2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

Bills To Sign Taiwan Jones

August 2nd, 2017 at 4:21pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bills have agreed to a deal with running back Taiwan Jones, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

The 29-year-old Jones came available when the Raiders released him last Thursday, thus ending a lengthy tenure in Oakland. Jones entered the NFL as the Raiders’ fourth-round pick in 2011 and went on to appear in 66 regular-season games with the club over the first six years of his career. He wasn’t much of a factor on offense as a Raider, with whom he totaled only 44 rushes and 17 catches, but Jones was an important cog on special teams. He was seventh among Raiders in special teams snaps just last year (241), and he’s only two seasons removed from leading the AFC in kick return yards (829).

In Buffalo, Jones will join LeSean McCoy, Jonathan Williams, Mike Tolbert and Joe Banyard as the team’s contingent at running back. Jones’ history indicates that if he’s going to make the Bills, he’ll do it as a special teamer. The Bills’ special teams unit was among the league’s worst last year, according to Football Outsiders.

Extra Points: Redskins, Reed, Gruden, Texans, Fuller

August 2nd, 2017 at 4:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from around the NFL:

Redskins coach Jay Gruden says “nothing earth-shattering” came from Jordan Reed‘s visit to see a specialist on his toe (Twitter link via Mike Jones of The Washington Post). The team is not publicly discussing Reed’s timetable for a return, but if the comment is to be taken at face value, then that could be an overall good sign for the tight end.
Jon Gruden is looking to slow down talk of a return to coaching. “I don’t foresee myself coaching again anytime soon,” the former Super Bowl-winning coach and current color commentator said (Twitter link via Roy Cummings of FanRag Sports). Comments by Gruden back in July seemed to hint at different plans.
Texans wide receiver Will Fuller broke his collarbone during practice on Wednesday, sources tell Adam Schefter and Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com (on Twitter). At this time, there is no timetable for Fuller’s recovery. Fuller, the team’s 2016 first round pick, is expected to reprise his role as a deep threat to take defensive pressure off of DeAndre Hopkins. If he misses significant time, it could be a major setback for the Houston offense. Braxton Miller and Jaelen Strong can be expected to see increased roles if Fuller is out, but the Texans could also look into adding additional depth.
Dolphins seventh round wide receiver Isaiah Ford has suffered a setback that may end up costing him a spot on the 53-man roster. Ford has meniscus damage that will require surgery, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes, and depending on the extent of the tear, he’ll either miss the remainder of training camp or potentially the entire season. Lately, Ford has been gaining traction as a backup possibility in the slot.
Alejandro Villanueva‘s new four-year, $24MM deal with the Steelers has base salaries of $1.5MM, $3MM, $5MM, and $5MM, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The remaining $9.5MM in the deal comes in the form of signing and roster bonuses.

Chiefs Sign DT Roy Miller

August 2nd, 2017 at 12:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Roy Miller has found an NFL home. The former Jaguars defensive tackle has inked a deal with the Chiefs, agent Mike McCartney tweets.

Miller recently worked out for the Dolphins and the Bills, but left both auditions without a deal. After his season was cut short in Week 6 by an ACL tear, Miller is eager to prove that he can once again be healthy and productive. He was a starter for Jacksonville from 2013 up until the time of his injury, so he’s a good bet for the 53-man roster if he has made a full recovery.

Miller will push T.J. Barnes for the job as Bennie Logan‘s top backup at nose tackle. Kansas City is hoping that Logan and his reinforcements will help offset the loss of Dontari Poe to free agency.

Ravens Interested In QB Aaron Murray

August 2nd, 2017 at 12:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this week, coach John Harbaugh told reporters that the team is casting a wide net as it looks into the possibility of adding another quarterback. While he and GM Ozzie Newsome are reportedly pushing team owner Steve Bisciotti to add Colin Kaepernick, the team is also looking into some less-heralded options as well. The Ravens have interest in bringing in quarterback Aaron Murray, sources tell Dianna Russini of ESPN.com.

Murray, the Chiefs’ fifth-round pick in the 2014 draft, was cut loose by KC before the 2016 season. Since then, he has had stints with the Cardinals, Eagles, and Rams, but he has yet to throw a pass in an NFL game and has been out of work since his release from L.A. in May.

