2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

49ers To Cut WR Bruce Ellington

August 3rd, 2017 at 11:47am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers plan to release wide receiver Bruce Ellington on Thursday, a league source tells Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter).

Ellington, 26 later this month, was a regular for the 49ers in 2014 and 2015. Unfortunately, the former fourth-round pick missed the entire 2016 season when he sustained a severe hamstring injury just prior to the 75-man cutdown.

This year, Ellington was facing something of an uphill battle with Pierre Garcon, Jeremy Kerley, Marquise Goodwin, Aldrick Robinson, and Louis Murphy in the top five receiver spots. With Ellington out of the way, fifth-round pick Trent Taylor and others will have a better chance of making the 53-man roster.

In 2015, Ellington’s last season on the field, he had 19 grabs for 137 yards. He did most of his work on special teams with 26 kick returns for 665 yards, good for an average of 25.6 yards.

Jets’ Richardson: Two Teams Wanted Pay Cut

August 3rd, 2017 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have been looking to move Sheldon Richardson for some time, but they have been unable to find a suitable trade for the last year. Apparently, teams have been able to agree on trade compensation with Gang Green, but they also asked that the defensive lineman accept a pay cut. Richardson says the Seahawks and Redskins both wanted to acquire him, but they requested a pay slash that he was not willing to take.

“It’s a business, bro,” Richardson told Manish Mehta of the Daily News. “There was one team that asked me to take a pay cut … and it was Seattle. And Washington too. There were a lot of offers. A lot of good offers. You’d be surprised.”

This year, Richardson is owed a fully-guaranteed $8.1MM salary, a price that’s a bit too rich for a player who has experienced off-the-field trouble and slipping production in recent years. Still, he’s immensely talented and, at his best, he’s among the best front seven players in the league. Seeing the potential in Richardson, the Seahawks and Redskins were probably willing to give up something decent in the way of draft compensation, but they wanted him at a more affordable rate.

Richardson had 62 total tackles and 1.5 sacks in 15 games last year. Richardson finished the year as Pro Football Focus’ No. 19 ranked edge defender, putting him in a three-way tie with Nick Perry of the Packers and Frank Clark of the Seahawks. His 81.6 overall score was a career low, weighed down by his weak 63.0 mark as a pass rusher.

Tyrunn Walker Cleared By Grand Jury

August 3rd, 2017 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

Former Rams defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker has been cleared of all wrongdoing by a Los Angeles grand jury, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Walker and another man were accused of sexual assault stemming from an incident back in February.

The Rams released Walker in June when the allegations came to light. Now that the L.A. grand jury has returned “a no true bill,” he may be able to find another NFL job.

The Rams were Walker’s third NFL stop and he’s now be in search of team No. 4. Walker spent the first three seasons of his career with the Saints and the last two with the Lions. All in all, he has totaled 42 appearances with the majority of his 13 career starts (eight) coming in 2016.

The lineman tallied 26 tackles and played in 34.1% of the Lions’ defensive snaps in 2016. He ranked just 77th among Pro Football Focus’ 127 qualified interior defensive linemen.

Although he is in the clear from a legal perspective, the 27-year-old could still conceivably face punishment from the NFL if the league office feels that he violated the personal conduct policy.

AFC Notes: Hopkins, Big Ben, Colts, Chiefs

August 2nd, 2017 at 9:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Both the Texans and No. 1 wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins would like to reach a long-term deal this summer, and odds are that it will happen, suggests John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hopkins, due to make $7.9MM as a fifth-year option player this season, became all the more important to the Texans’ cause for 2017 after No. 2 receiver Will Fuller suffered a broken collarbone Wednesday. Fuller’s multi-month absence could mean even more opportunities for Hopkins, who easily led the Texans in both targets and receptions in each of the previous two seasons. Despite having to catch passes from middling or worse quarterbacks throughout his career, Hopkins has a history of terrific production. Thanks to his output thus far, the 25-year-old looks poised to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid wideouts in the coming weeks.

Talks Between Vikes, Linval Joseph “Ongoing”

August 2nd, 2017 at 8:33pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Vikings handed lucrative contract extensions to a pair of defensive linchpins in end Everson Griffen and cornerback Xavier Rhodes last week. Next on the docket is nose tackle Linval Joseph, who has talked about an extension with the team, reports Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Discussions between the two sides are “ongoing,” per Tomasson, who adds that Joseph wants a deal similar to the four-year, $57.9MM accord the Vikings gave Griffen.

A Griffen-esque payday for Joseph would make him the seventh D-tackle to secure a contract worth upward of $14MM per year, notes Tomasson. Such a deal would put Joseph in company with Ndamukong Suh, Fletcher Cox, Kawann Short, Marcell Dareus, Calais Campbell and Malik Jackson. Joseph hasn’t posted the lofty sack numbers of anyone in that sextet, having tallied 16.5 during his seven-year career, though he did tie a personal best with four last season. The adept run-stuffer also piled up 77 tackles and three forced fumbles during a 16-start 2016, the third such season of his career, and ranked an excellent 14th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 125 qualified interior defensive linemen.

