2017 October - Pro Football Rumors

Two Teams Discussing Frank Gore Trade

October 30th, 2017 at 7:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

At least two clubs have discussed the concept of trading for Colts running back Frank Gore, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. At present, it’s unclear if those deliberations were internal in nature, or if the Colts have in fact explored Gore’s trade value via trade negotiations.

Without quarterback Andrew Luck available, Indianapolis isn’t seriously contending for a playoff spot, and Gore isn’t the only Colts veteran who’s been mentioned in trade rumors this week. Cornerback Vontae Davis, wide receiver T.Y. Hilton, and offensive tackle Anthony Castonzo have all been tossed out as potential trade chits, and while some of those potential deals could be more likely than others, Gore makes sense as a player who could be on the move.

Now in his 13th NFL season, Gore would likely be open to playing for a contending team going forward, per Holder. Any club that acquires Gore would do on the cheap, at least from a financial perspective. The 34-year-old back is earning $3.5MM this season, so an acquiring team would be responsible for just $1.75MM for the remainder of the year.

Whether Gore is worth that salary (plus whatever draft compensation the Colts can wrangle) is a fair question. Gore has managed just 3.8 yards per carry since joining Indianapolis in 2015, and has recently ceded work to rookie Marlon Mack. He’s also been ineffective in the passing game, as he’s posted just 14 receptions and earned poor pass-blocking grades from Pro Football Focus. Of course, Gore’s disappointing numbers have come behind an offensive line that ranks just 27th in adjusted line yards.

Seahawks Acquire OT Duane Brown

October 30th, 2017 at 6:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks have acquired offensive tackle Duane Brown from the Texans, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Houston will receive cornerback Jeremy Lane, a 2018 fifth-round pick, and a 2019 second-round pick.

Seattle had been considered an ideal landing spot for Brown in recent weeks, so while the deal doesn’t come as a complete surprise, the trade still represents a massive talent shift of talent from the Texans to the Seahawks. Acquiring an offensive lineman was perhaps the most obvious move Seattle general manager John Schneider could make before tomorrow’s deadline, as the Seahawks’ front five ranks in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate.

Brown will take over at left tackle for Seattle, a position that’s been bereft of a solid starter for some time. Rees Odhiambo, a third-round pick in the 2016 draft, had been serving as the Seahawks’ blindside protector following a season-ending injury to George Fant, but Odhiambo has graded as the NFL’s second-worst offensive tackle through eight weeks, per Pro Football Focus.

Brown, 32, should represent a massive upgrade over Odhiambo — the former first-round pick offers 133 starts worth of experience, and has consistently earned positive marks from PFF. He’s also been remarkably durable, with only 12 injury-related missed games over nine seasons in the NFL. And of course, Brown should be well-rested after missing the first seven weeks of the 2017 campaign in a contractual holdout.

That holdout was the primary driver behind Houston’s decision to trade Brown, as the Texans and general manager Rick Smith gave no indication they were willing to give Brown a new deal. Brown is due roughly $4.7MM for the rest of the season, and that will require cap space the Seahawks don’t currently possess (hence the inclusion of Lane). Brown is signed through the 2018 season with a cap charge of $9.75MM next year, though Seattle will presumably rework his contract.

Lane is earning a fully guaranteed $4MM base salary in 2017, so the Texans are now responsible for roughly $2MM for the remainder of the year. He’s also under contract through 2019 with base salaries of $6MM in each season. While acquiring Lane will help Seattle offset Brown’s salary, he’s also a much-needed piece for a beat up Houston secondary.

Although he had recently lost his starting role in Seattle, Lane has starting experience, including all 16 games in 2016. Lane, whom the Seahawks were shopping during the preseason, is probably best utilized as a slot corner, but he can also play outside. He’ll be valuable for the Texans in either role, as Houston is currently relying on two age-29+ corners in Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson (plus a recovering Kevin Johnson).

The Texans also picked up two draft picks in this trade, selections that will help them defray the cost of deals they’ve pulled off in the past year. Houston is already without its two top picks in 2018, having dealt them to Cleveland in order to move up for Deshaun Watson and rid itself of Brock Osweiler, respectively. While they won’t receive Seattle’s second-rounder until 2019, the Texans still managed to pick up draft assets while bringing in a possible starter in Lane.

On a macro level, the trade of Brown represents the first domino to fall in the offensive line trade market. The Eagles, who are now without veteran Jason Peters for the rest of season, were “monitoring” the Brown situation, and could now look elsewhere in their search for offensive line help, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

Saints Shopping LB/DE Hau’oli Kikaha

October 30th, 2017 at 5:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

With only a single day remaining before the NFL’s trade deadline hits, the Saints are shopping edge defender Hau’oli Kikaha, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first indicated earlier this month Kikaha could become a trade candidate.

