2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Bills, Dareus, Ravens, Orr

August 30th, 2017 at 8:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike Rodak of ESPN.com wonders when the Bills get out from defensive tackle Marcell Dareus‘ contract. Signed to a six-year extension with $60MM guaranteed by Doug Whaley’s front office, Dareus has become a major headache for Buffalo due to discipline and legal issues. New GM Brandon Beane won’t say whether he’s looking to dump Dareus, but he did indicate that he’s on a short leash.

“Everybody’s got to be on board right now, so hopefully this is something he’ll learn from, and everybody will understand the message that Sean and I are [sending],” Beane said. “We have expectations, we have standards that everybody has to live by, and if you’re not [going to], then you’re not going to be here.”

If the Bills were to cut him this offseason, his entire $16.1MM cap number would remain on the books, plus $7.35MM of his ’18 pay. Trading him before Week 1, meanwhile, would give them cap savings of $9.75MM for this year, but would still leave them with the same $14.2MM dead money charge in 2018.

If the Bills wait until next offseason to cut Dareus, they’ll still be facing unpalatable cap charges. Their best option would be to find a trade partner willing to take on the fully guaranteed portions of his salary. Dareus is undeniably talented, but it’s hard to see a team rolling the dice on him with this price tag. The Bills might just have to keep Dareus for the coming season and hope that he performs up to par.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Zach Orr is rejoining the Ravens, this time as a coach. He’ll be “interning” with the Ravens’ coaching and personnel staffs, according to a team announcement. “It’s a great opportunity,” Orr said. “I’m thankful because, like I always said, I love football. I still want to be around the game. Even though I can’t play anymore, I still love everything about it.”
Due to the massive flooding caused by Hurricane Harvey, the Texans‘ final preseason game against the Cowboys has been canceled. It’s small potatoes compared to the real-life implications of the storm, but players on the 53-man roster bubble will no longer have one final opportunity to showcase their skills for Houston or Dallas.
On Wednesday, the Packers signed linebacker Ahmad Brooks to a one-year deal.

Eagles, DE Steven Means Agree To Extension

August 30th, 2017 at 7:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The 53-man roster deadline is coming at the end of the week, but defensive end Steven Means won’t have to sweat it out. Means has inked a one-year extension with the Eagles that will keep under contract through the 2018 season.

Means came to Philly in December 2015 when he was signed off of Houston’s practice squad. He made his on-field debut for the Eagles in 2016, tallying three tackles and one sack in eight games.

After a strong offseason, Means could be seeing an increased role, though he’ll likely spend the bulk of his time on special teams. The latest roster projection from Roster Resource has Means as the No. 5 defensive end behind starters Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham and supporters Chris Long and Vinny Curry.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Haden, Cowboys

August 30th, 2017 at 6:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Despite earlier reports to the contrary, an Eagles source tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) that the team was not in on Joe Haden. The Eagles, the source claims, are content with their young cornerbacks.

It’s quite possible that the Eagles were interested in Haden but were not among the finalists for him, making this all a matter of semantics. In any case, the Eagles were unwilling to approach, match, or exceed the $7MM guarantee that Haden secured in his new three-year deal with the Steelers.

The Eagles will be starting a pair of 23-year-old corners in Jalen Mills and the newly-acquired Ronald Darby. Behind them, they have only one player outside of his 20s in veteran Patrick Robinson. Eventually, rookie Sidney Jones could join the active roster and provide help, but that doesn’t help to boost the group’s experience level.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Tests show that Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens, who suffered a tibial plateau fracture recently, suffered no ligament damage, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That means that no surgery will be needed and that, in theory, could help to speed up recovery. In a press release, the Cowboys indicated that Hitchens likely will not go on IR. The latest projections have Hitchens missing total eight weeks of action.
Doctors say that Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith only suffered ACL and MCL damage and did not injure any other major ligaments in his knee, Rapoport tweets. Meredith is done for the year, but he could be back in time for next year’s OTAs.
Now that the Packers have added Ahmad Brooks to the fold, they can be more patient with rookie Vince Biegel‘s recovery, Ryan Wood of the Press-Gazette tweets. A source tells Wood that he’ll “probably” start the season on the PUP list, meaning that he won’t count against the initial 53-man limit.
Former Saints defensive end Royce LaFrance signed with the CFL’s Roughriders, Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets.

