowler was originally arrested in St. Petersburg, Florida in mid-July following an incident of apparent road rage. Subsequent reports have indicated Fowler was also arrested in March 2016 after an altercation with a police officer. If convicted, Fowler could face a year in jail.
Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell announced that he’ll be joining the team next Friday.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Le’Veon Bell Say He’ll Report Next Friday

August 22nd, 2017 at 10:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Franchise-tagged running back Le’Veon Bell says he’ll report to the Steelers on Friday, September 1 (Twitter link).

Pittsburgh had longed believed Bell would return to the club before the regular season gets underway, and now the team has a specific date, one which lands nine days before the Steelers’ season opener. Bell, who will earn north of $12MM on the franchise tender (which he’ll presumably sign once he gets back to Pittsburgh), missed all of training camp and won’t play in the preseason, as he’ll report one day after the Steelers’ final exhibition game.

The Steelers reportedly offered Bell a long-term deal that would have paid him $60MM over a five-year term (including $30MM over the first two years) and made him the league’s highest-paid running back by a wide margin. Bell rejected that offer, and some reports have indicated Pittsburgh and Bell’s agent believed an agreement was in the offing before Bell himself nixed the finalized pact.

When healthy, Bell is clearly one of the most dynamic running backs in the NFL, as he topped 1,200 yards from scrimmage in three of his four professional campaigns. A weapon on both the ground and through the air, Bell managed 1,268 yards rushing plus a whopping 75 receptions a season ago, and scored a combined nine times.

Health, though, isn’t a given for the 25-year-old Bell, as he’s missed time with injury in two of the past four years. During his rookie season in 2013, Bell suffered a foot sprain that cost him three sprains, while an MCL/PCL tear sidelined him for 10 contests in 2015. He’s also in the league’s drug program as a result of violating the substance policy, which led to a three-game suspension in 2016.

Broncos Rumors: Charles, Stephenson, Butt

August 22nd, 2017 at 9:35pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Jamaal Charles reportedly has a “50/50” shot to make the Broncos‘ final roster, and his only chance to earn a spot on the club will come in Saturday’s preseason game against the Packers, tweets James Palmer of NFL.com. Charles, 30, signed a one-year deal with Denver that contained only $100K in guarantees, and he hasn’t yet participated in a preseason game. The veteran back, who’s been injured for much of the past two years, won’t play in the Broncos’ final preseason contest, so he’ll need to show he’s worth a roster spot this weekend. Denver’s other running backs includes C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Juwan Thompson, Stevan Ridley, and De’Angelo Henderson.

Here’s more from the Mile High City:

Denver will soon face a decision on the status of offensive tackle Donald Stephenson, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com details (Twitter links). Stephenson isn’t expected to start, as the Broncos plan to play rookie Garret Bolles at left tackle and free agent addition Menelik Watson at right tackle. That combination would leave Stephenson as an extremely overpaid backup, as Stephenson will earn a fully guaranteed $2MM base salary and another $2MM bonus if he makes Denver’s Week 1 roster (all part of a contract restructuring agreed to earlier this year). While Stephenson’s salary is clearly a sunk cost, the Broncos could save the other $2MM by releasing him before the regular season gets underway.
Rookie tight end Jake Butt will “probably” begin the 2017 season on the physically unable to perform list, as Broncos head coach Vance Joseph explained to reporters, including Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Butt, recovering from a torn ACL suffered in his final collegiate contest, would be forced to miss the first six games of the year if placed on PUP. Denver selected Butt in the fifth round, using the 145th overall pick to secure the Michigan product.
The Broncos have had a relatively busy week, as they’ve announced Trevor Siemian as their starting quarterback over Paxton Lynch, and learned fourth-year edge rusher Shaquil Barrett could be available for Week 1.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Cowboys, Giants

August 22nd, 2017 at 8:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

While recent reports indicated LeGarrette Blount could lose his Eagles roster spot before the season gets underway, head coach Doug Pederson seemingly dismissed those insinuations today, as Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. “LeGarrette Blount is a beast of a runner,” said Pederson. “I’m excited he’s here and he’s going to be a big part of our offense.” The Eagles signed Blount to a one-year deal that contains $400K guaranteed after he led the league with 18 rushing touchdowns a season ago. While there’s virtually no chance the 30-year-old Blount will match his 299 carries from 2016, he should be part of a Philadelphia backfield rotation that also includes Darren Sproles, Wendell Smallwood, and Donnel Pumphrey.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