New Orleans’ defense has shown tremendous improvement in 2017 — the unit ranked 15th in DVOA through Week 7 — but Kikaha hasn’t been part of that turnaround, as the former second-round pick has played only 82 snaps this season. Kikaha, who tore his ACL for third time last year and missed the entirety of the 2016 campaign, has been surpassed on the Saints’ depth chart by A.J. Klein and Gerald Hodges, and hasn’t been able to see action even with rookie ‘backer Alex Anzalone on injured reserve.

That’s not to say that another club wouldn’t be interested in acquiring a player of Kikaha’s pedigree. He was a second-rounder for a reason, after all, and Lance Zierlein of NFL.com called Kikaha the “most accomplished pure edge rusher” in the 2015 draft class. He’s cheap, too — an acquiring team would only take on the rest of Kikaha’s $913K base salary in 2017 and his non-guaranteed $1.153MM salary in 2018.

If they are able to trade Kikaha, the Saints could begin to recoup some of the draft capital they’ve dealt away in recent months. General manager Mickey Loomis sent a 2018 second-round pick to the 49ers in order to land Alvin Kamara in the draft, and a Kikaha trade — plus the haul acquired for linebacker Stephone Anthony and running back Adrian Peterson — could help defray the costs of the Kamara package.

Pats RB Dion Lewis Drawing Trade Interest

October 30th, 2017 at 5:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Multiple clubs are attempting to pry running back Dion Lewis away from the Patriots, but a deal is unlikely to occur, according to Michael Lombardi of the Ringer (Twitter link).

Lewis has rebounded from injury-marred 2015 and 2016 campaigns to become New England’s lead back in a running back rotation that also includes Mike Gillislee, Rex Burkhead, and James White. Although he still trails Gillislee in total carries, Lewis has led the Patriots in rushes in each of the past three games (all victories), and has now totaled 329 yards and two touchdowns on the season. Among backs with fewer than 55 carries, Lewis is second in Football Outsiders‘ DYAR, a metric which attempts to quantify a player’s value over replacement.

This isn’t the first time Lewis has been mentioned in trade rumors — New England received inquiries on the veteran back just before the start of the season, but no swap was ever completed. Despite his injury history, Lewis remains a critical part of the Patriots’ No. 2-DVOA-ranked offense. As such, rival teams may have a better chance at trading for Gillislee than Lewis at this point, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.

Lewis is scheduled to become a free agent at the conclusion of the 2017 season. He’s earning $1.2MM in base salary this year as part of a two-year extension he signed in 2015, and an acquiring club would be responsible for the remainder of that figure. The Patriots wouldn’t incur any dead money on their salary cap by trading Lewis given that he’s in the final season of his contract.

Eagles Work Out LB Dannell Ellerbe

October 30th, 2017 at 4:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles worked out former Saints linebacker Dannell Ellerbe, according to a source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Ellerbe could help fill in for linebacker Jordan Hicks after he went down with an Achilles injury.

Ellerbe, who turns 32 at the end of November, is in search of his fourth NFL team since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2009. Ellerbe has shown his talent on the field, but injuries have slowed him over the years. The veteran has played in just 77 games out of 128 possible regular season contests with the Ravens, Dolphins, and Saints.

This year, the Saints cut Ellerbe while he was held back with a foot injury. New Orleans opted to eat $1.7MM in dead money rather than keep him on the roster, which speaks to his condition at the time. If he is healthy, however, he could be a contributor for Philly or another club in the second half of the season. The 7-1 Eagles are in the middle of the pack (No. 16) in terms of defensive DVOA.

Ellerbe racked up 68 tackles, four sacks (all of which came in 2016) and a forced fumble during his 15-game, 12-start tenure with New Orleans.

Jaguars Designate Dede Westbrook For Return

October 30th, 2017 at 4:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have officially designated wide receiver Dede Westbrook for return. The team now has 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster or otherwise shut him down for the season.

Westbrook was placed on IR with a core injury prior to the team’s Week 1 game. The hope from the get-go was that he would be able to return midway through the season and it appears that he is on schedule.

Per league rules, each team can designate to two players to return from IR each season. If an IR-DTR player is not placed on the roster within the three week window, the bullet is still used. So, if Westbrook is not activated to the 53-man roster within 21 days for some reason, the Jaguars will have only one IR-DTR opportunity remaining.

The Jaguars could use some extra oomph on offense – they’re even said to be interested in trading for Calvin Johnson, if he’s willing to play again – so they’ll be happy to have Westbrook in the mix.

Westbrook, an Oklahoma product, was selected with a fourth-round pick in this year’s draft. He had 80 grabs for 1,524 yards and 17 scores last year, catapulting him to fourth place in Heisman voting.

