HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Jets WR Jeremy Kerley Suspended

October 31st, 2017 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are losing Jeremy Kerley to suspension. It’s not clear how long the ban is for or what policy Kerley has broken. Presumably, Kerley will not be in action on Thursday night when the Jets face the Bills in New Jersey. Jeremy Kerley (vertical)

In his second go ’round with the Jets, Kerley has served as the No. 3 receiver behind Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse as well as their punt returner. The loss of Kerley could prompt the Jets to look for help at receiver, but it’s more likely that they’ll make a depth signing while getting rookies ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen more involved.

So far this year, Kerley has 22 catches for 217 yards and one touchdown to his credit.

Dolphins Trade Jay Ajayi To Eagles

October 31st, 2017 at 8:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have traded Jay Ajayi to the Eagles, according to announcements from both teams. Miami will receive a fourth-round pick in exchange for the running back. "<strong

Ajayi goes from the middling Dolphins to the first place Eagles to help shore up their running game. Heading into the season, Ajayi was viewed as one of the league’s most talented young backs, so the deal comes as an absolute shock. The Eagles are giving up very little for the 24-year-old in light of the numbers that he put up in 2016. Ajayi is also a bargain for this year and beyond. His contract calls for a $670K cap charge this year and a $760K cap charge in the following season. He does not have a fifth-year option at the end of his rookie deal since he’s a fifth-round pick, but the Eagles have plenty of time to lock him up between now and the spring of 2019, if they choose to do so.

Through seven games, Ajayi has not been quite as productive as expected. He has 465 yards off of 138 carries, good for a 3.4 yards per carry average. He also added 14 catches for 67 yards. He has yet to see the end zone either via the air or ground. That’s not necessarily a reflection on Ajayi, however, since Miami’s offense has been anything but stable this year. The Dolphins lured Jay Cutler out of his brief retirement to fill in for Ryan Tannehill, but Cutler’s rib injury led to Matt Moore taking over as the starter. As evidenced by Thursday night’s 40-0 blowout, that doesn’t make for an effective offense.

In Philadelphia, Ajayi is expected to team up with LeGarrette Blount to split lead back duties. So far this year, Blount has been the superior back with 467 yards off of 100 carries, giving him a strong 4.7 yards per carry average. He’s also found paydirt three times in total.

Next up for Ajayi and the Eagles is a Sunday tilt against the Broncos. After that, Philly’s newest acquisition gets a bye week before facing the rival Cowboys in Week 11.

Trade Rumors: Colts, Dolphins, Bears, Pats

October 30th, 2017 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Colts wideout T.Y. Hilton is indeed on the trade block, and while Indianapolis is receiving calls on their top offensive weapon, general manager Chris Ballard & Co. hold Hilton in “high regard,” tweets Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. As such, a deal involving Hilton remains “highly unlikely.” That notion doesn’t come as a complete surprise, given that Hilton has still been productive even without quarterback Andrew Luck available, and remains under team control for several seasons at reasonable rates.

Let’s take a look at more surrounding the NFL’s trade deadline, which hits Tuesday at 4pm Eastern:

  • The Dolphins are focusing on improving their offense via trade, and are more willing to exchange players than draft picks, sources tell Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. That Miami would be set on fixing an offense that ranks dead last in both points and yards per game comes as no surprise, but other teams are apparently more receptive to draft selection-oriented deals. Wide receiver, running back, and offensive line are all possible positions of need for Miami, and the “elephant in the room” is slot receiver Jarvis Landry, per Salguero. Landry has mentioned in trade talks before and has yet to be offered an extension, so it makes sense that the 2018 free agent could be on the table.
  • Having already made one trade to acquired receiver Dontrelle Inman, the Bears are likely done making deals, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Inman deal was almost a necessity, as rookie quarterback Mitch Trubisky needed some sort of offensive weaponry reinforcement following a four-completion day in Week 7. Acquiring more players is probably out of the question given Chicago’s position on the win curve, and dealing away veterans such as cornerbacks Kyle Fuller and Prince Amukamara would signal the raising of a white flag, something the Bears aren’t willing to do given their surprising 3-5 record, per Biggs.
  • After shipping backup quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to the 49ers earlier tonight, the Patriots are now on the hunt for defensive run-stuffers, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). In fact, La Canfora suggests New England could use their newly-acquired second-round pick in order to pick up a defender before tomorrow’s trade deadline. Of course, given that San Francisco’s second-rounder will likely be the No. 33 or 34 selection in the 2018 draft, the Patriots would likely be looking for a high-impact defensive player.
  • Speaking of Garoppolo, the Browns apparently only offered a second-round pick “and change” in exchange for New England’s No. 2 signal-caller during the draft, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Some reports indicated Cleveland was willing to part with a first-rounder in order to land Garoppolo, but that apparently wasn’t the case.

