2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

49ers Sign OL Andrew Gardner

August 14th, 2017 at 1:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers signed offensive lineman Andrew Gardner and defensive tackle Leger Douzable, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Gardner, 31, finished out the 2016 season with the Niners. He has been a bit of a journeyman over the years, but he might have an opportunity to stick for a little while in San Francisco. The veteran’s most notable experience came with the Eagles when he started eleven games from 2014-15.

The Gardner addition should give the Niners additional depth while starting guard Joshua Garnett misses time at the start of the season. Originally given a one-month timetable for recovery, doctors have now told Garnett that he will need six weeks to get back on the field.

Douzable, also 31, was a favorite of coach Rex Ryan and wound up playing for him in both New York and Buffalo. He appeared in every game for the Bills last season (including five starts) and had 43 total tackles and 1.5 sacks.

Chargers’ Mike Williams Eyeing Oct. Debut

August 14th, 2017 at 12:38pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chargers are eyeing an October debut for first-round pick wide receiver Mike Williams, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears. That’s a good sign for Williams considering that the team was uncertain about whether he would be able to play at all in 2017.

The Chargers selected Williams with the No. 7 overall pick in this year’s draft. Los Angeles is hoping to slot Williams in as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver this year, providing support to top target Keenan Allen. For however long he is out, the Bolts will have to rely more heavily on Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams, and Dontrelle Inman.

Los Angeles will be closely monitoring Williams over the next few weeks to get a better handle on his timeline. If Williams needs to rest until Week 7 (October 22 vs. the Broncos), then starting the season the PUP list could be the way to go. However, if they think he can take the field sooner, they may refrain from doing that.

Williams, a 6’4″, 218-pound receiver, turned in a 98-catch, 1,361-yard, 11-touchdown season in 2016. The Chargers are hoping to see what he can do at the next level sooner rather than later.

Lions DE Kerry Hyder Out For Season

August 14th, 2017 at 11:48am CST by Dallas Robinson

Lions defensive end Kerry Hyder is out for 2017, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Hyder suffered an Achilles tear during Sunday’s preseason game against the Colts and doctors confirmed the injury on Monday morning.

Losing Hyder represents an enormous blow to a Lions defense that was already thin on quality depth at the edge position. Hyder, 26, played 655 defensive snaps a year ago (second-most among Detroit defensive linemen), and posted eight sacks and 36 tackles during that time. Pro Football Focus graded Hyder as the No. 42 defensive end in the league in 2016, the highest rank among Lions edge defenders.

Even with Hyder on board, Detroit’s defense struggled last season. Overall, the unit ranked dead last in DVOA while finishing 21st in adjusted line yards and 25th in adjusted sack rate. If Hyder is sidelined for the year, free agent addition Cornelius Washington, draft picks Jeremiah Ledbetter and Pat O’Connor, plus incumbent Brandon Copeland, could be called on to play more snaps opposite Ezekiel Ansah. Veterans Armonty Bryant and Khyri Thornton, too, should play a larger role once they return from suspension.

If the Lions decide to scour the free agent market for a replacement, there are options available. Dwight Freeney, Eugene Sims, Trent Cole, Paul Kruger, and Mario Williams look like the best true edge rushers, while players such as Tyson Jackson and Jared Odrick are capable of playing both end and tackle.

Latest On Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott

August 14th, 2017 at 11:26am CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott won’t formally appeal his six-game suspension until Tuesday, but we’re already getting early word on what his case might look like. Elliott’s team will argue that ex-girlfriend Tiffany Thompson made a number of threats to “ruin his career,” including one threat that was racial in nature, sources tell Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram. Elliott’s reps will also highlight inconsistencies in Thompson’s testimony throughout the process.

It’s not clear which of these “quoted threats” are substantiated by written evidence. In one instance, Elliott’s team alleges that Thompson said: “You are a black male athlete. I’m a white girl. They are not going to be believe you.” Elliott is “100 percent certain” that Thompson said this, per Hill’s source, but that might not hold much weight with the league office or in a court of law if it cannot be proven.

Elliott’s team will also make note of Thompson’s potentially bogus allegations of a domestic assault on July 22, 2016. The NFL has acknowledged that Thompson was not entirely truthful about the events on that day, though the running back will still have to answer for photographic evidence of other potential incidents on that same week.

If Elliott’s suspension stands, he will not see the field until late October.

