2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

Browns To Name Starting QB On Wednesday

August 22nd, 2017 at 7:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns are expected to name their starting quarterback on Wednesday, as head coach Hue Jackson announced to reporters following the conclusion of Cleveland’s preseason game on Monday night.

“I need to watch the tape and honestly answer [who will start], but I have an idea in my mind based on what I felt and what I saw from our football team,” said Jackson. “We will just kind of go from there.”

The club’s competition appears to be between Brock Osweiler, whom the Browns acquired from the Texans earlier this year, and second-round rookie DeShone Kizer. Jackson reportedly questioned Cleveland veterans as to who should earn the starting job, and the majority of players chose Osweiler, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Cody Kessler, who started eight games as a rookie in 2016, doesn’t appear to be in the running for the starting role, as he didn’t enter last night’s contest until the third quarter was nearly finished.

While Osweiler may have the support of the Browns’ locker room, Kizer has clearly been the better passer through two preseason games. According to Pro Football Focus (Twitter link), Kizer leads Osweiler in adjusted completion percentage (74.1% vs. 60%), passer rating against pressure (109.5 vs. 39.6), and average depth of throw (10.2 vs. 7.7). Still, Cleveland quarterbacks coach David Lee said earlier this month that Kizer is “still not there,” an indication the Notre Dame product may need more seasoning before playing in the regular season.

49ers Host DL Ricardo Mathews

August 22nd, 2017 at 6:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Free agent defensive lineman Ricardo Mathews worked out for the 49ers today, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. San Francisco auditioned three free agent defensive lineman today, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Mathews and fellow veteran Tyson Jackson represent two of those visits, but the identity of the third player isn’t yet known.

This is the second time Mathews has met with the 49ers this offseason, per Rapoport, and those visits constitute the only known interest Mathews has generated since free agency opened in the spring. The 30-year-old Mathews appeared in all 16 games a season ago — the fourth time he’s done so in his seven-year career — and played on 29.7% of the Steelers’ defensive snaps. While not an interior pass-rusher (Mathews managed just one sack and 5.5 pressures in 2016), he’s a serviceable defender against the run.

San Francisco ranked 31st in run defense DVOA last year, so while the club can clearly use the help up front, it’s not clear the 49ers have room for yet another defensive lineman. Just this offseason, the Niners have added third overall draft pick Solomon Thomas and free agent signing Earl Mitchell to their front four, a group that already included Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner, Quinton Dial, Chris Jones, Aaron Lynch, and others.

If the 49ers do sign Mathews (or Jackson), they’ll almost assuredly do so on a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract.

Bills Not Shopping LeSean McCoy

August 22nd, 2017 at 5:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bills are not shopping running back LeSean McCoy and have no intention of doing so, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

On its face, a McCoy trade could make sense for a Buffalo club that looks to be on the verge of a rebuild (if it isn’t already there). The Bills, of course, dealt wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby earlier this month, and while general manager Brandon Beane received veterans in those deals (Jordan Matthews and E.J. Gaines), the clear impetus behind the moves was draft capital. Buffalo picked up a 2018 second-round pick in the Watkins trade, and a 2018 third-rounder in the Darby swap.

McCoy, then, doesn’t particularly fit in with the Bills’ current direction, especially given his age (he turned 29 in July) and his salary. Signed through 2019, McCoy is currently the league’s second-highest-paid running back on a multi-year deal, trailing only Devonta Freeman. If McCoy was traded, Buffalo would pick up $6.25MM in 2017 cap space, with $2.625MM and $5.25MM in dead money accruing on the team’s salary cap in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Clearing cap space wouldn’t be the primary goal in a McCoy deal, however — instead, the Bills would be aiming to acquire some sort of draft pick compensation for a still-productive running back. Last season, McCoy appeared in 15 games and topped 1,000 rushing for the fifth time in his career while scoring 13 times on the ground. He also added 50 receptions (his highest total since 2013) for 356 yards and one more score.

The Bills don’t have an excessive amount of depth behind at running back behind McCoy, though, and 2016 fifth-round selection Jonathan Williams would likely become the primary beneficiary of a McCoy trade. Veterans Mike Tolbert, Joe Banyard, and Taiwan Jones are also on the Buffalo roster, but none have experience as a lead back.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/22/17

August 22nd, 2017 at 5:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Los Angeles Chargers

Signed: DE Whitney Richardson
Waived/injured: DE Chris Landrum

Los Angeles Rams

Signed: DB Tyquwan Glass, LB Willie Mays
Waived: RB De’Mard Llorens, DE Caushaud Lyons

New York Giants

Signed: OL Matt Rotheram (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Signed: LS Andrew DePaola
Waived/injured: CB Jude Adjei-Barimah

49ers Work Out Tyson Jackson

August 22nd, 2017 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are in the market for some front seven depth. Former Falcons defensive end Tyson Jackson auditioned for the team on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

The former No. 3 overall pick was released by Atlanta at the outset of free agency. With $8.5MM and two years to go, it was an easy choice for Atlanta given the way that Jackson played in 2016.

Last year, Jackson finished out with 13 total tackles and two pass deflections in 16 games (seven starts). The advanced statistics at Pro Football Focus rated him as just the No. 67 interior defender in the NFL out of 127 qualified players. His grades for run defense, pass rush, and coverage were all poor in his 389 total snaps.

Jackson failed to record a sack in any of his three seasons with the Falcons, but he was an effective player while with the Chiefs. The Niners are now assessing whether he can be a worthwhile pickup for their team.

NFL Suspends Chargers OL Max Tuerk

August 22nd, 2017 at 3:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers guard/center Max Tuerk has been suspended four games by the league office. Tuerk violated the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances, according to the press release. For his part, Tuerk denies any real wrongdoing.

