2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

Ravens Waive TE Crockett Gillmore

August 4th, 2017 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens announced that tight end Crockett Gillmore has been waived to make room for the newly signed Austin Howard. Gillmore, of course, is out for the year after suffering a knee injury in July.

Gillmore, 25, had 33 catches for 412 yards and four touchdowns in 2015. Unfortunately, injuries have hampered him ever since. In 2016, he appeared in only seven games thanks to back and knee issues. Now, he’ll have to wait until 2018 to see the field again.

By exposing Gillmore to waivers, the Ravens run the risk of another team swooping in on him and planting him on the roster. If Gillmore clears waivers – probably the most likely scenario given his current status – then he will revert to the team’s injured reserve. From there, the Ravens can either park him on IR or release him with an injury settlement.

Steelers, Mike Tomlin Agree To Extension

August 4th, 2017 at 2:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers have inked an extension with coach Mike Tomlin. The new deal will take him through the 2020 season.

“I am pleased to announce we have extended Mike Tomlin’s contract through the 2020 season,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Mike continues to prove he is one of the top head coaches in the National Football League. We appreciate the leadership that Mike has provided over the last 10 seasons, and we are confident and excited to have him continue to lead our team as we focus on winning another championship.”

A new deal has been expected for weeks now. This year, Tomlin’s deal automatically vested through the 2019 campaign based on wins, but the Steelers wanted to lock him up for an even longer term.

Tomlin is entering his eleventh season as the coach of the Steelers. In his time at the helm, Pittsburgh has made the playoffs seven times and has never finished a season with less than eight wins. Overall, Tomlin has a 103-57 regular season record, two AFC Championship titles, and one Super Bowl ring.

Next up for the Steelers could be an extension for general manager Kevin Colbert. His current deal expires after the 2018 draft.

The Steelers have just three coaches since 1969, the year of Chuck Noll‘s hiring.

Dolphins Reach Out To Jay Cutler

August 4th, 2017 at 1:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins are already looking for insurance in the event that Ryan Tannehill has to miss games. The team reached out to former Bears quarterback Jay Cutler, according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald.

After finding a tepid market this spring, Cutler retired from football and joined the NFL on FOX’s broadcast team. He indicated that he was most likely done playing, but he could maybe be persuaded to return if he can jump in with a potential playoff team like the Dolphins.

Of course, Cutler and coach Adam Gase have some shared history. Gase was Cutler’s offensive coordinator in 2015 when the QB threw 25 touchdowns against 11 interceptions. It turns out Gase personally reached out to Cutler shortly after Tannehill suffered his injury.

Coach Adam Gase has been in contact with Cutler personally the pasty two days as the two men have worked on rekindling a relationship that helped Cutler throw 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2015 when he was the starting QB for Chicago and Gase was the offensive coordinator

The Dolphins have reached out to “multiple” QBs, according to Salguero, but Cutler is the most prominent one of the bunch so far. That probably means that Colin Kaepernick has not been contacted. Other noteworthy available QBs include Robert Griffin III, Christian Ponder, and Shaun Hill.

Now that Cutler is in play for Miami, one has to wonder if the Dolphins might also try and lure CBS broadcaster Tony Romo out of retirement.

Ravens Sign OT Austin Howard

August 4th, 2017 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens will sign former former Raiders offensive tackle Austin Howard, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Howard was released by Oakland one week ago.

It’s a three-year deal worth$16MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The deal includes team options after each year with $5.5MM coming to him in the first season. At the end, Howard was down to the Ravens and Texans after also visiting Houston.

The deal marks something of a homecoming for Howard, who once was a part of the Ravens’ practice squad. He can expected to compete with James Hurst for the starting right tackle job. If he falls short, he can be used as a swingman off of the bench to bolster the depth on both the interior and exterior of the line. Then again, with a contract like this, the Ravens are probably anticipating that he’ll be with the first unit.

Howard was slowed by an ankle injury in 2016 and is coming off of a down year in terms of performance. Still, he offers far more experience than Hurst and could be a decent starter if he’s healthy. Hurst has just 16 career starts versus Howard’s 72 starts in 76 career appearances.