The attention being paid to Murray will certainly irk those who would rather see the Ravens take a look at Kaepernick. On Tuesday, Murray signed on with CBS to work as an announcer on college football games, so it’s not even clear whether Murray is 100% committed to continuing his playing career.

Ravens Coach, GM Pushing For Kaepernick?

August 2nd, 2017 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Both Ravens head coach John Harbaugh and GM Ozzie Newsome support the idea of signing quarterback Colin Kaepernick, sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Russini hears they have met resistance from owner Steve Bisciotti, but Newsome issued a statement on Wednesday to try and counter those claims:

“We are going through a process, and we have not made a decision. Steve Bisciotti has not told us we cannot sign Colin Kaepernick, nor has he blocked the move. Whoever is making those claims is wrong,” the unusual statement read.

Recently, Bisciotti and team president Dick Cass publicly acknowledged their trepidation in signing Kaepernick, with Bisciotti adding that he wasn’t sure the QB would help the team “win games.” The team’s coach and GM apparently feel that Kaepernick can be a difference maker.

Recently, some of the team’s locker room leaders also voiced their support for adding Kaepernick.

“Hell yeah, if he’s going to help us win,” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “We have no issues. Not in the locker room. Hell yeah, we want him.”

The Ravens are taking a hard look at their backup quarterback situation as Joe Flacco deals with a back injury and Ryan Mallett struggles in practice. There is some good news on that front, however. A source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT that he is feeling better, with the “arrow [pointing] up.”

Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

Eagles Notes: Matthews, Revis, Flowers

August 2nd, 2017 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

The latest from Philly:

Although wide receiver Jordan Matthews is entering the final season of his rookie deal, the Eagles haven’t made any progress towards an extension with the former second-round pick, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Matthews was reportedly dealing with knee tendinitis and didn’t practice much during the spring, but some in the Eagles organization believe Mathews sulking about his contract, per Bowen. Last week, Matthews was fully cleared to participate in training camp, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, and declined to elaborate on the status of his knee. However, he did tell Tim McManus of ESPN.com that he would “literally never” sit out due to contract concerns. Entering his age-25 campaign, Matthews is scheduled to earn $1.095MM for the upcoming season.
Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com ran down ten cornerbacks that the Eagles could trade or sign for. The list includes Darrelle Revis, even though the former shutdown corner has clearly lost a step or three. Although Revis was bad in 2016, he wasn’t quite as bad as the Eagles’ cornerbacks in the writer’s estimation. Revis gave up three touchdowns last year, which was still less than Eagles No. 1 cornerback Leodis McKelvin‘s seven surrendered TDs. Brandon Flowers, Sam Shields, and Leon Hall are among the other veteran possibilities highlighted.
Wide receiver Marcus Johnson is a legit contender for the Eagles‘ roster now that he is healthy, David Murphy of the Philadelphia Daily News writes. Johnson, 23 on Saturday, joined the team as an undrafted free agent last year but did not have a chance to see live action thanks to a quad injury he suffered in camp. His arrow is now trending upwards as he looks to fill a spot behind receivers Alshon Jeffery, Torrey Smith, Jordan Matthews, Nelson Agholor, and rookie Mack Hollins.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Rams’ Dominique Easley Done For Season

August 2nd, 2017 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

Rams defensive lineman Dominique Easley has suffered another a torn ACL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He will be out for the 2017 season and placed on injured reserve.

Easley was carted off the field during practice on Tuesday and a Wednesday morning MRI has confirmed the team’s worst fears. It’s an awful blow for Easley on a personal level as he had seasons cut short in both 2011 and 2013 after suffering torn ACLs. It’s typically challenging to come back from one ACL tear. Returning after three separate ACL tears will be a trying feat for the 25-year-old.

Waived after only two seasons with the Patriots, Easley found a home with the Rams last year. He turned in a strong 2016 as he recorded 3.5 sacks and finished out as the league’s No. 30 interior defender among 125 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. This year, the Rams were planning to give him an increased workload. Now, they’ll have to look elsewhere for reinforcements on the defensive line.

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Hyde, Seahawks

August 2nd, 2017 at 8:30am CST by Zachary Links

Although the 49ers have several key players, including safety Eric Reid and running back Carlos Hyde, entering their respective contract seasons, it doesn’t as though San Francisco has extension offers lined up for free agents-to-be, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.

