2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

Month: January 2025

5 Key Stories: 7/30/17 – 8/6/17

August 6th, 2017 at 5:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dolphins lure Jay Cutler away from FOX: A lot happened in Miami over the past few days. Ryan Tannehill went down with what now looks like a season-defining injury, and although an initial report indicated the 29-year-old starter dodged a bullet by avoiding ligament damage, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald notes Tannehill suffered another partially torn ACL. Three days after the injury, the Dolphins brought Jay Cutler out of retirement. Adam Gase made an aggressive pitch for the FOX analyst-to-be, and Miami raised its offer to entice the 34-year-old quarterback. The Dolphins considered Colin Kaepernick for this post but went with familiarity; Cutler and Gase worked together on the 2015 Bears.

Impact NFC defenders sign third deals: Kam Chancellor angled for a new Seahawks contract as early as the start of the 2015 season, when the safety staged a holdout. He finally signed a third Seattle deal this week. The Vikings have been on an extension bender for defenders, and Linval Joseph‘s re-up followed Everson Griffen and Xavier Rhodes. Chancellor’s future Seattle years will have $12MM salaries associated with them; the impact defender is now among the highest-paid performers at his position. The Vikes, meanwhile, continue to lock down cornerstone members of their stellar 2016 defense.

Gareon Conley cleared of charges: The Raiders rolled the dice by using a first-round pick on a player accused of sexual assault, but the Ohio State cornerback won’t face charges for that alleged April incident — an accusation Conley vehemently denied. As a result, Oakland snagged a value pick and will bring a highly touted young talent into the fold for a team that didn’t have much in the pipeline. Although the Raiders still have veteran starters, Conley joins an ascending Raiders team that now has more options in the secondary than in previous years.

Ravens divided on Kaepernick: Joe Flacco is without a definitive timetable to return to practice, and the Ravens are light on quarterback depth. Steve Bisciotti confirmed the team was considering Colin Kaepernick to join a contingent that also includes Ryan Mallett. The owner said Robert Griffin III was a consideration, but the former No. 2 overall pick was dropped from that group soon after. Kaepernick, though, may have Baltimore’s brass divided. Diana Russini of ESPN.com reported Ozzie Newsome and John Harbaugh are in favor of the polarizing quarterback, but Bisciotti is not as warm to the idea. The Ravens have done extensive temperature measurement on a Kaepernick addition this week, but key Baltimore veterans would be on board.

Camp injuries strike: Several teams lost key players either for the season for extended periods of time. Already operating without their first-round pick for the time being, Chargers saw their second-round pick go down. Forrest Lamp is out for the year with a torn ACL. The 49ers lost starting outside linebacker Malcolm Smith, whom they signed to a five-year deal to come over from the Raiders, to a season-ending torn pectoral. The Ravens, after losing Dennis Pitta, saw another tight end go down in Crockett Gillmore. They subsequently waived him to clear roster space for Austin Howard. The Rams planned to give Dominique Easley an increased workload but lost the defensive lineman for the season. It’s Easley’s third torn ACL. Texans No. 2 wideout Will Fuller will miss months because of a broken collarbone, and Jets No. 1 target Quincy Enunwa is out for an uncertain period of time with a neck injury.

Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images and Pro Football Rumors on Instagram

East Notes: Dolphins, Glenn, Reed, Eagles

August 6th, 2017 at 4:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins‘ Jay Cutler addition easily became the NFL story of the week, and more specifics on the agreement are emerging. Cutler’s $5MM base salary will be augmented by $5MM in bonuses and $3MM in incentives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Between Cutler, Ryan Tannehill and Matt Moore, the Dolphins are spending more than $32MM on quarterback salaries this season. This salary will represent Cutler’s lowest in a season since 2013, prior to his second Bears pact.

Rapoport (video link) didn’t rule out the possibility of a multiyear Dolphins/Cutler union, but said as of now the plan is just for this season. He cites Cutler’s desire to play, noting the interest he had in the Texans’ job, and possible success with Adam Gase as a reason the door is slightly ajar for the 34-year-old passer to have a beyond-2017 future with the Dolphins.

Here’s the latest from the Eastern divisions.