Overall, this hasn’t been a great offseason for the Ravens’ offensive line. The team lost right tackle Ricky Wagner to free agency, center John Urschel to retirement, and guard Nico Siragusa to a season-ending knee injury. Baltimore hopes that the addition of Howard will help offset its major losses.

Jets Sign Devon Still

August 4th, 2017 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have signed Devon Still, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The defensive lineman will join the Jets’ 90-man roster with an eye on making the final 53-man cut in September.

Still, 28, barely played for the Texans last year a Lisfranc injury sent him into surgery. A former second-round pick, the defensive tackle has never lived up to his draft billing, as he’s never started a game during his career due to health issues and lack of effectiveness. Of course, Still has dealt with plenty in his off-field life, as his daughter Leah battled cancer until announcing in 2015 she was cancer-free.

Still’s so-so production last year left him on the market for longer than he would have liked, but his versatility helped him land a job with the Jets’ 3-4 scheme after the 4-3 Bills passed on signing him last month. Still will now fight to back-up the likes of Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Leonard Williams, and Steve McLendon. It won’t be easy to crack the Jets’ deepest unit, but he’ll at least be doing in full health.

Latest On Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott

August 4th, 2017 at 11:11am CST by Zachary Links

Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott remains under investigation by the league, but owner Jerry Jones says the NFL is looking at his pattern of behavior rather than the allegations of abuse from last year.

“The domestic violence is not an issue,” Jones told NBC (via Charean Williams of PFT). “Zeke has had some other things that have been looked at and are being looked at. But from the domestic violence issue, there’s not an issue. I think that my hope is that Zeke is with us opening night, and I don’t want to get into anything that might in any way influence negatively that decision from the league office.”

All along, Jones has maintained that the allegations against Elliott are without merit. The owner’s latest comments indicate that the league may be in agreement, though his other missteps could still keep him from the field. Those off-the-field incidents include pulling a woman’s shirt down during a St. Patrick’s Day parade in March and potentially having some involvement in a barroom brawl days before the start of training camp.

Although Jones is firmly in Elliott’s corner, he also hopes that he learns from his mistakes and avoids dicey situations going forward.

Fins Fear Ryan Tannehill Will Miss Season

August 3rd, 2017 at 9:25pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Dolphins’ “fear” is that quarterback Ryan Tannehill will have to undergo season-ending surgery on his left knee, according to Adam Schefter and Jeff Darlington of ESPN. They haven’t made a decision yet, however, and Tannehill could choose to rest for six to weight weeks in lieu of surgery.

A few reports have trickled in regarding Tannehill’s knee since he departed practice on Thursday. While one of those has been positive, the majority have offered pessimistic outlooks, which is the case here. Tannehill has injured his left knee twice since last December, when he partially tore his ACL and had to sit out the Dolphins’ final three regular-season games and their wild-card round loss to the Steelers.

Darlington reported earlier Thursday that there are some Dolphins officials who would like Tannehill to undergo surgery as a way to put his left knee problems behind him for good, and a source told him and Schefter that “[Tannehill’s] done, I think,” in regards to his chances of playing this year. Another informed the reporters that Tannehill’s knee is “a ticking time bomb that was going to go off at any time.”

Even in a best-case scenario, it seems the Dolphins could go without Tannehill until sometime in October, which would leave them with Matt Moore as their only experienced quarterback. Moore performed admirably in Tannehill’s stead down the stretch last season, but he hasn’t started extensively since his first year with the Dolphins in 2011. While Miami could choose to ride it out with Moore under center, it’ll still look for insurance at the position. The retired Jay Cutler is reportedly willing to table his fledgling broadcasting career to play for the Dolphins and reunite with head coach Adam Gase, who meshed nicely with the signal-caller as the Bears’ offensive coordinator in 2015. However, the 34-year-old Cutler would only return if the Dolphins were to guarantee him a starting job for the entire season.