“I would say that we’re always having internal discussions, Kyle (Shanahan) and myself and our staffs,” general manager John Lynch said. “And, we really try to be forward thinking looking out, not just this year but three to five years and saying, ‘OK, let’s look at the construct of our roster.’ But, our priority was let’s provide competition at each and every position. And so, that’s why we were so active this year to go out and to be able to really judge this and judge those guys in particular. There’s going to be a little more urgency with some of them, but we’re going to let this play out a little bit and see how they fit with what we want to do.”

Here’s more from the NFC West:

The Seahawks gave former Philadelphia first rounder Marcus Smith a one-year, $690K deal with zero guarantees, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The deal carries a maximum value of $1.44MM. Smith hasn’t done much in his three NFL seasons so far, but the Seahawks are hoping to get something out of him as a reserve.
Lance Dunbar was signed to serve as the backup to running back Todd Gurley, but given that the former Cowboy is on active/PUP and has no timetable to return from injury, Malcolm Brown is taking the lion’s share of work as the Rams‘ No. 2, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes. Brown, a 2015 undrafted free agent out of Texas, has managed only 22 carries in two pro seasons, but new Los Angeles head coach Sean McVay has been “pleasantly surprised” by Brown’s training camp work, per Gonzalez. The Rams could still look at external options — they’ve talked with free agent Rashad Jennings — but for now, Brown is on track to take over the backup role.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Latest On Ryan Shazier, Stephon Tuitt Talks

August 1st, 2017 at 9:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers will not reach an extension agreement with linebacker Ryan Shazier this summer, but could still negotiate a long-term deal with defensive lineman Stephon Tuitt, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

That Shazier is unlikely to be extended prior to the regular season doesn’t come as a major surprise, as Pittsburgh controls the 24-year-old through the 2018 season thanks to his fifth-year option. Thus far, not a single 2014 first-round pick has agreed to a new deal, as clubs apparently don’t feel an urgency to act given that they have talented players under contract at cheap prices for at least two more seasons.

Shazier, notably, isn’t a fan of the fifth-year option, as he’ll earn only $1.716MM in 2017 and $8.718MM in 2018 before becoming an unrestricted free agent. While Shazier may not be able to match the $12.5MM annual salary recently scored by Browns linebacker Jamie Collins, he should be able to clear the $10MM threshold. Shazier, a 2016 Pro Bowler, graded as the league’s No. 31 linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus, earning excellent marks in run defense and as a pass-rusher. Health is question for the former Ohio State Buckeye, as Shazier has never played a full 16-game slate.

Unlike Shazier, Tuitt doesn’t have to worry about a fifth-year option given that he was selected in the second round of the 2014 draft. Tuitt posted four sacks a season ago while grading as PFF’s No. 20 interior defender, and will earn $1.049MM next year before hitting the open market. The going rate for non-Muhammad Wilkerson/J.J. Watt 3-4 defensive ends is around $10MM annually, and given his age (24), Tuitt could reach or surpass that mark.

Rams’ Dominique Easley Suffers Knee Injury

August 1st, 2017 at 9:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Rams defensive tackle Dominique Easley was carted off the field during practice today and likely suffered a “serious” knee injury, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). He’ll undergo an MRI tonight, tweets Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News.

Despite being one of the more productive collegiate interior pass rushers in recent memory, Easley fell to the bottom of the first round 2014 due to a pair of knee injuries. The Florida product had seasons cut short in both 2011 and 2013 after suffering torn ACLs, so if that’s the diagnosis for Easley this time around, it would mark the third such injury for the 25-year-old.

Waived after only two seasons with the Patriots, Easley has found a home with the Rams. In 2016, Easley was exceptional, as he played 470 defensive snaps while posting 3.5 sacks and grading the league’s No. 30 interior defender among 125 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. He had been expected to play starter’s snaps during the upcoming season, especially given that he already has experience in a 3-4 scheme, which new Los Angeles defensive coordinator Wade Phillips is installing.

A potential Easley loss is even more debilitating given standout defensive lineman Aaron Donald‘s holdout. Donald, who is seeking a new contract, isn’t attending training camp, and while he may yet report before the regular season gets underway, the Rams could now be without two of their top three interior players for the majority of the preseason.

Easley, who was tendered at the original round level as a restricted free agent, is scheduled to hit the open market in 2018. If he has torn an ACL yet again, Easley’s stock as a free agent will clearly be negatively affected next spring.