2018 August - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders Want Donald Penn To Take Pay Cut

August 8th, 2018 at 11:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are pushing for Donald Penn to take a pay cut, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Specifics are unclear, but Gehlken gets the sense that the Raiders will ask Penn to convert most or all of his $3MM guarantee into bonuses or incentives.

Last year, Penn stayed away from the club as he pressured them for a new deal. His tactics worked as Oakland gave him a two-year, $21MM extension to remove his lame duck status.

Penn more or less played up to the expectations of the new deal last year as he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 23 ranked tackle in the NFL. Unfortunately, however, he suffered a Lisfranc fracture against the Cowboys in December and remains on the PUP list as a result.

Ostensibly, the Raiders still want to move forward with Penn. First-round pick Kolton Miller has impressed in camp this summer, but the ideal arrangement for Oakland is to have both players starting on the offensive line. For that to happen, the 35-year-old may be forced to rework his contract.

Patriots Still Interested In Breeland

August 8th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Zachary Links

Bashaud Breeland auditioned for the Patriots this week, but it doesn’t sound like a deal will come together in the next 48 hours. The Patriots conveyed an intention to circle back to the free agent cornerback after the team’s first preseason game on Thursday night, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.

With a relatively deep group at cornerback, the Patriots likely want to see how their reserves perform before committing to Breeland. The Pats are already rostering Stephon Gilmore, Eric Rowe, Jason McCourty, second-round pick Duke Dawson, and Jonathan Jones, and there are still others to consider. At one point this summer, Maryland product J.C. Jackson was getting more reps in the starting defense than Rowe, so he could find a way to crack the 53-man roster. Similarly, seventh-round pick Keion Crossen and Ryan Lewis have looked sharp at times and Cyrus Jones‘ return ability may keep him in the conversation.

The Patriots have more than $8MM to work with, according to the NFLPA’s top-51 cap room report, so they have the flexibility to sign Breeland if they decide to follow through with a deal. However, Anderson notes that there are multiple teams interested in Breeland, including the Jets, so we could see a bidding war play out for one of the best free agents left.

Contract Details: Titans, Vaccaro, Eagles

August 8th, 2018 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

Kenny Vaccaro’s one-year deal with the Titans includes no guarantees, but his base salary will be locked in if he’s on the Week 1 roster, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Between the $100K bonus he’ll also receive in Week 1 and other bonuses, Vaccaro can earn up to $2.75MM with Tennessee.

It’s a far cry from what Vaccaro likely expected in March, but it’s not a bad deal considering the way the free agent safety market played out this offseason. Vaccaro will turn 28 next February, so he could be in line for a solid multi-year deal if he plays well in Johnathan Cyprien‘s absence.

Here’s a look at details on other recent contracts, courtesy of Pelissero:

Safety Corey Graham received a one-year, $1.715MM deal from the Eagles with $1.515MM guaranteed, Pelissero tweets. Graham was a solid third safety for Philadelphia last season, playing 35% of the team’s regular season defensive snaps in support of starters Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins.
The Seahawks gave guard J.R. Sweezy a $100K signing bonus on his deal, according to Pelissero, but that likely represents the only guaranteed money in the contract. It’s a one-year, $1.5MM deal that can reach a maximum of $2MM.

Latest On WR Jordan Matthews

August 8th, 2018 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

The injury settlement for Jordan Matthews with the Patriots carries no cap amount associated with it, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That may be an indication he’ll be healthy in time for the start of the regular season.

The Patriots released Matthews after he tweaked his hamstring in practice. Given his potential, it was speculated that Matthews’ injury was rather serious, but that might not be the case at all. After being officially released from IR on Tuesday, Matthews is free to sign with any club, and it might not be long before he can actually audition for teams.

Dez Bryant is the free agent wide receiver everyone is talking about, but Matthews is four years younger and arguably has more upside. Once healthy, Matthews could hold appeal for teams like the Browns who are looking to shore up their depth at wide receiver.

Injuries limited Matthews to ten games and just 282 yards last year, but he’s not far removed from impressive production with the Eagles. Matthews nearly hit 1,000 yards receiving in 2015 and had a respectable 73/804/3 line in 2016.

David Irving Won’t Lose Free Agent Status

August 7th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In a case similar to that of Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon, Cowboys defensive tackle David Irving will not see his 2019 free agent status affected by his absence from training camp, a source tells Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.

Irving needed to report to Dallas’ camp 30 days prior to the start of the regular season in order to preserve his unrestricted free agent status next offseason. But because Irving, who is skipping camp to work on personal issues, has an agreement in place with the Cowboys, his contract will not toll, meaning he can hit the open market in the spring.

