2018 August - Pro Football Rumors

Packers, Clay Matthews Have Discussed Extension

August 21st, 2018 at 8:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers have discussed an extension with edge rusher Clay Matthews, according to Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette.

“My agency and upstairs have had talks,” Matthews said. “We’ll see where it goes. At the same time, I’ll just go out there and do my things and let the pieces fall where they may. “I’ve been here going on 10 years, so I’d like to obviously add a few more to that. I’m not in control of that. All I can control is what I do on Sundays, and hopefully it’s a big year.”

Matthews, 32, is in the final season of a five-year, $66MM extension he signed in April 2013. Next year, he’s scheduled to earn a base salary of $10.4MM and count for roughly $11.338MM on Green Bay’s salary cap. A new deal for Matthews could reduce his 2018 cap figure, especially if it contains a signing bonus that would prorate over the life of the pact.

As Matthews has aged, the Packers have reduced his snaps. Over the past two years, Matthews averaged only 566 snaps per season; conversely, from 2012-15, he saw action on 801 plays per year. That reduced usage may have helped Matthews’ play, as he graded as the NFL’s No. 22 pass rusher last season, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Matthews his best marks since the 2012 campaign.

Broncos WR Carlos Henderson Wants To Play

August 21st, 2018 at 8:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Broncos wide receiver Carlos Henderson is currently on the reserve/did not report list as he deals with a personal matter, but he today told Denver general manager John Elway that he wants to continue his career, reports Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). The Broncos will look into Henderson’s situation and make a call on him in the coming days, per Klis.

However, Henderson’s return to Denver may not be a simple undertaking, tweets Troy Renck of Denver7. Henderson has been accruing fines for missing training camp, and Denver likely doesn’t want to set a precedent by returning that money. As Renck notes, waiving such fines is typically a move reserved for star players that return from a holdout.

Henderson was selected in the third round of the 2017 draft, but has yet to see the field for the Broncos. The Louisiana Tech product — who managed 1,535 receiving yards, 15 touchdowns, and excelled as return man during his final collegiate season — suffered a thumb injury last summer which required surgery, and he was subsequently placed on injured reserve.

Even if he does return to Denver’s roster, Henderson is suspended for the first game of the season as a result of a January marijuana arrest.

Cowboys Sign S Jeron Johnson

August 21st, 2018 at 7:12pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys have reached a contract agreement with free agent safety Jeron Johnson, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dallas has waived quarterback Dalton Sturm in a corresponding roster move.

As Archer notes, Johnson is the second defensive back Dallas has signed in the past day, joining undrafted free agent Dominick Sanders. The Cowboys can use all the help they can get at safety, as Xavier Woods is expected to miss three-to-four weeks with a hamstring injury, while Jameill Showers was recently placed on injured reserve after tearing his ACL.

Johnson, 30, has spent the majority of his seven-year career with the Seahawks, so he has experience playing under new Cowboys defensive backs coach/passing game coordinator Kris Richard. Primarily a special-teamer, Johnson has topped 20% playtime just once (in 2015, with the Redskins). In 2017, Johnson signed with the Jaguars in August but was placed on injured reserve the following month, and never saw action on the field.

Dallas, of course, has and could continue to pursue safeties with larger name value than Johnson. The Seahawks’ Earl Thomas has been on the Cowboys’ radar for some time, while the club is also reportedly interested in George Iloka, whom the Bengals released on Sunday.

Seahawks RB J.D. McKissic To Miss Time

August 21st, 2018 at 6:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Seahawks running back J.D. McKissic will miss four-to-six weeks after suffering a Jones’ fracture in his foot, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Seattle is already down one running back, as rookie first-round pick Rashaad Penny underwent surgery last week for a broken finger. He’s now expected to miss three-to-four weeks, leaving the Seahawks with Chris Carson, C.J. Prosise, Mike Davis, Gerald Holmes, and Justin Stockton as healthy backs.