Vikings Claim RB Mack Brown Off Waivers

October 30th, 2017 at 3:40pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings have claimed running back Mack Brown off waivers, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The Redskins released Brown earlier this week, giving the league’s other 31 teams a chance to poach him.

The addition of Brown could serve two purposes for Minnesota. For one, he’ll give them depth behind Latavius Murray and Jerick McKinnon. He could also give the Vikings some valuable recon in advance of their Nov. 12 showdown in D.C.

The Vikings were left with only two healthy true running backs following injuries to Dalvin Cook and Bishop Sankey. Fullback C.J. Ham, however, has been on hand for snaps in the backfield.

Brown, 26, has only eight carries for 29 yards on the season. Last year, he had eight attempts for 82 yards and one score.

Jaguars, Eagles Interested In Calvin Johnson?

October 30th, 2017 at 2:52pm CST by Zachary Links

As of this writing, wide receiver Calvin Johnson is still retired. But, if he decided to play again, it sounds like the Lions would be open to trading his rights between now and Tuesday’s deadline. If Megatron can be coaxed out of retirement, the Jaguars would have interest in acquiring him, ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (video link) hears. The “speculation” is that the Eagles would also be among those to look into acquiring Johnson.

Even if Johnson does have the itch to play again, there would be a number of hurdles for all parties to work through. The wide receiver’s contract runs through 2019 and includes a cap number $21MM for this year. He’ll also have to pass a physical on the first try and that’s not a slam dunk given how long he has been away from the game.

Any team getting into bed with Megatron will also want to know that he is firmly committed to playing football. He has been asked about a potential return at various points but has denied any interest.

“I’m not coming back, man,” Johnson said back in December. “Look, man. I got stuff that’s going to hurt for the rest of my life. I got a finger that’s literally bone-on-bone. This bad boy, it gets smaller. The more and more I do, it grinds bone-on-bone. Literally from last year, I went this year to get another X-Ray and this is after I retired, I knew it was messed up but I didn’t know to what degree because it was hurt.”

The 7-1 Eagles could use a pass catcher like Johnson, but they might want to put their resources towards acquiring a left tackle instead. The 4-3 Jaguars, meanwhile, have already taken on a sizable contract by acquiring former Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.

Broncos Activate Shane Ray

October 30th, 2017 at 2:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Shane Ray is officially back .The Broncos have moved him to the active roster in advance of Monday night’s game against the Chiefs. He’ll be in the starting lineup to boot, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link).

The Broncos first announced their intention to restore Ray from injured reserve in mid-October. After six weeks on the sidelines and two weeks in practice, he’s now allowed to play, per league rules. Doctors have also cleared him to play now that the torn ligament in his left wrist has healed up.

Ray enjoyed a breakout season in 2016, registering 48 tackles and eight sacks in 664 snaps. Only two Denver linebackers – Von Miller and Todd Davis – saw more action than Ray last year. He ranked an above-average 45th in overall performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders.

For his part, Ray says he’s been champing at the bit to play.

“Been losing a little bit of sleep over it,” Ray said earlier this week, with a grin (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post). “I just want to get back out there with my brothers and just make some plays. I think I can bring a spark to this team defensively and try to create some turnovers, some fumbles, some sacks, and I think that just helps our defense all around.”

Bears LB Jerrell Freeman Suspended

October 30th, 2017 at 2:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Bears linebacker Jerrell Freeman has been suspended once again for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, the league announced. This time around, it’s a ten-game ban.

Freeman suffered a torn pectoral muscle on the first play of Bears’ opener against the Falcons in Week 1. He was placed on injured reserve after the game, but he remarkably still played roughly 95 percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps and racked up 10 tackles in their 23-17 defeat.

The linebacker was likely done for the year anyway, but this new ban seals the deal since there are just eight games left in the year. His suspension begins immediately, per the NFL, so he will not receive his salary while on IR.

Freeman has now accrued two PED bans inside of a year. This latest suspension will cost Freeman upwards of $2MM in take-home pay.

Freeman will be eligible to play early in 2018, but this could be the end of the line for him in the NFL. In a statement released on Twitter, Freeman explained that he has been dealing with a significant head injury. That injury, he says, led him to self-medicate with pills that triggered his positive test.

“I hate to [say] I’m sorry again but I am sorry. I’ve been on IR all year and you try and stay out of sight, but sorry for the distraction. I had been lying to friends, family, and loved ones when it came to the question of, “Are you okay?,” Freeman wrote. “Knowing my career may be over due [to] everything that came with the head injury {that’s been purposely downplayed by me), memory loss and all, has actually been a bit of a struggle. That being said, there’s no excuse to cope with any problems by taking any kind of pills. I don’t know my future but a big thanks to the Bears and the NFL, if I would have used their programs and services earlier than I did, I wouldn’t be in this situation. Sorry again for the distraction.”