Of course, Tannehill is under contract through the 2020 season. But Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com notes (via Twitter) the Dolphins can escape from Tannehill’s contract after this season, if they choose. No fully guaranteed money remains on Tannehill’s deal, although a $5.25MM injury guarantee for 2018 is in place. Breer categorizes the 2018-20 portion of Tannehill’s contract as team options. The Dolphins, though, don’t have another long-term solution lined up beyond the suddenly injury-prone Tannehill.
This Cutler signing will make a Jarvis Landry extension more difficult, James Walker of ESPN.com offers. The Dolphins entered Sunday with $17MM-plus in cap space, with just $3MM projected to be available in 2018. While the latter figure doesn’t mean a ton yet due to roster moves that could me made to increase it, the Dolphins lost some possible carryover money due to the Cutler signing, one Walker calls a mistake. Gase’s Bears campaign produced the 23rd-ranked passing offense in 2015 and a 6-10 record. Although, the Bears were playing without some skill-position talent that season. But Cutler has only led one team, the ’10 Bears, to the postseason and is coming off an injury-marred season. As for Landry, not much has developed on that front.
Cordy Glenn has struggled with lower-leg and foot problems since last season, and the Bills‘ franchise left tackle still has some uncertainty surrounding his status. That said, Glenn returned to practice on Sunday after seeing a foot specialist, Rapoport reports (on Twitter). Glenn recently received a second opinion on his foot from foot specialist Dr. Robert Anderson, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News reports. Sean McDermott called the veteran blocker day-to-day.
Jay Gruden is optimistic Jordan Reed will be able to shake his toe injury and be ready to go by the time the Redskins take the field in Week 1. “From every indication I’ve received from the doctors and trainers and from Jordan, I feel he’ll be ready for the season,” Gruden said, via John Keim of ESPN.com. “But you never know, so we’ll still have to wait and see. Things are odd from time to time, but I have total faith that he’ll be ready.” Reed is on the Active/PUP list and struggled with the toe malady throughout last season. Reed also visited with Dr. Anderson last week but has ramped up his work since.
Corey Graham has experience at both secondary positions, but Jim Schwartz plans to use his former Bills charge at safety despite the Eagles being weaker at corner, Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com notes, adding that Malcolm Jenkins could shift into the slot on sub-packages. Graham has played most of his career at corner but moved to safety full-time in 2015.

Falcons’ Jalen Collins Suspended 10 Games

August 6th, 2017 at 2:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second straight year, Falcons cornerback Jalen Collins will be suspended without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

The Falcons announced the suspension. It’s a 10-game ban because Collins was suspended four games in 2016 for a PED violation.

“We are extremely disappointed that for the second straight season we are dealing with a suspension for Jalen,” Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said. “Such are the consequences when certain choices are made. Our decisions going forward will be based on what Dan and I feel is best for the team.”

A second-round pick in 2015, Collins returned from suspension and started six games for Atlanta after opening with the Falcons’ first unit in two games as a rookie. Collins started all three Falcons playoff games. He intercepted two passes and made 31 tackles during the regular season. The Falcons now have Desmond Trufant back healthy, along with well-compensated No. 2 corner Robert Alford.

Although he’s eligible to stay with the team throughout the preseason, Collins won’t be eligible to return to the Falcons until November 21. The 24-year-old defender has been working with Atlanta’s third team thus far during camp. The Falcons did not make any high-profile outside additions at corner this offseason.

PFR Originals: 7/30/17 – 8/6/17

August 6th, 2017 at 2:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

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

The 2017 regular season is less than two months away. PFR has begun 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 the Washington Redskins this week.
There have been some high-profile young quarterbacks on the UFA market for some time now, and PFR’s Zach Links asked readers which was going to sign first. Colin Kaepernick won a competitive race. However, Ryan Tannehill‘s sudden injury prompted the Dolphins to go with a wild-card entrant. Adam Gase lured Jay Cutler out of retirement.

Saints Sign K Patrick Murray

August 6th, 2017 at 12:06pm CST by Rory Parks

The Saints have signed kicker Patrick Murray, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport says Murray will compete with incumbent Wil Lutz, but Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune tweets that Lutz has looked great in camp, so New Orleans may have signed Murray simply to allow Lutz to save his leg. Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate, meanwhile, says there is a kicking competition, though he still thinks Lutz is pretty safe (Twitter links).