As great as Joseph has been for the Vikings since they signed the ex-Giant as a free agent prior to the 2014 season, inking him to a new deal isn’t something they absolutely have to do right now. Joseph, 28, still has two seasons remaining on his five-year, $31.25 million contract, and he doesn’t seem to regard securing an extension as a must.

“Whatever happens, happens,’’ Joseph told Tomasson. “If it’s time, it’s time (to get an extension). If not, I’m going to keep grinding.’’

In the event Minnesota does lock up Joseph soon, it’ll be the fourth time the franchise has awarded a big-money deal to a defender in the past year-plus. In June 2016, well before Griffen and Rhodes got their contracts, the Vikings extended safety Harrison Smith. Those three and Joseph are part of an enviable core of defenders that helped Minnesota’s ‘D’ finish toward the top of the NFL in yardage (third), scoring (sixth) and DVOA (eighth) in 2016.

Saints Could Re-Sign Orlando Franklin

August 2nd, 2017 at 7:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints released guard Orlando Franklin on Tuesday, less than a week after they signed him last Thursday. It turns out a knee injury may have been behind New Orleans’ decision to quickly cut ties with Franklin.

“The second day, he had some soreness in his knee,” head coach Sean Payton told reporters, including NOLA.com’s Herbie Teope, who notes that Franklin underwent knee surgery in January.

Payton later suggested the Saints could re-sign a healthy Franklin, saying: “I think one of the big things with us being down on the offensive line — and I’m not saying it’s not going to work out with him possibly later for us — but we needed healthy bodies.”

Health is indeed an issue along New Orleans’ offensive line, where stalwarts Terron Armstead (left tackle) and Max Unger (center) are nursing injuries. If the Saints do bring back Franklin to compete for a job when his condition improves, it wouldn’t be the first time an offensive lineman has yo-yoed between their organization and unemployment. New Orleans has signed and released Khalif Barnes on numerous occasions dating back to last season. For the moment, Barnes is on the Saints’ roster as a reserve tackle.

Franklin also worked as a second-teamer during his few practices with the Saints in training camp, which represented new territory for the longtime starter. The 29-year-old started in all 89 appearances with the Broncos and Chargers from 2011-16, but he didn’t turn in a No. 1-caliber performance in San Diego last season. Pro Football Focus ranked Franklin an ugly 65th among 75 qualified guards in 2016, and he then went without a team between his release from the Chargers in mid-May and his short-lived union with the Saints. Franklin drew interest from the Jaguars and Jets in recent months, but it doesn’t seem as if he’ll land anywhere again until he progresses physically.

“I think he’s still trying to get strength back in that knee,” Payton said.

Latest On Raiders’ Donald Penn

August 2nd, 2017 at 6:49pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Raiders left tackle Donald Penn is holding out as he seeks a raise that would make him one of the NFL’s 10 highest-paid players at his position. Commenting on Penn’s status Tuesday, Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie suggested to reporters that the lineman’s wish definitely won’t come true if he doesn’t report to training camp.

“We don’t talk contracts unless a guy is here,” said McKenzie, via Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group.

Penn, 34, is halfway into the two-year, $14MM contract the Raiders gave the 6-foot-5, 305-pounder upon re-signing him in March 2016. With age serving as the only real check against Penn, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t deserve more money. Few tackles are able to mix durability and excellence like Penn, who has never missed a regular-season game during his 10-year career and has typically earned high marks as a blocker. Penn posted his ninth straight 16-start campaign in 2016, when his performance graded 12th among 76 qualified tackles at Pro Football Focus.

To this point, the Raiders have not fined Penn any money for missing camp, according to McDonald. They’re allowed to dock him $40K per day as long as he holds out, and doing so could hasten Penn’s return. Still, that’s a relatively meager amount compared to Penn’s $5.8MM salary for 2017, and he’d nearly double that sum by breaking into the top 10 in pay among left tackles. At $11.25MM per year, the Rams’ Andrew Whitworth is 10th in annual value.

With Penn away, the Raiders have turned to Marshall Newhouse on the blindside and used Vadal Alexander at right tackle, and two rookies – fourth-round pick David Sharpe and seventh-rounder Jylan Ware – are in reserve. The only member of the group with substantial NFL experience is Newhouse, who joined the Raiders in free agency after combining for 86 appearances and 56 starts as a Packer, Bengal and Giant from 2011-16. Nobody would confuse him for Penn, though, given that Newhouse hasn’t played a 16-game season since 2012 and most recently ranked a below-average 50th among tackles at PFF last year. Alexander earned an even worse grade over nine games (five starts) and 305 snaps as a rookie in 2016.

Given that the Raiders’ outlook at tackle without Penn looks somewhat bleak, McKenzie unsurprisingly indicated that the Super Bowl hopefuls want him back.