A former undrafted free agent, Irving hit restricted free agency this past offseason, and ultimately re-signed with the Cowboys on a second-round tender, which will pay him $2.9MM for the 2018 campaign. He’ll only earn a prorated portion of that total, however, as he’s suspended for the first four games of the season after violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy.

In 2017, Irving served another suspension (eight games for performance-enhancing drugs), but was effective in his half-season of play. In 338 defensive snaps, Irving managed seven sacks and graded as the league’s No. 23 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus.

Colts Rumors: Brissett, Castonzo, Hooker

August 7th, 2018 at 8:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Colts owner Jim Irsay said earlier this week that he wouldn’t consider trading backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett in exchange for a first-round pick, and it sounds like new head coach Frank Reich agrees, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. “We actually talked right at the beginning of camp, and I just cannot emphasize enough how fortunate we are to have Jacoby,” Reich said. “I think this guy’s one of the top 20 quarterbacks in the NFL, and we have two of them on this team. It will be a different role for him. We talked about that, and Jacoby is a real pro in every sense of the word.” Brissett, who started 15 games for Indianapolis a season ago, will now act as the club’s No. 2 option behind Andrew Luck, who is recovering from a shoulder injury which cost him the entire 2017 campaign.

Here’s more on the Colts:

Left tackle Anthony Castonzo re-injured his hamstring last week and will now be “miss a little bit of time,” Reich told Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Castonzo, who began camp on the physically unable to perform list while dealing with the same injury, has only missed five total games through seven NFL seasons. At this point, it’s unclear if Castonzo is in danger of missing regular season action, but the Colts don’t have much tackle depth behind him. While Indianapolis spent the offseason reinforcing the interior of its offensive line, tackle wasn’t necessarily addressed in the same fashion. Currently, journeyman J’Marcus Webb, who was signed at the end of July, is filling in on the blindside.
Speaking of Colts injuries, safeties Malik Hooker and Clayton Geathers could both be ready for Week 1 after dealing with their own health questions marks, per Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. Both Hooker, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and Geathers, working his way back from January knee surgery, opened training camp on the PUP list but have since been moved to the active roster. If Hooker and/or Geathers aren’t available to begin the season, the Colts will turn to Matthias Farley (who started 15 games in 2017) or T.J. Green to carry the load.
On the Colts’ first unofficial depth chart of the preseason, 2017 second-round pick Quincy Wilson was not listed as a starter at cornerback. Instead, journeyman Pierre Desir and former undrafted free agent Kenny Moore are the current top options in the Indianapolis secondary. In a separate piece, Holder looks at the unlikely ascendance of Moore, whom the Colts picked up via waivers last September.

Chiefs S Daniel Sorensen To Miss Time

August 7th, 2018 at 7:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Chiefs safety Daniel Sorensen will miss “the first part” of the regular season after he undergoes an impending knee surgery, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Herbie Teope of NFL.com (Twitter link) was the first to report that Sorensen was dealing with a knee injury, and specified Sorensen did not tear his ACL.

Sorensen had been set to replace Ron Parker in Kansas City’s base defense. Parker, who was released by the Chiefs this spring, had played in at least 95% of the club’s defensive snaps in each of the past four seasons. Sorensen was to take those snaps opposite All-Pro Eric Berry, who is returning from a 2017 campaign which was lost to an ACL tear.

With Sorensen sidelined, Eric Murray will likely step into the Chiefs’ starting lineup. Murray, a 2016 fourth-round pick, saw a 39.8% playtime percentage last season, defensing five passes and posting one sack in the process. A Minnesota product, Murray will be backed up by a combination of Robert Golden, rookie fourth-rounder Armani Watts, and Leon McQuay.

If the Chiefs want to add a free agent to their safety mix, Steven Terrell is perhaps the likeliest option. Terrell, 27, spent the majority of the 2017 season in Kansas City. While he played mostly on special teams, Terrell did see 79 snaps on defense. He’d presumably offer a familiarity with the Chiefs’ scheme, which could prove important with the regular season looming.

If they don’t consider Terrell, the Chiefs could take advantage of a slow-developing free agent safety market to find a veteran on the cheap. Eric Reid is the best defensive back without a contract, while other available safeties include Lardarius Webb, Darius Butler, Mike Mitchell, T.J. Ward, Quintin Demps, and Tyvon Branch, the latter of whom played in Kansas City in 2015.

Dez Bryant “Not Seriously Interested” In Browns?

August 7th, 2018 at 7:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dez Bryant-to-Cleveland train keeps getting stalled. Per Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the Browns are under the impression that Bryant is “not seriously interested” in joining Cleveland.