Regardless, Murray is more accomplished than a camp fodder kicker that is often brought in just to spell the presumptive starter before the regular season begins. In 2014, Murray was the Buccaneers’ kicker and converted 20 of 24 field goals. He spent all of 2015 on IR before winning the Browns’ kicking competition last summer. Unfortunately, he played in only two games for Cleveland before landing on IR for the second consecutive year. He made one of his two field goal attempts and three of his four extra point opportunities.

Lutz originally signed with the Ravens as a UDFA last year, but he never had a chance to beat out Justin Tucker and was cut in late August. He caught on with the Saints a week later and spent the entire year as the club’s kicker, connecting on 28 of 34 field goal attempts and 49 of 50 extra points. He was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 6 and Week 8.

AFC Notes: McCown, Cutler, Brissett, Ochi

August 6th, 2017 at 11:35am CST by Rory Parks

Regardless of what head coach Todd Bowles says, the Jets‘ QB battle is not an open competition, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. Costello writes that Josh McCown has taken about 99% of the first-team reps in training camp, while Christian Hackenberg has worked almost exclusively with the second unit. Unless Hackenberg excels during New York’s first two preseason games, Costello expects McCown to be under center come Week 1, which is what we expected all along.

Now let’s take a look at a few more notes from the AFC:

Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald says Dolphins brass hopes to resolve the Jay Cutler question soon, and that resolution could come as early as today (Twitter link).
Patriots wide receiver Danny Amendola accepted a pay cut to remain in New England for the third consecutive season, but as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, the 31-year-old Amendola (32 in November) never considered retirement, nor did he consider suiting up for anyone other than the Patriots. He again projects as the team’s fourth or fifth option at wide receiver, but he has grown comfortable with his limited role and at this point in his career he appears content to get a little burn while playing in a winning environment.
Jacoby Brissett, the Patriots No. 3 signal-caller who got two starts last season in the wake of Tom Brady‘s suspension and Jimmy Garoppolo‘s injury, is in danger of being cut, as Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes. Brissett did not have a strong spring, and with Brady showing no signs of slowing down and Garoppolo back as the No. 2 QB, New England could look to use Brissett’s roster spot on a linebacker, receiver, or defensive back.
Titans LB Victor Ochi tore his ACL in Friday night’s practice, per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (via Twitter). Ochi is a small school (Stony Brook) product who has spent time with the Ravens, Jets, Chiefs, and Titans in his brief career, appearing in two games with the Jets last season. He has a great deal of raw pass-rushing ability, but it seems he will have to wait until 2018 to put that ability back on display.
Dan Graziano of ESPN.com says Tyler Ervin, whom the Texans selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, could fill in for Will Fuller while Fuller recovers from a broken collarbone. Ervin is a running back by trade, but he has tremendous speed and the club was already planning to use him in multiple roles to utilize his athleticism (he returned 27 punts and 14 kickoffs last season). With Fuller out for awhile, Houston could give receiver reps to Ervin with an eye towards making him a full-time slot receiver.

Latest On Jordan Matthews

August 6th, 2017 at 10:30am CST by Rory Parks

Eagles wide receiver Jordan Matthews was mentioned as a trade candidate before free agency opened, but since he remained on the roster even after the team signed Torrey Smith and Alshon Jeffery and drafted Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson, those trade rumors all but disappeared. Recent developments, however, have led to renewed whispers that Matthews could be dealt.

For one, Matthews is dealing with knee tendonitis that kept him out of a good portion of spring practices, and though he is yet to miss a practice in training camp, Tim McManus of ESPN.com says that Matthews has struggled to “get right” since sustaining a bone bruise last August. Plus, the team has made no effort to engage in substantive extension talks, which, as McManus writes, is pretty telling given that executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman has a history of re-upping homegrown players early if they have been identified as part of the team’s core. Of course, it’s difficult to properly evaluate what an extension for Matthews would look like anyway, as he has performed well to this point in his career but he is a fairly unexplosive slot receiver who profiles as a No. 3 wideout on a contending team.

Then there is the fact that Nelson Agholor, the former first-rounder who was all but written off a few months ago, excelled when filling in for Matthews during the spring, and he has carried that strong performance into training camp. Daniel Jeremiah of the NFL Network recently said, “[Agholor] has had a total rebirth. He’s in the slot. He’s going to live in the slot. He’s going to be their slot receiver. I’ll be shocked if he’s not. I don’t know what that means for [Matthews]. Agholor is a lot more dynamic.”

