HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

West Notes: Donald, Raiders, Carter

August 5th, 2018 at 12:39pm CST by Rory Parks

There are a couple of critical dates coming up in the Aaron Donald saga this week, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out. If Donald does not report to the Rams by August 7, he will not earn a year of credit towards free agency, which means that he would be eligible for restricted free agency next offseason, but not unrestricted free agency. However, Florio says that is not a major deterrent for Donald’s camp, as the Rams would either use the franchise tag on Donald — which, of course, they could also do if he became an unrestricted free agent — or apply a first-round restricted free agent tender. If Los Angeles went with the latter option, there would be any number of teams willing to extend a massive offer sheet to Donald and to surrender a first-round pick to the Rams if the Rams elected to not match the offer sheet, so Florio suggests LA would use the franchise tag regardless of whether Donald becomes a UFA or RFA.

The more important date, then, could be August 9, when the Rams play their first preseason game. As we have written previously, Donald could be fined a game check for each preseason game he misses, and between those penalties and the penalties for missing training camp, Donald could be looking at over $3.2MM in fines if he does not show up until the eve of the regular season opener. That reality could make him rethink his holdout, but given a recent report that the standoff could easily drag into September, it appears Donald’s reps are confident that the Rams will waive any penalties when the two sides do finally come to terms (or else that Donald’s contract will be so massive that the lost money won’t really matter).

Now let’s round up a few more notes from the league’s west divisions:

  • Raiders head coach Jon Gruden says his team’s kicking competition is not over, and that either rookie Eddy Pineiro or recent veteran acquisition Mike Nugent could win the job. But Scott Bair of NBCSports.com says Pineiro remains the heavy favorite, and Bair suggests it would be a major surprise if the rookie did not open the season as the team’s kicker.
  • We have not heard anything about a potential suspension for new Raiders receiver Martavis Bryant since June, which is obviously good news for Bryant and the team, but Gruden does not seem impressed with Bryant’s on-field performance thus far. Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets that Bryant needs to step up his game and get more out of his reps, and Gruden said that the former Steeler needs to “master the offense and be more versatile.” Bryant is eligible for unrestricted free agency in 2019 — assuming he’s not suspended, of course — and even though he is battling for the team’s No. 3 receiver job, his talent suggests he could excel in Oakland’s offense and earn himself a nice payday next year.
  • Broncos safety Jamal Carter, a 2017 UDFA, has been very impressive in this year’s training camp, as Mike Klis of 9News.com writes. Carter appeared in all 16 of the team’s games last season, primarily as a special teams contributor, but he could get more defensive snaps in 2018, especially in sub-packages.
  • The Chargers‘ starting free safety job remains up for grabs, as Eric Williams of ESPN.com tweets. Jahleel Addae, Desmond King, and Jaylen Watkins have all seen action with the starters at that position.
  • We learned earlier today that veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had to cancel his scheduled workout with the Seahawks due to a family matter. There is not yet any word on whether the visit will be rescheduled.
  • The 49ers are growing increasingly concerned about guard Joshua Garnett‘s right knee injury.

Eagles Sign Corey Graham

August 5th, 2018 at 11:06am CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles have re-signed free agent safety Corey Graham, as Adam Caplan of SiriusXM was first to report (via Twitter). Graham signed a one-year pact with the eventual Super Bowl champs almost exactly one year ago, so this has become something of an annual tradition.

Graham, who is entering his 11th NFL season, 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. He was a key special teams contributor as well, as he posted the second-most special teams tackles on the club, and he added two interceptions and four passes defensed. We ranked him as one of the ten best available free agent safeties in March, and now that the safety market has finally started to move a bit, Graham was able to land another one-year deal with the Eagles.

The Eagles deployed three safeties throughout much of their championship run last season, and Graham played 60% of the club’s postseason defensive snaps as a result. Given that Philadelphia did not do much to bolster the depth chart behind McLeod and Jenkins, it was almost an inevitability that Graham would be back.

In addition to Graham, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports that the Eagles have signed tight end Gannon Sinclar, who has not played in a regular season game since entering the league as a UDFA with the Cardinals in 2015. To make room for Sinclair and Graham, Philadelphia waived safety Ryan Neal and waived/injured tight end Adam Zaruba.