“Donald’s my guy. Ever since he stepped in, after we lost (Jared Veldheer), I told him he’s my guy,” said McKenzie. “That’s not going to change. I’d love to have him, and if you guys go down to L.A. and drive him up I’d appreciate it. We want to focus on the young guys practicing now, get these guys some reps and we’re just going to keep moving. We’ve got to practice.”

Chargers’ Forrest Lamp Suffers Torn ACL

August 2nd, 2017 at 5:35pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Chargers guard Forrest Lamp suffered a torn ACL in his right knee during practice on Wednesday, per a team announcement. The rookie second-round pick will miss the season as a result. Adam Schefter of ESPN first reported the news (Twitter link).

With Lamp and rookie wide receiver Mike Williams dealing with significant injuries, the Chargers are in real danger of not having either of their top two picks this season. Williams, the Chargers’ first-rounder, is dealing with a back problem that head coach Anthony Lynn recently admitted could keep him out for the year. Lamp’s issue will take the 38th overall selection out of play for 2017. It also continues a string of horrible injury-related luck for the Chargers, who placed a whopping 27 players on IR during a five-win 2016 campaign.

Lamp, formerly with Western Kentucky, looked like a potential first-rounder leading up to the draft. After landing with the Chargers early in Round 2, he seemed poised to serve as an immediate starter at right guard on a line that Football Outsiders ranked among the NFL’s worst last season. Los Angeles does have several interior O-line options on hand even without Lamp, as Roster Resource shows, though losing the rookie still counts as a notable setback.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/17

August 2nd, 2017 at 5:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Wednesday’s minor NFL transactions:

The Seahawks waived long snapper Nolan Frese, who appeared in all 16 of their regular-season games a year ago. An ankle injury kept the then-rookie out of action for the Seahawks’ two playoff contests, and Tyler Ott took over in Frese’s stead. Ott will again grab the reins with Frese out of the picture.
The Jaguars added running back Tyler Gaffney, who’s on his third club since Carolina used a sixth-round pick on him in 2014. The ex-Stanford rusher hadn’t caught on anywhere since New England cut him in March, which wasn’t the first time the Patriots parted with him. Gaffney was with the Pats in each of the previous three summers, though he failed to crack their season-opening roster in any of those years. He vacillated between the Pats’ active roster and practice squad last season.
The Panthers signed cornerback Devonte Johnson and waived wide receiver Cameron Posey. Johnson signed with the Falcons as an undrafted free agent in May 2016, and the former Weber State corner went on to spend time on their practice squad last year. He then had a brief stint with the Steelers this offseason. Posey, meanwhile, had only been a Panther since mid-June. He joined them as an undrafted free agent from Purdue.
The Buccaneers signed wide receiver Shaq Hill and waived recently added rookie wideout Jhajuan Seales. Hill was a Texan for a short period during the spring, when he signed with them as an undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington. Seales will now look for his third team since going undrafted from Oklahoma State. He initially signed with the Bears, who cut him, and then hooked on with the Bucs this past weekend. The union proved to be fleeting.
The Colts signed offensive tackle and Arturo Uzdavinis and waived fellow OT Jerry Ugokwe. Uzdavinis is up to his sixth club since he went undrafted from Tulane a year ago, having previously been with the Texans, Bears, Jaguars, Lions and Vikings. Ugokwe’s time with the Colts is up after nearly three months. The undrafted rookie from William & Mary inked a deal with them May 4.
The Eagles cut cornerback Randall Goforth after reaching an injury settlement. Goforth, a rookie UDFA from UCLA, suffered a season-ending ACL tear last week.

Texans’ Will Fuller Out 2-3 Months

August 2nd, 2017 at 4:39pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The broken collarbone Texans wide receiver Will Fuller suffered Wednesday will require surgery and a two- to three-month absence, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

The injury to Fuller will deprive Houston’s Tom Savage-led passing attack of its No. 2 wideout until sometime in the fall, leaving the team with Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong as its second and third options. Miller and Strong combined for just 29 catches last season, though, while fourth and fifth receivers Wendall Williams and Dres Anderson have a total of four NFL grabs between them.

Having lost Fuller for a while, the Texans could scour the open market to bolster the position, with Anquan Boldin, Vincent Jackson and Steve Johnson among the league’s most established free agent receivers. Of course, more options will come available in the next few weeks as cuts occur, and the Texans may not feel any urgency to add a proven receiver with the strong tight end duo of C.J. Fiedorowicz and Ryan Griffin on hand as weapons.

The speedy Fuller, whom the Texans selected 21st overall last year, emerged as the club’s top receiver opposite the superb DeAndre Hopkins as a rookie. The ex-Notre Dame star, 21, finished second to Hopkins in targets (92) and yards (635), tied for second in touchdowns (two) and fourth in receptions (47). Fuller’s 13.5 yards-per-catch average paced all full-time Texans targets, beating out Hopkins’ 12.2.