Month: November 2024

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Bills, Hackenberg

The Dolphins told Jarvis Landry’s representation that there is no truth whatsoever to reports of the team being willing to “seriously listen” to trade offers for him, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald hears. And, on Monday, coach Adam Gase told reporters that Landry isn’t going anywhere.

I did talk to him and told him there’s no chance that he’s going to be traded,” Gase said (via James Walker of ESPN.com). “And if something that’s not true comes out like that, then I’m going to deal with it. I’m going to approach the player. … I just let him know that there’s no chance I’m going to trade you.”

Landry is in the final year of a contract that will pay him roughly $894K. The team has yet to offer him a multiyear extension, fueling speculation that might not be long for Miami. The Dolphins re-signed Kenny Stills this offseason at $8MM per year but have DeVante Parker on a rookie deal for as many as three more seasons.

Here’s more out of Miami as well as the latest from some of the Dolphins’ top rivals facilities.

  • Byron Maxwell is not locked into Miami’s starting lineup. The well-paid cornerback is competing with Alterraun Verner for a job opposite Xavien Howard, who is entrenched with the Fins’ first unit, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes. Maxwell has no guaranteed money remaining on his six-year deal after this season. He’s set to count $8.5MM against Miami’s cap this year, while Verner is attached to the veteran minimum. A timeshare scenario is in play for the Dolphins, Salguero writes, or a possible benching if Maxwell cannot re-establish consistency.
  • Previous comments from Bills GM Brandon Beane indicated Reggie Ragland‘s standing on the updated Buffalo depth chart wasn’t to be taken as gospel, but it now appears the former Alabama stalwart was not a fit for Sean McDermott‘s 4-3 scheme, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes. After trading Ragland to the Chiefs, the Bills are placing their trust in Preston Brown to play the Luke Kuechly role in McDermott’s defense. The 2014 third-round pick has started all but two games during his Bills tenure and hasn’t missed a game. Entering his contract year, Brown has plenty riding on 2017. But it looks like McDermott believed Brown, who began his career as 4-3 middle linebacker before working in Rex Ryan‘s 3-4 for two years, could fill that job better than Ragland.
  • Despite his second-round draft status, Christian Hackenberg finished third in the race to become the Jets‘ starting quarterback job, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. The developmental player will remain as such for now, with Josh McCown having won the job. But Cimini writes Hackenberg figures to be given playing time this season in order for the Jets to evaluate him in advance of a 2018 draft expected to be flush with quarterback talent.
  • Arrested on a firearms charge in July, Bills defensive tackle Adolphus Washington was found not guilty of possessing a concealed weapon, an Ohio judge ruled Monday (via WIVB.com). A second-year player, Washington was arrested for allegedly pulling out a firearm at a water park July 9 in Sharonville, Ohio. The 2016 third-round pick started 11 games for Buffalo last season.

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Latest On Ezekiel Elliott’s Appeal Effort

Ezekiel Elliott will be away from the Cowboys on Tuesday in order to face off with the NFL at his appeal hearing. But it sounds like the running back’s side knows it’s up against a fight it might not win in this setting.

However, Elliott’s camp and the NFLPA are prepared to fight this further. If the second-year back’s suspension is upheld, Elliott’s defense team and the union are likely going to file a lawsuit against the NFL, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports.

The parties battling the NFL in this latest case are looking to challenge the league in court on a procedural violation they believe occurred, Robinson reports. The exact violation these groups believe the NFL committed is not known, but Robinson reports they are related to the NFL’s arranging of this appeal.

Elliott’s defense team wanted Roger Goodell to select an arbiter other than Harold Henderson, a former league exec whom the union does not view as independent, and wanted to make the running back’s accuser available for cross examination. Henderson denied each of these requests while also dismissing Elliott’s camp’s push to make Tiffany Thompson’s notes and six interviews with investigators available during this process.

The union and the armada of attorneys representing Elliott — one that now includes longtime NFL legal adversary Jeffrey Kessler — believe they have enough working against them here to make the case a procedural violation occurred, Robinson notes. A procedural violation helped Tom Brady and the union sue the NFL in 2015, and it ended up delaying his four-game Deflategate ban until 2016. This would allow a federal court challenge and delay this process, and ultimately, the suspension while the matter is being sorted out.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/17

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

  • Signed: LS Taybor Pepper

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Signed: LB Akeem Dent
  • Waived from IR: CB Ezra Robinson

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

  • Signed: DL Michael Bart, LB Christian Kuntz, LB Nick Usher

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Giants’ Owa Odighizuwa Suspended

Giants defensive end Owa Odighizuwa has been suspended for the first four games of the season, according to an announcement from the league. Odighizuwa will be eligible to return for the Giants’ Oct 8 game against the Chargers. Owa Odighizuwa (vertical)

[RELATED: Giants Tried To Claim New Jets DE Kony Ealy]

Odighizuwa has violated the league’s PED policy, according to the league office. It’s another strange turn for Odighizuwa who hinted at retirement this offseason. After taking some time to address personal issues, Odighizuwa rejoined the team in camp this summer with an eye on playing.

So far, the 25-year-old has been running with the third-string defense and hasn’t been able to really get going. Because Odighizuwa was far from a lock to make the 53-man cut, this could wind up being the end of the line for him in New York.