Last year’s Josh Brown episode could potentially factor into the NFL’s dealings with suspended Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out. Brown, of course, was banned for only a single game even after admitting to abusing his ex-wife. Arbitrator Harold Henderson upheld Brown’s suspension at the time, and he’ll also be hearing Elliott’s appeal of his own six-game ban. “Mitigating factors” lead to the NFL suspending Brown for only contest, but the league has never disclosed what those factors were, per Florio.
D.J. Fluker isn’t going to earn a starting spot along the Giants‘ offensive line, and it’s possible he won’t even make the club’s roster, opines James Kratch of NJ.com. New York signed the 26-year-old Fluker to a one-year, $3MM deal ($1.5MM guaranteed) this spring, but he’s made no push to steal Big Blue’s starting right guard job from John Jerry. The Giants aren’t giving Fluker the opportunity to compete at right tackle, so the former first-round pick could be shown the door in favor of journeyman Adam Gettis.
The Redskins spent heavily on their defensive line this spring, signing both Terrell McClain and Stacy McGee to multi-year pacts. Thus far, McGee has been far more impressive in camp, but neither player has a lock on a starting job, as Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. McClain, in fact, has performed so poorly that there’s been some noise he could be released, although that’s unlikely given the $7.25MM dead money hit that would come with the cut. Still, first-round rookie Jonathan Allen and others (such as Matt Ioannidis and Anthony Lanier) could be better bets for playing time.
After working out for the Bears last week, undrafted rookie linebacker Michael Scherer is set to audition for the Giants today, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link). Scherer, a Missouri product, appeared in 26 games for the Tigers from 2014-15 before a knee injury ended his senior season after seven contests in 2016. Ranked as one of the 30 best undrafted linebackers following this year’s draft, Scherer has yet to land an NFL contract.

Stephone Anthony Not A Saints Roster Lock?

August 22nd, 2017 at 8:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Third-year linebacker Stephone Anthony‘s place on the Saints’ roster “appears to be in jeopardy,” according to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.

Anthony, 25, was a full-time starter in 2015 after entering the league as a first-round selection out of Clemson. But his playing time dwindled last season, as he started only three games and played on just 133 defensive snaps before a knee injury ended his campaign in December. Anthony, who also played on roughly a quarter of New Orleans’ special teams snaps, managed just 15 tackles after posting 112 stops during his rookie year.

The Saints simply have too many linebackers on their roster, and Anthony doesn’t project as a starter, per Triplett. Instead, those starting jobs are expected to go to free agent acquisitions Manti Te’o and A.J. Klein and third-round rookie Alex Anzalone. With Craig Robertson, Michael Mauti, and Nathan Stupar also available in reserve, New Orleans has no place for Anthony.

Anthony is signed through the 2018 season, and the Saints wouldn’t realize any cap savings if they trade or waive him. In fact, Anthony will count for the same total — roughly $2.1MM — whether he’s on the New Orleans roster or not.

Browns Sign DT Brandon Thompson

August 22nd, 2017 at 7:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns have already found a replacement for Desmond Bryant, as Cleveland announced that they’ve signed fellow defensive tackle Brandon Thompson.

While Thompson doesn’t offer the experience or history of production of Bryant, he is roughly four years younger (age-27) than his defensive line counterpart. Having just been released by the Bengals on Monday, Thompson also presumably has some level of familiarity with Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson, who was previously Cincinnati’s offensive coordinator.

A former third-round selection, Thompson never broke into the starting lineup for the Bengals during his five-year run with the club (with the exception of 2013, when he started seven contests after Geno Atkins went down with injury). Still, he was a serviceable reserve, appearing in 39 games and and posting three sacks from 2012-15. Thompson didn’t see the field in 2016 after suffering a torn ACL the previous December.

Thompson should have an opportunity to earn playing time in the place of Bryant, but he’ll have to compete with several other players. Trevon Coley, Jamie Meder, Xavier Cooper, and rookies Caleb Brantley and Larry Ogunjobi are among the interior defenders who could see action alongside nose tackle Danny Shelton during the upcoming campaign.

Browns To Release DL Desmond Bryant

August 22nd, 2017 at 7:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns have released defensive lineman Desmond Bryant, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).

Bryant, 31, didn’t see the field in 2016 after suffering a torn pectoral during the summer. He’d been a decently productive player in the three prior campaigns, however, averaging 14 games and five sacks per year for the Cleveland. All told, Bryant — who began his career with Oakland — has appeared in 104 NFL contests and made 59 starts.

Bryant was midway through a five-year, $34MM deal with the Browns when he went down last July, and because the injury occurred while Bryant was working on his own (and not with the club), Cleveland placed him on the non-football injury list. Technically, the Browns weren’t required to pay Bryant for the 2016 season, and the two sides ultimately agreed to a salary reduction from $6MM to just $1.25MM.

This time around, Cleveland didn’t ask Bryant to take a pay cut before releasing him, tweets Florio. Bryant, who finally returned to the practice field in June, had been scheduled to count for $4MM on the Browns’ 2017 salary cap. By releasing Bryant, Cleveland will now save all but $1MM of that total.

With Bryant no longer on the roster, the Browns have several options to turn to along the defensive line. Danny Shelton is a starter at one spot on the interior, but players such as Trevon Coley, Jamie Meder, Xavier Cooper, or rookies Caleb Brantley and Larry Ogunjobi could now see increased playing time.

For his part, Bryant now becomes one of the more intriguing free agents on the defensive line market. Given that he can theoretically play either end or tackle, Bryant could interest a number of clubs and contribute in a variety of schemes. He joins a list of available defensive linemen that also includes Jared Odrick, Dan Williams, Tyson Jackson, and Sen’Derrick Marks.