Unlike Cutler, other options won’t be in position to demand a starting job at this point. Colin Kaepernick, who has drawn some interest from the Dolphins, is one possibility. Robert Griffin III, Christian Ponder, Shaun Hill and Zach Mettenberger are also among the league’s unemployed QBs. No one from that group has ties to Gase, though veteran Browns backup Brock Osweiler does from their days together in Denver. Osweiler might end up on the outs in Cleveland in the coming weeks if he doesn’t win its starting job, which could make him a Dolphins target.

Regardless of where Miami goes from here, it’s now in a disastrous situation on the heels of its first playoff season since 2008. Tannehill was instrumental in the Dolphins’ success last season, and he has served as a capable starter since they chose him eighth overall in the 2012 draft. The ex-Texas A&M standout fared well enough earlier in his career for the Dolphins to hand him a four-year, $77MM extension prior to the 2015 campaign. Tannehill’s under team control through 2020 as a result.

NFC Notes: Freeman, Panthers, Vikes

August 3rd, 2017 at 9:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

An extension for Falcons running back Devonta Freeman doesn’t appear imminent, but an agreement should come together by early September, writes Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The Falcons and Freeman’s agent, Kristin Campbell, are engaging in daily conversations, and both sides are motivated to reach a deal, adds Graziano. Atlanta regards the 25-year-old as a cornerstone player after witnessing him pile up 1,000-plus rushing yards in each of the previous two campaigns, to go with 27 touchdowns (22 on the ground, five as a receiver) and 127 catches. Freeman provided that production while making a relative pittance, and he’ll earn another low base salary this year ($1.797MM) if talks with the Falcons fall through. It doesn’t appear that will happen, however.

Austin Howard Visiting Ravens

August 3rd, 2017 at 8:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent offensive tackle Austin Howard is in Baltimore visiting the Ravens, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). The Sun’s Mike Preston first reported Baltimore’s interest in Howard last week.

Given the attrition they’ve faced up front since the end of last season, the Ravens are known to be on the lookout for offensive line help. It’s no surprise, then, that they’re pursuing Howard, one of the most accomplished blockers available. He’d somewhat help cover for the departure of right tackle Ricky Wagner, who signed a mega-deal with the Lions in free agency. Baltimore’s O-line also lost center John Urschel to retirement earlier this summer, and interior rookie Nico Siragusa suffered a season-ending knee injury this week.

For the moment, the Ravens are counting on right tackle James Hurst – he of 16 career starts – to line up opposite No. 1 left tackle Ronnie Stanley. The 30-year-old Howard brings far more experience, having notched 72 starts in 76 appearances over six seasons spread among the Eagles, Jets and Raiders.

Howard battled an ankle injury during an 11-game campaign last year in Oakland, where he started 10 times and ranked a below-average 52nd in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 77 qualified tackles. The Raiders released Howard last week, which came with two seasons remaining on the five-year, $30MM deal he signed with them in 2014.

Raiders Sign IK Enemkpali

August 3rd, 2017 at 6:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Raiders have signed pass rusher IK Enemkpali to a one-year deal, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

The addition of Enemkpali comes just a few days after renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews gave the 26-year-old a clean bill of health from the torn ACL he suffered last summer. Enemkpali was then a member of the Bills, with whom he appeared in 11 games in 2015 and didn’t make much of a dent on the stat sheet, only registering 13 tackles. He picked up three tackles in six games the year before with the Jets.

Enemkpali’s claim to fame isn’t on-field production, of course, but an off-field dust-up with ex-Jets quarterback Geno Smith. The defensive end broke Smith’s jaw with a punch prior to the 2015 season, which led to a four-game suspension for Enemkpali and his ouster from the Jets. Meanwhile, Smith missed a significant portion of time that year.

Although Enemkpali’s a household name for the wrong reasons, the 2014 sixth-round pick will nonetheless get another opportunity with the Raiders, adding to their DE options behind Khalil Mack and Mario Edwards Jr. One of the Raiders’ top ends, Jihad Ward, is on the active/physically unable to perform list with a foot issue, so they could use the depth.