Browns general manager John Dorsey first admitted his club’s Bryant intrigue at the end of July, and subsequent reports indicated the two parties had “mutual interest.” However, as of last week, no official date for Bryant to meet with Cleveland had been scheduled, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com added the Browns only have a “modicum of interest” in adding the 29-year-old pass-catcher.

On Sunday, Cleveland traded wide receiver Corey Coleman to the Bills in exchange for a 2020 seventh-round pick, but that swap wasn’t intended to create space for Bryant, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Additionally, the deal wasn’t indicative of Josh Gordon‘s current status, as the Browns believe he’ll eventually rejoin the team.

Even before Coleman was traded, the Browns had expressed a desire to use Jarvis Landry — who ran 72.7% of his routes from the slot with Miami in 2017, as a part-time outside receiver. With Coleman gone, and Gordon’s status up in the air, Cleveland may have to rely on other options such as rookie Antonio Callaway, Rashard Higgins, and Jeff Janis to fill in the blanks.

While a number of teams have been tangentially linked to Bryant since he was released by the Cowboys, no clubs aside from the Ravens and Browns have been directly interested in the former first-round pick. In fact, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com has reported many teams are unwilling to consider Bryant even at the minimum salary. Bryant had been expected to land a new deal inJuly, so the clock is now ticking on the veteran wideout.

Amini Silatolu To Undergo Meniscus Surgery

August 7th, 2018 at 7:31pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Panthers left guard Amini Silatolu has a torn meniscus that will require surgery, the club announced Tuesday. Silatolu will undergo a procedure on Friday and will subsequently be evaluated on a “week-to-week basis.” Although Carolina didn’t announce a recovery timeline for Silatolu, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer indicates a four-to-six week rehabilitation period is typical for meniscus tears.

The Panthers could ill afford another blow to their offensive line, which already saw starting right tackle Daryl Williams go down with a dislocated knee and a torn MCL. Per Wilson, Williams is planning to attempt a 2018 return without undergoing surgery. Either way, Carolina’s offensive line — which ranked as a bottom-half unit in both run- and pass-blocking in 2017 before losing All-Pro left guard Andrew Norwell, per Football Outsiders — doesn’t have the depth to withstand multiple absences.

Silatolu had been competing to replace Norwell as a starting interior lineman, and had reportedly been seeing the most reps at the position. Now, undrafted rookie Brendan Mahon is the likely starter at left guard, according to Bill Voth of Panthers.com. Jeremiah Sirles and Greg Van Roten might also be candidates for increased reps, but Person reports Sirles is slotted in as a pure backup, while Van Roten has spent most of his time at center.

The 29-year-old Silatolu started three games and made 14 total appearnces for the Panthers in 2017, a season which marked his return season in Carolina. Originally a Panthers second-round pick and 15-game starter in 2012, Silatolu spent the 2016 campaign out of the NFL. He re-upped with Carolina this offseason on a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract.

Browns Likely To Make More Trades?

August 7th, 2018 at 6:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After shipping wide receiver Corey Coleman to the Bills in exchange for a 2020 seventh-round pick, the Browns may consider making more trades in the coming weeks, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Specifically, general manager John Dorsey could engage in talks regarding players brought in by Cleveland’s former front office.

The Browns have already been among the most active teams in the NFL’s 2018 trade market; by our count, Cleveland has made nine trades involving veteran players, plus two more deals that involved draft selections. To Rapoport’s point, the Browns have mostly traded away players added by ex-general manager Sashi Brown, with quarterbacks DeShone Kizer, Cody Kessler, and Kevin Hogan, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, and cornerbacks Jason McCourty and Jamar Taylor all moving in addition to Coleman.

Talent hasn’t only been outgoing in Cleveland, as the club has also made deals that added veteran talent to its 53-man roster. Notably, the Browns picked up their presumptive starting quarterback — Tyrod Taylor — from the Bills in exchange for a third-round pick, and acquired franchise-tagged wide receiver Jarvis Landry from the Dolphins, sending fourth- and seventh-round selections to Miami in return.

On a macro level, it’s unclear whether the Browns may look to bring in more veterans via trade, or simply sell off parts added by the previous regime. In a recent interview with Kevin Clark of The Ringer, Dorsey admitted he doesn’t want Cleveland to be too youthful a roster in the coming years (the Browns ranked 32nd in snap-weighted age last season, per Scott Kacsmar of Football Outsiders). “Those guys did a nice job in terms of acquiring the cap space. They hurt themselves in that they got too young,” Dorsey said of the Browns’ previous front office. “That’s the plan I always wanted to do—top five youngest in the league, not the youngest.”