2018 August - Pro Football Rumors

POLL: Should The Jaguars Sign Dez Bryant?

August 27th, 2018 at 7:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Marqise Lee is officially lost for the season. The Jaguars’ number one receiver was placed on injured reserve due to a serious knee injury suffered during Jacksonville’s most recent preseason game.

The group of receivers on the depth chart behind Lee are all mostly young and inexperienced, and Lee’s injury sparked immediate rumors that the team might be interested in Dez Bryant. Although former ESPN reporter Ed Werder heard that the Jaguars were comfortable with their group of young receivers, nothing can be ruled out.

A team that is looking to make it back to the AFC Championship game could certainly use a veteran presence in the receivers room, and Bryant is by far the biggest name left on the market. He recently left his visit with the Browns without signing a deal, and could be more interested in playing for a contender.

The Jaguars’ locker room is already full of big personalities, so Bryant might feel right at home. Should Jacksonville take the plunge and finally be the ones to bring in Bryant? Weigh in by voting in our poll and in the comments section and let us know.

West Notes: Cardinals, Keim, Moats, Raiders, Rodgers-Cromartie

August 27th, 2018 at 6:38pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Cardinals GM Steve Keim has returned from his suspension. In a rare move, the front office executive was suspended due to an arrest for DUI. He missed a crucial part of the team’s offseason but has stepped back in seemingly seamlessly despite not being allowed to have contact with the team during his suspension.

After his return, new details are emerging. Keim apparently had to spend seven days on house arrest after serving two days in jail, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN (Twitter link). The organization apparently welcomed him back with open arms as Weinfuss also tweets that team president Michael Bidwill texted Keim at 12:01 the minute after his suspension expired, saying “welcome back.”

Here’s more from the league’s Western divisions:

Cardinals coach Steve Wilks announced that defensive end Arthur Moats will miss 2-4 weeks with an MCL sprain, according to Mike Jurecki (Twitter link). The former Steeler signed a one-year deal with Arizona back in July.
The details are in on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s one-year deal with the Raiders. Rodgers-Cromartie will make $1.015MM this year, and will count for $630K against the cap according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN (Twitter link). It’s a big pay-cut for DRC, who was scheduled to make $6.5MM this year with the Giants.
Scott Bair of NBC Sports is out with his Raiders roster projection. Notably, Bair thinks both Connor Cook and E.J. Manuel will be cut, and that the Raiders will bring in someone from outside the team to be Derek Carr‘s backup.

East Notes: Patriots, Jets, Anderson, Donahue, Giants, Beckham

August 27th, 2018 at 5:01pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots are annually one of the toughest teams to gauge heading into September. They often make a few moves right before roster cut-downs, and this year is shaping up to be no different. With a slew of injuries, releases, and retirements to their receiving corps, a move for a veteran wide receiver is a definite possibility.

Whatever happens, it’s clear the Patriots will likely add some players who aren’t currently on the roster before Week 1, whether by trade or free agent signing. With that in mind, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe took a stab at projecting the Patriots‘ roster, and had a few interesting predictions.

It seems to be a consensus now that there is only a single roster spot available for either Jeremy Hill or Mike Gilislee, and Volin thinks Hill will win the battle. Despite being very thin at receiver entering the season, Volin doesn’t think sixth round rookie Braxton Berrios will make the team. He also thinks the team will opt against carrying three quarterbacks this year, cutting rookie seventh-rounder Danny Etling.

Here’s more from the league’s Eastern divisions:

One final note on Odell Beckham Jr.’s record deal with the Giants, the base value is actually only $90MM not $95MM according to Albert Breer of SI.com (Twitter link). The deal contains $5MM in incentives in the final two years of the deal that could push the total value to $95MM.
Receiver Robby Anderson and linebacker Dylan Donahue haven’t been suspended yet, but neither Jets player is out of the woods, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN (Twitter link). “Both cases remain under review” writes Cimini. Anderson was arrested multiple times this offseason and Donahue, a 2017 fifth-rounder, was arrested twice for DWI.
In case you missed it, the Patriots signed guard Shaq Mason to a huge five-year extension worth up to $50MM.

Raiders Place Whalen On IR, Release Giacomini

August 27th, 2018 at 3:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have placed wide receiver Griff Whalen on injured reserve. Whalen has reportedly been dealing with turf toe and was said to be questionable for Week 1, but the injury is more serious than previously believed.

Oakland also released Breno Giacomini. The veteran was set to be the Raiders’ starting right tackle before the start of camp, but he has been sidelined as of late with a knee injury.

The Raiders have dropped two wide receivers from their roster on Monday by putting Whalen on IR and trading Ryan Switzer to the Steelers. The moves aren’t necessarily the precursor to a wide receiver signing, because the Raiders have serious roster trimming to do between now and Saturday. Despite the shakeup, the Raiders still have a top four consisting of Amari Cooper, Jordy Nelson, Martavis Bryant, and Seth Roberts.

To take the place of Whalen and Giacomini, the Raiders have signed defensive lineman Connor Flagel and cornerback Jarell Carter.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/27/18

August 27th, 2018 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL teams are making roster moves in advance of Saturday’s 53-man deadline. We’ll keep track of the minor moves here:

Detroit Lions

Released: CB Josh Okonye

Indianapolis Colts

Signed: LB Brandon Chubb
Waived: RB Tion Green

Minnesota Vikings

Waived: C Jacob Judd

Oakland Raiders

Signed: CB Jarell Carter

New England Patriots

Signed RB Kenneth Farrow, WR K.J. Maye, RB Khalfani Muhammad

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: S Ironhead Gallon

Tennessee Titans

Signed: RB Lenard Tillery

Jaguars Will Not Pursue Dez Bryant

August 27th, 2018 at 2:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars will be without Marqise Lee for the season, but they won’t be replacing him with Dez Bryant. The Jaguars feel comfortable with their current group of receivers and do not plan to pursue outside help, former ESPN reporter Ed Werder hears (on Twitter).