Ravens Sign QB Thad Lewis

August 14th, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens announced that they have signed free agent quarterback Thaddeus Lewis. To make room, fellow QB Dustin Vaughan has been shown the door.

Vaughan was hoping to make the cut as a third-string quarterback behind starter Joe Flacco and primary backup Ryan Mallett. But, given Flacco’s back injury and Mallett’s struggles in practice, the Ravens are taking an especially look at their reserves. Vaughan apparently didn’t do enough to practice to assert his spot, prompting the team to look elsewhere.

Lewis, 32, signed a one-year deal with the 49ers last year, but a torn ACL ended his season before it could begin. The good news is that Lewis was medically cleared in May and he was able to hit the workout circuit starting in late July. An audition for the Rams did not yield a deal, but the Ravens apparently believe that he is 100% healthy and ready to contribute. It seems likely that the Ravens will allow Lewis to compete with Mallett for the QB2 role, though it could be challenging for him with only a few weeks to go before the start of the season.

The signing of Lewis may not sit well with those around football who were hoping the Ravens would sign Colin Kaepernick. Kaepernick is coming off of a decent season in which he spearheaded a less-than-decent offense. Lewis, meanwhile, hasn’t seen the field since 2013.

Colts Interested In Jeremy Zuttah

August 14th, 2017 at 10:03am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are interested in reunited with Jeremy Zuttah, but they’re not the only team with interest in the free agent interior lineman. Zuttah is expected to visit the Colts this week, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter).

Zuttah was let go by the 49ers last week after the team decided it would rather go with Daniel Kilgore as the starter with former Rams center Tim Barnes as his primary backup. All in all, Zuttah’s stint in SF lasted only a few months after the team acquired him via trade from Baltimore. That may not be a great endorsement of Zuttah’s skillset at the moment, but one man’s trash can be another man’s treasure in the NFL, particularly in the late summer.

The Colts, it seems, are on the lookout for offensive line depth after Ryan Kelly suffered a minor injury earlier this month. The 2016 first-round pick will be sidelined for a few weeks with a foot ailment and although he is not expected to miss regular season time, the Colts are probably reevaluating their Plan B options in the event that issue pops up again. Right now, 2017 undrafted free agent Deyshawn Bond and 2016 UDFA Adam Redmond appear to be the team’s best reserve options at center.

Saints Shopping Delvin Breaux

August 14th, 2017 at 9:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are shopping cornerback Delvin Breaux, according to Nick Underhill of The Advocate (on Twitter). Underhill hears that New Orleans is frustrated with Breaux’s recent injury history.

Last year, Breaux missed the start of the season with a broken fibula and had his season shut down in December with a shoulder injury. The Saints are apparently troubled by his fragility here in mid-August, which makes one wonder whether Breaux has re-aggravated one of his injuries in camp. If that’s the case, it’s hard to see teams champing at the bit to acquire him.

Last year, the former CFL standout had a dismal 39.1 score from Pro Football Focus and played in a full slate of games . In 2016, however, he had an 85 overall score which cast him as a top-15 type of cornerback. If Breaux is healthy, real interest from at least a handful of teams can be expected.

The Saints can afford to part with Breaux in the right deal since he is not projected to start in 2017. According to Underhill, P.J. Williams and Ken Crowley look like the clubhouse leaders here in August while Sterling Moore and first-round pick Marshon Lattimore are also expected to see playing time.

Extra Points: Matthews, Megatron, Wheaton

August 13th, 2017 at 8:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Eagles dealt Jordan Matthews rather than make him part of their large recent group of extension signees, Howie Roseman said the trade wouldn’t preclude the team from re-signing Matthews as a free agent, Eliot Shorr-Parks tweets. Whether Matthews would consider a return to Philadelphia after this is another story. The Bills wideout is one of many notable receivers entering contract years. He joins fellow Friday traded pass-catcher Sammy Watkins, along with DeAndre Hopkins and fellow 2014 draftees Jarvis Landry, Davante Adams, Allen Robinson, Donte Moncrief as a prospective UFA.

The Bills have a revamped wide receiver corps, having traded Watkins and observed Robert Woods and Marquise Goodwin leave in free agency, so it would stand to reason they’d want to keep Matthews past 2017. But the acquisitions of Matthews and E.J. Gaines may have been secondary to the second- and third-round draft choices received, so Buffalo’s strategy with the newly acquired players will be interesting.

Here’s the latest from around the league as preseason’s first week wraps up.