McKissic, 25, appeared in 13 games and made one start for the Seahawks in 2017. He managed 4.1 yards per carry on 187 attempts, and was effective in the passing game, where he posted 34 receptions. An exclusive rights free agent this offseason, McKissic signed a one-year tender worth the league minimum.

Due to his recovery timeline, McKissic is a candidate to return from injured reserve. However, that scenario would entail Seattle keeping McKissic on its roster until final cutdowns, as any IR/return player must be carried through to his team’s respective initial 53-man roster.

If the Seahawks opt to look for a free agent running back to account for recent depletions, they could look at option such as Orleans Darkwa, Andre Williams, or Lance Dunbar, or perhaps attempt to convince DeMarco Murray — who worked out for Seattle earlier this year — to come out of retirement.

Rams Won’t Sign Junior Galette

August 21st, 2018 at 6:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams will not sign free agent edge rusher Junior Galette, head coach Sean McVay told reporters, including Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (Twitter link). McVay also clarified that Galette’s recent meeting with Los Angeles did not include a workout, only a physical, tweets Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com.

Los Angeles has spent the offseason adding marquee names to its roster, but it still doesn’t have much of a depth chart at outside linebacker. While the Rams should get plenty of pass rush from the interior of its defensive line, but they’re currently projected to start Matt Longacre and Samson Ebukam on the edge.

Galette, of course, was once a double-digit sack force with the Saints from 2013-14, but injuries and off-field issues have turned him into more a rotational player. After suffering those aforementioned torn Achilles tendons in both 2015 and 2016, Galette finally got in a full season with the Redskins in 2017, and played extremely well on 37% of the club’s defensive snaps. While he only posted three sacks, Galette managed 25 pressures and graded as the league’s No. 30 edge defender among 106 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Galette has not ruled out re-signing with Washington (although the Redskins may have ruled him out), while the Raiders and — most recently — the Seahawks have auditioned the veteran pass rusher. Retirement is also reportedly an option for Galette if he doesn’t find a suitable offer.

49ers Still Interested In Eric Reid For Minimal Role

August 21st, 2018 at 5:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers are still interested in re-signing free agent safety Eric Reid, but only for a backup role and on something close to a league-minimum salary, head coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters, including Matt Barrows of The Athletic (Twitter link). However, Shanahan doesn’t believe Reid would interested in such an offer.

Reid has previously indicated that he’d accept a one-year deal from San Francisco, but only at his 2017 base salary of $5.676MM, so it’s highly unlikely he’d take a pact that pays less than $1MM. But it’s still unclear if and when Reid will receive a serious offer from a defensive-back needy club.

The NFL’s safety market has been stagnant this offseason, but Reid is likely also being rebuffed due to his intentions to kneel during the national anthem. Reid did take a visit with the Bengals earlier this year, but later filed a grievance after Cincinnati asked him about his anthem stance. He was scheduled to meet with the Titans earlier this month, but multiple flight cancellations prevented Reid’s visit.

Reid, 26, was something of a playmaker during his first two NFL campaigns, as he posted seven total interceptions from 2013-14. While he hasn’t kept up that rate of turnover creation, Reid is still a solid starter, and Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 30 safety a year ago.

Jets To Work Out K Kai Forbath

August 21st, 2018 at 5:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets will work out kicker Kai Forbath on Wednesday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

If New York signs Forbath, it will have a whopping four kickers on its active roster, meaning the club will need to trim its depth chart. Cairo Santos is still dealing with the effects of a chronic groin injury, and it’s fair to assume the Jets will eventually cut ties with him. Gang Green also has undrafted rookie Taylor Bertolet and veteran Jason Myers — claimed off waivers from the Seahawks earlier today — on its squad.