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Gabbert, ‘Hawks

August 30th, 2017 at 6:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Carson Palmer is getting towards the end of his career, but Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says that he might already have his quarterback of the future on the roster.

“Short-term, I’d be very comfortable if [Blaine Gabbert] had to play for us. Long-term, if he continues at this rate, he could be a starter,” the coach said (Twitter link via Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM).

Arians isn’t the only coach that likes Gabbert – Seattle considered him this offseason and Miami pondered trading for him after Ryan Tannehill‘s injury. Still, it’s somewhat surprising to hear that Arians views him as a future starter since the former No. 10 overall pick hasn’t really experienced success at the NFL level. In five games as San Francisco’s starter last season, Gabbert posted a 1-4 record, while completing 56.9% of his passes for five touchdowns and six interceptions.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

It appears that J.D. McKissic is back to being a running back after spending some time at wide receiver, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times notes. This could have implications on the Seahawks‘ 53-man roster, chiefly for 2016 fifth-round choice Alex Collins after he did not get a carry in the team’s most recent preseason game.
49ers running back Raheem Mostert is making a late run for a roster spot, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. The well-traveled 25-year-old is having a strong preseason while veteran Tim Hightower has missed two of three games. In Hightower’s lone appearance, he lost a fumble and had three carries for minus-one yard. In Mostert’s last outing, he had 130 all purpose yards and flashed serious skills as a pass catcher.
The Cardinals have interest in acquiring Panthers punter Andy Lee.

Seahawks Working To Trade Jermaine Kearse

August 30th, 2017 at 5:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are trying to trade wide receiver Jermaine Kearse, sources tell ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini (on Twitter). Kearse is set to enter the second season of his three-year deal with Seattle.

The Seahawks gave Kearse a three-year pact worth $13.5MM with $6.3MM guaranteed last offseason. Following a slight dip in production, the Seahawks apparently see him as expendable.

The Seahawks have a bit of a logjam at receiver thanks to the addition of third-round pick Amara Darboh. Currently, Kearse fits in as the No. 5 or No. 6 wide receiver, but that would leave players like seventh-round rookie David Moore, last year’s seventh-round pick Kenny Lawler, and UDFA Darreus Rogers off the roster.

In 2015, Kearse started 16 games for the first time and amassed a career-high 685 yards and five touchdowns. On the surface, his 2016 production was similar enough with 41 grabs for 510 yards and one score. However, he reeled in only 46% of his targets versus 72% in the year prior.

The Seahawks will have Doug Baldwin, Paul Richardson, Tyler Lockett, and Kasen Williams as their top four receivers to start the year, though a shoulder injury could keep Richardson off the field in Week 1 against the Packers.

Vontaze Burfict’s Suspension Reduced

August 30th, 2017 at 5:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Vontaze Burfict‘s suspension has been reduced to three games, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. The Bengals linebacker was slated for a five-game ban before his appeal hearing.

Burfict found himself in hot water for his hit on Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman earlier in the preseason. The linebacker tackled Sherman roughly four or five yards from the line of scrimmage and nailed him in the head/neck area. Sherman did not have the ball, nor was he the targeted receiver on the play. Whether intentional or not, the hit provoked the ire of the league office because it came in well above the jersey numbers.

“I hit harder than most of the other linebackers,” Burfict explained earlier this week (via Jim Owczarski of The Enquirer). “He kind of crunched up. I lowered my target, hit him straight in the chest. I talked to him the next series to see if he was alright and he said yeah, that’s a legal hit. You’ve got to keep your head on a swivel when you come across the middle and everybody knows that.”

Of course, Burfict has run afoul of league safety rules before. Over his five-year career, Burfict has racked up nearly $800K in fines and been flagged 16 times for unnecessary roughness, personal fouls or roughing the passer.

Burfict’s 2016 season was also shortened by a suspension. He finished out the year with 101 tackles and two sacks across eleven games.