NFL Workout Updates: 10/30/17

October 30th, 2017 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to Twitter:

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Redskins

Ezekiel Elliott’s Suspension Restored

October 30th, 2017 at 9:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

A judge has dissolved Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s temporary restraining order, meaning his six-game suspension is now in effect once again, tweets Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News.Ezekiel Elliott (vertical)

Elliott was granted a temporary injunction earlier this month which allowed him to stave off suspension for two more weeks. But a judge tonight indicated that Elliott had “ample opportunity” to challenge the NFL’s ban during arbitration, and also said “the proceedings in their totality accorded with the CBA and the personal conduct policy,” per Hairopoulos (Twitter links). In essence, the court decided Elliott had already exhausted his potential remedies.

An appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit would be Elliott’s next step, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, but a decision from that bench wouldn’t be expected in short order. As such, Elliott will be banned while waiting for an answer from that court (were he to send his case in that direction). However, Elliott has 24 hours to file an appeal with the Second Circuit, and his legal team will argue that his suspension should be remain lifted until the appeal is heard, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

Elliott, of course, was issued his suspension following allegations of domestic violence. The fourth overall selection in the 2016 draft, Elliott has accused the NFL of fomenting a conspiracy against him, and the dispute has gotten ugly from all angles. Elliott and his camp have cast doubt on the consistency of his accuser’s claims and suggested her motives were profit-based, while the NFL has accused Elliott of victim-shaming.

But the situation at hand has little to do with the original accusations against Elliott, and instead is focused on the NFL’s disciplinary process and whether the league followed its own procedures. Interestingly, the Cowboys organization jumped into the legal fray earlier this month, issuing an affidavit stating the club would suffer irreparable harm if the New York didn’t issue Zeke a temporary injunction.

If Elliot is forced to serve his suspension immediately, he’ll miss games against the Chiefs, Falcons, Eagles, Chargers, Redskins, and Giants before returning to face the Raiders in mid-December. The Cowboys will use some combination of Alfred Morris, Darren McFadden, and Rod Smith for the next six weeks as they attempt to maintain their tenuous grasp on postseason contention.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/30/17

October 30th, 2017 at 9:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Arizona Cardinals

  • Signed: T Javarius Leamon

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

San Francisco 49ers

Washington Redskins

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/30/17

October 30th, 2017 at 8:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

Minnesota Vikings

Oakland Raiders

49ers To Place Jimmie Ward On IR

October 30th, 2017 at 8:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers will place safety Jimmie Ward and offensive tackle Garry Gilliam on season-ending injured reserve, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters, including Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.Jimmie Ward (Vertical)

Ward, 26, suffered a broken arm in Sunday’s loss to the Eagles, so his placement on IR doesn’t come as a surprise. The former first-round pick had started six of seven games for the 49ers in 2017, but had only graded as the No. 69 safety among 87 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. San Francisco exercised Ward’s fifth-year option earlier this year, so he’ll back in the Bay Area in 2018. In the meantime, the 49ers will consider moving Eric Reid back to safety following a short stay at linebacker, tweets Matt Maiocco of the Bay Area News Group.

Gilliam, meanwhile, has barely played this season despite several injuries along the 49ers’ offensive line. He’d seen action on just 38 total snaps after inking a one-year, $2.2MM restricted free agent offer sheet with San Francisco (that the Seahawks declined to match). Gilliam does have 31 games of starting experience under his belt, but he’ll now hit 2018 free agency coming off an injury-marred campaign.