Forbath, 30, was released by the Vikings on Monday after losing out to rookie Daniel Carlson in Minnesota’s kicking competition. In 2017, Forbath converted 32-of-38 field goal attempts (including six-of-nine from 50+ yards), and his 84.2 accuracy percentage ranked 16th in the NFL. His field goals and extra points lost 3.1 point of field position for the Vikings, good for just 21st in the league, per Football Outsiders.

NFL Suspends Ravens’ Jimmy Smith

August 21st, 2018 at 4:48pm CST by Zachary Links

Ravens defensive back Jimmy Smith has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season, the league announced. Smith was originally facing a six-game ban, but the suspension was reduced to four games after Smith met with the NFL, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic.

Prior to the ban, the NFL was monitoring a child custody case between the player and his child’s mother. Last year, the woman had accused Smith of domestic violence and drug use, allegations that the cornerback denied. Ultimately, an NFL investigation found that the allegations had merit.

“The NFL found evidence of threatening and emotional abusive behaviors by Jimmy [Smith] toward his former girlfriend that showed a pattern of improper conduct. Our player’s behavior was inappropriate and wrong,” the Ravens said in a statement.

The Ravens added that after consulting with relationship and domestic violence experts, as well as non-football members of the organization, they “will allow Jimmy to return…after his suspension. Jimmy has acknowledged his behaviors were wrong and accepts full responsibility for them.”

Smith missed the final quarter of last season with a torn Achilles tendon, meaning that he’ll go roughly eleven months between snaps thanks to this suspension. In his injury-shortened campaign, Smith had 28 tackles, nine passes defended, and three interceptions.

The Ravens are undoubtedly frustrated by the situation, but they have reason to stick with him through the ban. Last year, Smith was operating as one of the Ravens’ best players and was Pro Football Focus’ No. 12 corner coming into the ill-fated game.

The Ravens will be without Smith for the first four games of the season against the Bills, Bengals, Broncos, and Steelers. He’ll be eligible to return in Week 5 against the Browns.

NFL Suspends Steelers WR Eli Rogers

August 21st, 2018 at 3:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has suspended Steelers wide receiver Eli Rogers for the first game of the season after a violation of the substance abuse policy. In a statement, GM Kevin Colbert expressed his disappointment.

“We are disappointed that Eli Rogers has been suspended for Week 1 of the regular season as part of the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse,” Colbert said. “The suspension will begin following the final roster cutdown on September 1. He will be allowed to continue his rehabilitation and attend meetings at team’s headquarters, but he will not be permitted to practice with the team during his suspension or attend the Week 1 game.”

The ban means that Rogers will not be able to take the field in the Sept. 9 season opener against the Browns. After that, he’ll be eligible to return for the team’s Week 2 contest against the Chiefs.

Rogers was unlikely to participate in the first game of the season anyway, as he is still recovering from an ACL tear in his right knee. Odds are, Rogers will remain on the PUP list for at least the first six weeks of the season before getting an opportunity to play.

Jets Claim K Jason Myers Off Waivers

August 21st, 2018 at 3:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Seahawks kicker Jason Myers was claimed by the Jets on Tuesday afternoon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Myers was released by Seattle on Monday.

The Jets appeared to be set with Cairo Santos as their kicker, but it sounds like his chronic groin injury has become a serious problem. It’s been an issue for him in the past. In 2017, he missed most of training camp with the Chiefs with the same ailment, then subsequently aggravated the injury in Week 3, leading to his release. Then, he hooked on with the Bears, but the same issue landed him on injured reserve.

Myers was with the Jaguars from 2015 through the first six games of the 2017 season. He was released after missing three pivotal field goals, though they were all from 52 yards or longer. All in all, he connected on 64-of-79 field goal attempts (81%) and 76-of-88 extra points (86.4%) in 38 games with the Jags. This offseason, he hooked on with the Seahawks, but he was ultimately displaced by Sebastian Janikowski.

The Jets also have kicker Taylor Bertolet on the roster and it’s unlikely that they’ll carry three kickers for long. It stands to reason that Santos will be released rather quickly.