The Bengals will be without Burfict for games against the Ravens, Texans, and Packers, but they’ll now have him in uniform for contests against the Browns and Bills.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/30/17

August 30th, 2017 at 4:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Waived: WR Reginald Davis III, T Wil Freeman, S Jordan Moore, S Deron Washington
Waived from IR: T Kevin Graf

Dallas Cowboys

Signed: RB Brandon Brown-Dukes

Houston Texans

Waived from IR: WR Devin Street

Los Angeles Rams

Signed: K Travis Coons

New York Giants

Waived from IR: WR Darius Powe

Philadelphia Eagles

Claimed off waivers: DE Jake Metz

Tennessee Titans

Waived/injured: CB Jeremy Boykins, WR Mekale McKay

Cardinals Interested In Panthers’ Andy Lee

August 30th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have interest in punter Andy Lee, whom the Panthers are shopping, according to Mike Jurecki of Arizona 98.7 FM.

Arizona sifted through multiple punters in 2016, as Ryan Quigley, Drew Butler, and Matt Wile all played in at least three games for the club. Wile is the only one still left on the roster, and he’s competing with Richie Leone — who signed a futures deal with the Cardinals in January — for the starting job. As a team, Arizona was putrid on punts last season, as their 14.7 points of lost field position was second only to the Jets, per Football Outsiders.

Lee, 35, only played in nine games for the Panthers in 2016 before going down with a season-ending hamstring injury. In that time, he punted 36 times with a net average of 40.4 yards, which would have ranked 14th among NFL punters had Lee seen enough action to qualify. After reworking his contract earlier this year, Lee is signed for $1MM in 2017 and $1.1MM in 2018.

Carolina gave up a fourth-round selection for Lee at this time last year, but the club is highly unlikely to reap such compensation now that Lee is coming off injury. As Jurecki notes, the Cardinals are projected to earn four compensatory picks in 2018, meaning they could have extra ammunition with which to play.

Steelers To Sign CB Joe Haden

August 30th, 2017 at 3:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers are expected to sign cornerback Joe Haden to a three-year, $27MM deal that includes $7MM in 2017, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That $7MM figure also represents the contract’s guarantee, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Haden will stay in the AFC North and land with Pittsburgh despite receiving larger offers from other clubs, tweets Schefter, who adds that Haden wanted to be a Steeler. A number of other teams, including the Dolphins, Eagles, Saints, Chiefs, Cowboys, and 49ers also expressed interest in Haden, but the Pittsburgh had been considered the favorite to ink the former Browns cornerback.

The Steelers ranked 12th in DVOA against the pass a season ago, but the club’s secondary was still missing a clear-cut No. 1 cornerback. It’s not clear that Haden fits that definition anymore, as he graded as the No. 88 corner among 110 qualifiers in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. Injuries were likely a factor in his decreased production, but health isn’t a guarantee for Haden, who’s missed 14 games over the past two seasons.

Before releasing him earlier today, Cleveland offered to reduce Haden’s pay from $11MM to $7MM, per Rapoport (Twitter link), and Haden will now earn that same total with the Steelers. Haden’s deal contained offset language, so the Browns are not on the hook for the $4MM in guaranteed base salary it owes to the 28-year-old cornerback.

Pittsburgh now boasts a relatively deep defensive backfield, as Haden joins a unit that also includes Ross Cockrell, Artie Burns, William Gay, Senquez Golson, Cameron Sutton, and Coty Sensabaugh.

Raiders Extend WR Seth Roberts

August 30th, 2017 at 3:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders have agreed to a new three-year, $12MM with wide receiver Seth Roberts, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Roberts will earn $6.45MM in guarantees and is now under team control through 2019. Oakland has officially announced the transaction.

Roberts, 26, had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent next offseason after earning just $615K in 2017. The Raiders could have placed the first-round tender on Roberts in 2018 at a cost of roughly $4MM, meaning they’d have controlled him for the next two seasons at a cost ~$4.7MM. Given that his new contract is worth $12MM over three seasons, Oakland is valuing Roberts’ 2019 season at roughly $7.3MM.

The Raiders have used Roberts as a third wide receiver for the past two seasons, during which he’s appeared in all 32 possible games. During that time, Roberts has averaged 35 receptions,, 438 yards, and five touchdowns per year while playing behind Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. Football Outsiders hasn’t been a fan of Roberts’ work, however, ranking him 83rd and 84th in DVOA and DYAR, respectively, among 94 qualifiers.

Oakland has been extremely willing to lock up its core pieces this offseason, as its agreed to extensions with quarterback Derek Carr and offensive guard Gabe Jackson over the past several months before signing Roberts to a multi-year pact today.