Many were quick to connect the dots between the Jaguars and the best remaining free agent wide receiver, but the Jaguars seem content to draw from a group that includes by Dede Westbrook, Keelan Cole, second-round pick D.J. Clark, and Donte Moncrief. None of those players offer Bryant’s name value, but Tom Coughlin & Co. believe in their talent.

Bryant recently flirted with the Browns, but he rejected their offer of less than $5MM for the upcoming season. Another wide receiver injury elsewhere could open up an opportunity for the former Cowboys standout, but there are no clear suitors for him as the season draws near.

Teams Eyeing Broncos’ Henderson, Holland

August 27th, 2018 at 1:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Rival teams are keeping a watchful eye on Broncos running back De’Angelo Henderson, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post hears (on Twitter). The same goes for outside linebacker Jeff Holland, who may be a casualty of Saturday’s numbers crunch.

The Broncos figure to carry Royce Freeman, Devontae Booker, and talented UDFA Phillip Lindsay on their Week 1 roster. That could leave Henderson – a 2017 sixth-round pick – on the outside looking in. The Broncos are also likely to keep fullback Andy Janovich on the roster, which takes one potential running back spot out of the equation.

If Henderson and Holland are released, it sounds like they’ll be a popular target for other teams. That interest may also lead to a trade in the coming days.

Giants, OBJ Agree To Extension

August 27th, 2018 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants and star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr are closing in on a five-year mega-extension, according to Ian Rapoport and Kim Jones of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a five-year extension worth up to $95MM with $65MM guaranteed overall, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

The value of Beckham’s new deal is $90MM over the five added years, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. That’s $18MM per year in new money – or $19MM/year, if counting the potential incentives. Either way, it’s the highest average annual value for any receiver in the NFL. Beckham also gets $41MM fully guaranteed at signing, plus another $24MM in injury guarantees for a total of $65MM in guarantees.

The deal is a big win for Beckham across the board, as he leads wide receivers in AAV, total guarantees, and full guarantees at signing. Previously, Antonio Brown‘s $17MM per year represented the annual standard for receivers, and Mike Evans‘ $55MM in total guarantees and $38.25MM in full guarantees were the statistical chart-toppers.

In terms of the average annual value on the “new money,” OBJ is now the highest-paid receiver in NFL history. He’ll also collect about $60MM within the first three years of the deal.

The two sides have wrestled over the extension for some time. Although OBJ is one of the most talented receivers in the game, he missed the majority of the 2017 season with injury and the Giants had concerns about his maturity. This offseason, Beckham flirted with the idea of a training camp holdout, but ultimately showed up for work and impressed team brass.

“I see what I expected to see when we started to communicate back in February,” Shurmur said in February. “This guy loves to play football, he trains extremely hard, he’s totally engaged in the meetings behind the scenes, the things that the world is not aware of, and he’s got a lot of passion for the game. We were just out in a walk-through and I saw three or four times when he was talking to different players about certain techniques within the play. That’s all good stuff.”

The 2014 first-round pick was limited to only four games last season and finished with just 25 receptions for 302 yards and three scores. However, he finished the previous three campaigns with at least 1,300 receiving yards.

At 25 (26 in November), Beckham is four years younger than Brown, and he’s outproduced the other members of his class on a per-year basis. The Giants paid a pretty penny to lock up the three-time Pro Bowler through 2023, but it will be worthwhile if he plays up to his ability.

Cardinals RB D.J. Foster Suffers Torn ACL

August 27th, 2018 at 12:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals running back D.J. Foster is done for the year. On Monday morning, doctors diagnosed Foster with a torn ACL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Foster came to the Cardinals last September after he was signed off of the Patriots’ practice squad. He didn’t play a whole lot in Arizona, but he was quietly impressing this offseason with his versatility.

The Cardinals were facing some tough choices at running back, but the injury clarifies their depth chart somewhat ahead of Saturday’s deadline. Fourth-round pick Chase Edmonds, T.J. Logan, and Elijhaa Penny are still fighting for jobs behind David Johnson, but it’s possible that the Cardinals will keep all three on the initial 53-man roster. Although the Cardinals have other running backs on hand, Foster’s special teams skills will be missed.

Foster had 59 receptions for 584 yards as a senior at ASU and the Cardinals were hoping to see some of that pass-catching acumen in 2018. Last year, Foster had 17 catches for 133 yards in seven games.

Raiders Trade WR Ryan Switzer To Steelers

August 27th, 2018 at 11:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have traded wide receiver Ryan Switzer to the Steelers. The Raiders will receive a fifth-round pick in the trade while sending their own sixth-rounder to Pittsburgh.

The deal marks the second time that Switzer has been traded this offseason. In April, the Cowboys shipped Switzer to Oakland after acquiring Tavon Austin from the Rams. Dallas acquired 2016 Raiders second-round pick Jihad Ward in that trade.

Switzer offers experience as both a kick and punt returner, and that’s likely the main draw to this trade from the Steelers’ perspective. Switzer could allow Pittsburgh to keep Antonio Brown away from punt returns and reduce the star’s risk for injury. Cornerback Cameron Sutton was pushing to hold down that job, but the Steelers might be having second thoughts after he fumbled against the Titans in Saturday’s preseason contest. Switzer may also be able to contribute as a slot receiver.

The Raiders seemed likely to keep Switzer, but it appears that he has been leapfrogged by Griff Whalen this offseason. Whalen’s toe injury may keep him from the field in Week 1, but the Raiders opted to get something in return for Switzer instead.