“This offseason, I made the mistake of taking over-the-counter supplements,” Tuerk said in a statement. “In doing so, I opened myself up to the possibility of consuming a tainted supplement – something that ultimately led to a positive test for a banned substance. I accept responsibility for my actions and understand the NFL’s policy is very clear on this matter. This is a very hard way to learn a lesson, and I will never make this mistake again.”

Tuerk will be eligible to return to the Chargers’ active roster on Monday, October 2 following the team’s October 1 game against the Eagles. This is far from ideal for L.A., but it’s not necessarily devastating since Tuerk was likely in line for a reserve role. The Chargers project to start Russell Okung, Matt Slauson, Spencer Pulley, Kenny Wiggins, and Joe Barksdale on the offensive line. Tuerk had been listed as Slauson’s primary backup at left guard on the Chargers’ early edition of the depth chart.

Browns LB Tank Carder Out For Season

August 22nd, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Bad news for the Browns. Linebacker Tank Carder will not be able to play in 2017 thanks to an ACL tear, coach Hue Jackson tells reporters.

Carder, 28, has appeared in all but two of the Browns’ regular season games since 2012. Although he saw time in just 56 defensive snaps this year, he was projected to start at middle linebacker for Cleveland this season.

The Browns will still have standouts Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey to start at linebacker, but the team now has a void to address in the middle. Reserves Dominique Alexander and James Burgess may get a crack at the job, unless the team wants to do some reshuffling to put Collins or Kirksey at MLB. Joe Schobert, former second-round pick Nate Orchard, and Cam Johnson are among the team’s reserves at OLB.

Odell Beckham Jr. May Get Injury Insurance

August 22nd, 2017 at 2:18pm CST by Zachary Links

A contract extension would give Odell Beckham Jr. some security against an injury scare like the one he got during Monday night’s preseason game against the Browns. While he works to hash things out with the Giants, Beckham is looking to give himself some additional comfort or, at least, drum up some leverage. The wide receiver is thinking about purchasing a massive insurance policy, possibly one in excess of $100MM in injury protection, sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports.

“[If a deal isn’t done] by the regular season, he’ll take steps to protect himself. [But] a new deal is preferable to adding insurance,” one source told Robinson.

A one-year $100MM+ policy would cost Beckham upwards of $600K, Robinson hears. ODB is still on his rookie deal, but he can afford the expense as he is slated to earn $3.3MM in 2017. To date, he has already earned roughly $7MM in NFL salary, not counting his lucrative endorsement deals. The $100MM sum is not coincidental as Beckham has been pushing for a contract that would put him near the $100MM mark.

In 2016, Beckham earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod with 101 receptions for 1,367 yards and ten touchdowns.

Broncos’ Shaq Barrett Could Play Week 1

August 22nd, 2017 at 1:39pm CST by Zachary Links

At one point this year, the Broncos feared that Shaquil Barrett would miss the bulk of the 2017 season. Today, they have reason to believe that the edge rusher will be able to suit up for the season opener.

Barrett was removed from the non-football injury list on Tuesday, according to the team’s latest edition of the roster. Apparently, Barrett has bounced back well from his hip injury and will be able to resume football activities this week.

The linebacker will now practice with an eye on suiting up for the team’s opening game against the Chargers on September 11. Failing that, he’ll hope to be ready in time for Week 2 against the Cowboys (September 17) or Week 3 against the Bills (September 24). Barring any unforeseen setbacks, the Broncos will probably have him on the 53-man roster to start the season. Otherwise, the Broncos would have to keep him on NFI for the first half of the season.

When Barrett takes the field for Denver, he’ll likely be the team’s top reserve option to spell Shane Ray and Von Miller. The Broncos are also keeping their fingers crossed when it comes to Ray since he is dealing with a torn ligament in his right wrist that could sideline him for the start of the season.

Albert Breer On Elliott, Bills, Rams, Watkins

August 22nd, 2017 at 1:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL and the NFLPA were at odds last week over a purported leak in the Ezekiel Elliott saga. When the press learned that ex-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson thought about blackmailing the Cowboys running back with a sex tape, the league pegged the union as the source. The NFL wasn’t just guessing – Albert Breer of The MMQB was told that the league was explicitly told that the union was responsible for the leaks.

The leak especially irked the NFL because the league office believed that certain facts were cherry-picked to paint Thompson as the villain. For example, Thompson told league investigators that she realized it would be “crazy” to go through with the blackmail plot.

It sounds like things are only going to get uglier from here as we look ahead to Elliott’s appeal hearing. As of this writing, Elliott is slated to serve a six-game suspension for the allegations of domestic abuse.

Here’s more from Breer’s column:

Although Doug Whaley was technically in charge for the Bills‘ draft this year, Breer hears that coach Sean McDermott was given carte blanche to pull players off of the board for character reasons. That could help to explain this month’s surprising move to jettison wide receiver Sammy Watkins and cornerback Ronald Darby via trade. Darby came into the league with some red flags and his performance has dipped since his strong rookie season in 2015. Watkins, meanwhile, didn’t have character issues, but his lingering injury problems could have posed a hurdle for the first-year head coach. Brandon Beane now holds the GM title, but McDermott may have been the real driving force behind the trades.
The Rams‘ interest in Watkins is nothing new. Breer hears that the wide receiver was a real consideration for GM Les Snead & Co. in 2014 before the team settled on offensive lineman Greg Robinson at No. 2 overall. The jury is still out on whether Watkins can live up to his draft status, but he has certainly done better than Robinson. Years later, Snead is hoping that Watkins can stay healthy and become a superstar for his squad.