Teams have reportedly attempted to lure Calvin Johnson out of retirement, but the Lions still have the rights to Megatron if he were to return. But the timing of a Johnson comeback could affect where he’d end up. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes Johnson could put the Lions in a tough spot by notifying the NFL he intends to come back now. Operating under the premise Megatron was retired, the Lions have barely $7MM in cap space. Florio posits a Johnson comeback could get him to free agency — and teams he may believe have a better shot at contention — since his $16MM salary would hit the Lions’ payroll and force the team to act quickly to get in line with the cap. A trade or release would get Johnson out of Detroit, something he may not mind in a comeback scenario given the comments he made this offseason. The potential Hall of Famer turns 32 in September.
This probably shouldn’t be a surprise, but it appears Patrick Mahomes has leapfrogged Tyler Bray on the Chiefs‘ depth chart after their first preseason game, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports. Despite the rare first-round investment from a franchise that spent a generation signing free agent quarterbacks or trading for them, the Chiefs first installed Mahomes as their third-stringer to start camp.
Injuries are again affecting Markus Wheaton‘s status. The Bears wideout missed over a week of camp because of an emergency appendectomy and didn’t return until Saturday, but the fifth-year pass-catcher now has a broken pinkie finger sidelining him, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reports. John Fox doesn’t have a return timetable for Wheaton. The Bears signed three veteran wideouts to one-year deals, but Wheaton received more of a commitment than Kendall Wright or Victor Cruz. Wheaton is guaranteed $6MM in 2017 as part of his two-year contract. Dickerson adds the Bears still envision a large role for Wheaton, who missed 13 games last season due to a shoulder injury.
The Jets drafted safeties with their first two picks, leading to a shakeup this offseason. But one of their second-stringers may not be playing for them for a while — if at all — in 2017. Second-year safety Doug Middleton is expected to undergo surgery after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in Gang Green’s first preseason game, Manish Mehta and Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News report. Middleton and Rontez Miles were running with the Jets’ second team behind Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye. An ex-UDFA, Middleton will seek a second opinion, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter). The Jets signed safety Robenson Therezie earlier Sunday, a sign they believe they may be a man short going forward.

PFR Originals: 8/6/17 – 8/13/17

August 13th, 2017 at 6:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

With the 2017 regular season only several weeks away, PFR began its annual Offseason In Review series, assessing the major signings, departures, trades, and other notable events for each of the 32 NFL clubs. We covered two teams this week:
- Green Bay Packers
- Oakland Raiders
A recent report indicated the Bengals rejected a second-round pick for backup quarterback A.J. McCarron this offseason, so I attempted to figure out which clubs may have been involved in such talks with Cincinnati. I tossed out options such the Jets, Broncos, 49ers, and Browns, the latter of whom is the most likely contender for the mystery McCarron suitor, per a PFR reader poll at the end of the piece.

Jim Irsay Won’t Commit To Andrew Luck Playing Week 1

August 13th, 2017 at 5:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts still do not have the services of their franchise quarterback, and with Week 1 less than a month away, they are unsure if Andrew Luck will be leading that effort.

Jim Irsay said he can’t commit to Luck suiting up with the Colts for their opener, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets. Irsay added he considered signing a veteran quarterback but called the price attached to this player “too high,” via Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com (on Twitter). Chappell adds this unnamed veteran was a player in his mid-30s and not Colin Kaepernick.

Irsay (via Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star, on Twitter) said Luck “could miss one game, could miss two, hypothetically.”

The owner’s comments follow a pattern of caution regarding Luck. The sixth-year quarterback, who is still recovering from January shoulder surgery, said himself he couldn’t commit to that date when asked at the start of training camp. But now that camp’s more than two weeks in, this hesitancy becomes a greater concern for Indianapolis’ early-season prospects.

Chris Ballard said in late July the Colts did engage in discussions with a potential veteran backup, seeming to confirm Irsay’s Sunday comments. As it stands, Scott Tolzien is Luck’s backup.

Ballard added Sunday while interviewed during Indianapolis’ preseason opener (via Holder, on Twitter) Luck’s strength levels are probably better now than they were at any point last season. Luck played through a partially torn labrum last year. Holder adds (via Twitter) Luck is throwing currently, but the Colts are holding him back. The cornerstone passer will ramp up his activity when doctors advise it, Holder tweets.

The Colts open their season at the Rams before closing out September with home tilts against the Cardinals and Browns.