Marcus Johnson, who signed as a UDFA last year, has also been impressive, as has Hollins. And while it would be foolhardy to put a lot of faith in Agholor at this point, not to mention a former UDFA and mid-round draft choices who have yet to prove anything, Roseman would certainly be justified in dealing Matthews now and getting some sort of draft pick compensation in return instead of letting him walk away for nothing in 2018.

For what it’s worth, McManus says trading Matthews would be unnecessarily risky, though it looks like more of an option now then it has in some time.

Jaguars Sign Jeron Johnson, Cut James Sample

August 6th, 2017 at 10:00am CST by Rory Parks

The Jaguars have cut safety James Sample and signed safety Jeron Johnson to take his place on the roster, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets. Jacksonville selected Sample in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, but he has struggled with shoulder and forearm injuries over his first two seasons in the league and has appeared in only four games as a result. All four of those games came in his rookie campaign, as he was placed on IR prior to the 2016 season.

Johnson is entering his seventh season in the league and has suited up for the Seahawks and Redskins in his career. He has been deployed primarily as a reserve defensive back and special-teamer and has just two starts to his credit. He performed well enough for Seattle from 2011-14 to land a two-year pact with Washington in 2015, but the Redskins cut him loose after just one year. He returned to Seattle last December and was part of the club’s playoff push, but the Seahawks did not re-sign him this offseason. He worked out with the Giants in June but left without a contract.

Barry Church and Tashaun Gipson make up Jacksonville’s starting safety tandem, but Johnson will have a chance to compete for a reserve role with the likes of Peyton Thompson, Jarrod Wilson, and Jarrod Harper. It is more likely, however, that he was signed for the contributions he could make to the Jags’ special teams unit, which was sub-par in 2016.

Harbaugh: No Definitive Date For Joe Flacco Return

August 6th, 2017 at 9:37am CST by Rory Parks

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said yesterday there is no definitive date for Joe Flacco to return to the field, as Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com writes. Flacco, of course, has been dealing with a back injury, and we heard at the end of July that he was preparing to miss three to six weeks, though more optimistic reports had him returning within one week.

Harbaugh said, “We know he’s getting better every single day. Obviously, we have a plan for him, football-wise, when he gets back. But we haven’t been told when yet.”

Harbaugh’s statement should not be surprising in light of Baltimore’s highly-publicized dalliance with free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick. If the Ravens were truly convinced that Flacco would only be out a short period of time, it is unlikely they would be entertaining the notion of signing Kaepernick as seriously they have, as Kaepernick would not compete with a healthy Flacco for the team’s starting job.

The Ravens have been ravaged by injury in the early stages of training camp, and while they may yet have enough talent to make a playoff push with the talent they currently have at their disposal, they need Flacco to be 100% to have a real chance at being competitive in 2017.

In his only public comments about the injury, which he made on July 28, Flacco said he was unsure of when he would return to practice. He said, “It is just one of those things where you have to be patient and not let your competitive nature get the best of you. I am talking about everybody — myself and, really, everybody.”

Quincy Enunwa Suffers Neck Injury

August 6th, 2017 at 9:07am CST by Rory Parks

Jets wide receiver Quincy Enunwa, the most experienced wideout on the team, suffered a neck injury during last night’s practice/scrimmage, as Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News writes. The injury occurred during 7-0n-7 drills, when Enunwa dove for a pass from Christian Hackenberg and hit his head on the ground. He attempted to get to his feet, but fell immediately on his face.

[RELATED: Jets Waive Bruce Ellington]

Head coach Todd Bowles indicated that he is uncertain of the severity of the injury at this point. He did say, however, that it is the same shoulder and neck issue that kept Enunwa out of all three minicamp practices, which makes the injury even more concerning.

If Enunwa is out for any length of time, it will seriously weaken an already thin receiving corps. Gang Green, of course, has initiated a full rebuild and jettisoned veteran wideouts Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker this offseason, leaving Enunwa — who broke out in 2016 with 58 catches for 857 yards and four touchdowns — as the No. 1 wideout by default. Behind him is a mix of rookies and castoffs from other clubs, none of whom have stood out in camp thus far. Assuming Hackenberg takes over the starting quarterback role at some point this season, the lack of weapons he has at his disposal will make it tough for the Jets’ front office to fairly evaluate him.

After trainers tended to Enunwa for several minutes, he was able to get to his feet and walk slowly off the field.

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