Ward and Gilliam aren’t the only 49ers’ players dealing with health questions, however. Left tackle Joe Staley will miss at least two games after suffering an orbital bone fracture on Sunday, while defensive lineman Solomon Thomas — who is dealing with a low-grade MCL sprain, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com — will also miss roughly two weeks, Shanhan announced. While the winless 49ers aren’t going anywhere in 2017, Staley’s injury likely negates any chance that San Francisco would trade him before Tuesday’s deadline.

49ers To Release QB Brian Hoyer

October 30th, 2017 at 7:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After acquiring quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots, the 49ers are releasing veteran signal-caller Brian Hoyer, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).Brian Hoyer (Vertical)

With Garoppolo now in tow, San Francisco had no need for Hoyer, who inked a two-year deal with the club this season. Rookie C.J. Beathard will presumably serve as Garoppolo’s backup, while Hoyer — who had admittedly struggled through a half-season in the Bay Area — will now hit the open market.

Although completely speculative, the Patriots stand out as an obvious suitor for Hoyer. After trading Garoppolo, New England no longer has a quarterback on the roster aside from starter Tom Brady. Hoyer spent the 2009-11 campaigns with the Patriots after signing as an undrafted free agent, so he offers experience in the New England system. And he’ll also come cheap given that he’ll earn termination pay from the 49ers, meaning he can now comfortably sign for the minimum.

Indeed, Hoyer was originally included as part of the Patriots’ return for Garoppolo, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, because Hoyer was signed as a free agent this offseason, he would have counted in New England’s 2018 compensatory pick calculation, and would have canceled out a Pats fourth- or fifth-rounder next year, tweets Nick Korte of Over the Cap.

Hoyer, 32, started six games for the 49ers before getting benched in favor of Beathard, and didn’t perform nearly as well as he had with the Bears in 2016. While completing just 58% of his passes, Hoyer tossed four touchdowns against four interceptions, and ranked 28th in adjusted net yards per pass attempt and 30th in quarterback rating.

49ers To Acquire QB Jimmy Garoppolo

October 30th, 2017 at 7:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers have agreed to acquire quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. San Francisco owns two 2018 second-rounders, but New England will acquire the 49ers’ original pick, per Schefter (Twitter link)."<strong

The deal is a stunning transaction on multiple levels, but perhaps the most curious aspect of the trade is that New England hadn’t expressed in any interest in moving Garoppolo despite the presence of Tom Brady under center. Bill Belichick & Co. reportedly rejected multiple trade offers in exchange for Garoppolo before the draft, and instead dealt third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett before the season began.

But instead of potentially using the franchise tag on Garoppolo next spring before trying to trade him, New England has moved him now following talks that began Monday morning, per Schefter (Twitter link). The fourth-year pro will head to San Francisco, where he’ll become the starting quarterback under head coach Kyle Shanahan not only for the rest of the 2017 campaign, but for the foreseeable future.

Garoppolo, of course, offers limited NFL experience, as he’s spent the majority of his Patriots tenure as Brady’s understudy. But the Eastern Illinois product was able to start two games for New England in 2016 while Brady was serving a four-game suspension. While Garoppolo played well in his time on the field, he was injured early in his second start, meaning the regular season film on him is extremely limited.

The 49ers will also need to work out an extension for Garoppolo, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent next season. While San Francisco could use the franchise tag in 2018, the club presumably wouldn’t have traded for Garoppolo if it didn’t have every intention of handing him a long-term contract. The 49ers rank in the top-five of cap space in each of the next three seasons, meaning they have ample funds to spend on their new signal-caller.

San Francisco’s acquisition of Garoppolo also has wide-ranging implications for the rest of the league and the 2018 quarterback market. Given the presence of Shanahan, the 49ers have long been viewed as the No. 1 destination for Redskins passer Kirk Cousins, who will become a free agent next spring barring a third consecutive franchise tender. San Francisco is now out of the Cousins equation, making next year’s open market all the more complicated.

The Patriots, meanwhile, are clearly banking on Brady (now age-40) playing for several more seasons, something he’s vowed to do. In the near-term, New England will need to add another quarterback, as Brady is now the only signal-caller on the club’s roster. The Pats auditioned several signal-callers, including Matt Barkley and Matt McGloin, earlier this year.

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