Redskins’ Phil Taylor Done For Year

Redskins nose tackle Phil Taylor will miss the 2017 season because of a quad injury suffered on Sunday, a source tells ESPN.com’s John Keim (Twitter link). An MRI on Monday confirmed the team’s worst fears. "<strong

Taylor has not seen the field since 2014 and was hoping to revive his career in D.C. Knee injuries plagued Taylor for much of his time as an NFL player, leaving him unable to fulfill the promise he had as a first-round pick in 2011. His quad injury may prove to be a career-ender, unless he wants to try and return to football as a 30-year-old who is more than three years removed from live action.

In 2013, Taylor started for Cleveland and his performance against the run placed him a solid 26th among 69 qualified defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He then played just 133 snaps in 2014 before being sidelined with a knee injury.

The Redskins project to start Stacy McGee in the middle with Joey Mbu and A.J. Francis as backups.

Jets Name Josh McCown As Starting QB

With one more preseason game on the docket, the Jets’ quarterback competition is already over. Josh McCown will be the team’s starter in Week 1, head coach Todd Bowles announced. Josh McCown (vertical)

[RELATED: Jets, Colts Complete Trade]

This was the expected outcome for the Jets’ QB battle as Christian Hackenberg has struggled and Bryce Petty has failed to really pull away from the pack. Petty did perform better than Hackenberg this offseason, but he is currently nursing a knee injury suffered in Saturday night’s preseason contest against the Giants. With that in mind, Bowles says that no determination has been made about the team’s No. 2 QB role.

McCown, 38, joined the Jets on a one-year, $6MM contract this offseason, turning down opportunities to serve as a backup on a contending team for less money. He’ll have the opportunity to start for the Jets until they figure out the future of the position for 2018 and beyond.

Ravens Extend Coach John Harbaugh

The Ravens and coach John Harbaugh have reached agreement on a contract extension, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Harbaugh’s previous deal went through the 2018 season and the new deal gives him an additional year at the helm, taking him through the 2019 season. John Harbaugh (vertical)

Harbaugh has enjoyed tremendous success as the Ravens’ head coach ever since taking on the role in 2008. Baltimore has made the playoffs in six of its nine Harbaugh-led seasons, including the Super Bowl title following the 2012 campaign. Despite a 13-19 mark in 2015 and 2016, Harbaugh still boasts an 85-59 record.

Harbaugh’s tenth year as the Ravens’ head coach figures to be one of the most challenging yet. Already, a number of players have suffered major injuries including tight end Dennis Pitta, running back Kenneth Dixon, tight end Crockett Gillmore, cornerback Maurice Canady, offensive lineman Alex Lewis, linebacker Albert McClellan, offensive lineman Nico Siragusa, cornerback Tavon Young, and wide receiver Tim White. The team hopes that Canady can return from IR, but the other injuries were season-enders. There’s also Joe Flacco‘s lingering back troubles to worry about.

Redskins Continue To Shop RB Matt Jones

No surprise here, but the Redskins are still shopping Matt Jones as the 53-man deadline approaches, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Redskins have been looking to move Jones for much of the offseason. Matt Jones (vertical)

Jones was once the Redskins’ No. 1 running back, but he has been bypassed by Robert Kelley. He is further buried on the depth chart behind rookie Samaje Perine figures to see a good percentage of the carries and pass-catching specialist Chris Thompson. Jones is still a talented runner, but his tendency to put the ball on the ground has left him on the outs in Washington.

In June, Jones’ agent asked the Redskins to release him. Weeks later, he changed representation and hired Drew Rosenhaus. Rosenhaus presumably would like to see Jones released so that he can hook on elsewhere, but it should only be a matter of time before that happens anyway. Teams are mandated to trim their rosters from the current 90-man max down to 53 by Saturday afternoon.

Bills To Sign QB Keith Wenning

The Bills are signing quarterback Keith Wenning, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. He’ll provide the team with depth to close out the preseason as Tyrod Taylor and T.J. Yates deal with concussions.

Before Wenning was added to the roster, Nathan Peterman was the team’s only healthy quarterback. Naturally, the Bills do not want to play Peterman for the entire preseason finale, so Wenning will be able to take the snaps as well as the injury risk.

Wenning has familiarity with offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, so he should be able to jump in pretty quickly and figure out the offense. And, in the unlikely event that both Taylor and Yates are not cleared for Week 1, Wenning could have a chance at a job.

Cowboys Not Interested In Daryl Washington

Daryl Washington has been lobbying hard to sign with the Cowboys, but it’s just not happening. The Cowboys have no interest in signing the troubled veteran and are happy with their current group of linebackers as-is, Clarence Hill of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter) hears. Daryl Washington (vertical)

Earlier this summer, Washington detailed his vision for a comeback which started with joining the Cowboys and ended with a Hall of Fame induction. The Cowboys have a reputation for rolling the dice on players with checkered backgrounds, but the decision makers in Dallas do not feel that Washington’s promise offsets the potential headaches.

The linebacker was a Pro Bowler in 2012 after recording an eye-popping 134 total tackles with 9.0 sacks. He was productive again in 2013, but he has now been out of the game for three straight NFL seasons thanks to repeated violations of the substance abuse policy.

At this best, Washington was among the league’s top linebackers. Today, it’s hard to see him getting back into the league considering his age, rust, PED history, and alleged history with domestic violence.