Josh Gordon “Getting Closer” To Return

August 5th, 2018 at 10:50am CST by Rory Parks

Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Josh Gordon is getting closer to returning to the Browns, though there is still no definitive timetable. She says he will not be back with the team by August 7, but the Browns are not going to let that hurt his free agent status, as the team wants him to focus on his long-term health and well-being (Twitter links). As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, if Gordon does not report to the team by August 7, the Browns could keep him from becoming a restricted free agent until after the 2019 season (at the earliest) and from being eligible for unrestricted free agency until after the 2020 campaign, but it does not sound as if Cleveland will exercise that right. So, if he does eventually suit up as expected, Gordon could become a restricted free agent next March.

Gordon’s teammate and fellow Browns receiver Rashard Higgins says that Gordon is in good spirits, and Higgins does not believe that Gordon’s absence will impact his play when he ultimately returns to the team. Higgins said, per Tony Grossi of ESPN 850 WKNR, “We were texting [Friday]. He’s in good spirits. We don’t talk about anything about the field or anything. We just talk about, ‘Hey, what’s up bro? How you doing?’ We’re not too concerned. We know Josh is handling his business off the field. When he comes back, he’ll be ready to go.”

Although that may sound like the optimistic take of a friend and teammate, Cabot’s report suggests that there may be something to what Higgins is saying. Plus, as Grossi writes, Browns GM John Dorsey has not added a veteran receiver like Dez Bryant or Brandon LaFell — even though he said he would when Gordon did not report for the first day of training camp — and social media images of Gordon working out in Gainesville, Florida have been more prevalent in the past few days.

Of course, there is still a chance that commissioner Roger Goodell could impose yet another ban on Gordon when he does come back, but Cabot’s report is a positive development just the same. On paper, the Browns have one of their most talented rosters in recent memory, and their top receiving trio of Gordon, Corey Coleman, and Jarvis Landry is a big part of that. In light of Coleman’s injury difficulties, which have already cropped up again, Gordon’s availability is especially critical.

Seahawks To Work Out CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie?

August 5th, 2018 at 10:25am CST by Ben Levine

Yesterday, ESPN’s Jordan Raanan reported (via Twitter) that veteran cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie would be working out for the Seahawks this weekend, which came on the heels of rumors that DRC was generating interest from Seattle and the Chargers. ESPN’s Josina Anderson, however, tweeted this morning that while DRC was indeed scheduled to be in Seattle today, he had a family matter to attend to and could not make the trip. There is no word yet on whether the visit will be rescheduled.

It’s been a relatively quiet offseason for the 32-year-old since he was let go by the Giants in March. It sounded like Rodgers-Cromartie could have joined the Redskins, but the team ultimately found that the asking price was too high. The 10-year-veteran had also received some interest from the Saints, but there have been no other reported workouts. Despite that, DRC still earned a spot on our recent listing of the top available free agents.

It was an underwhelming 2017 campaign for Rodgers-Cromartie. His 77.2 overall score from Pro Football Focus was his lowest since 2012, and he ultimately finished as the league’s 58th-ranked cornerback. As he settled into more of a reserve role, his numbers also took a predictable dip. He finished the season with 48 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one pass defended in 15 games (five starts). He also clashed with former Giants coach Ben McAdoo before being suspended “indefinitely” for conduct detrimental to the team.

Of course, the Seahawks have had their fair share of head cases over the years, so Pete Carroll‘s staff would be plenty prepared for DRC’s antics. The team could use a slot cornerback, especially after waiving DeAndre Elliott. Behind projected starters Justin Coleman and Shaquill Griffin, the Seahawks are also rostering Dontae Johnson, Byron Maxwell, Tre Flowers, Neiko Thorpe, and Trovon Reed.

Odell Beckham Jr. Optimistic About New Contract

August 5th, 2018 at 9:27am CST by Rory Parks

Earlier this week, the Giants and Odell Beckham Jr. finally began contract talks, and although it’s only been a couple of days, it appears that things are moving in the right direction. Per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, OBJ is optimistic that a new contract will get done, and Raanan suggests that the two sides could come to terms before the start of the regular season.

In his first news conference since last October, Beckham said, “Optimistic? Yeah. I’m optimistic. I’m confident it will all work itself out. It always does.”

Of course, Beckham has repeatedly expressed a desire to become the game’s highest-paid receiver, and it was not too long ago that we heard his next contract could approach $100MM in total value. However, the three-time Pro Bowler did imply that he may have to settle for a little less in order to obtain long-term security. He said, “Who doesn’t want to get more money? Everybody does. Realistically, you try to be realistic with yourself. You see what happened over the offseason. Can’t really worry about everybody else. Just let them figure it out, and whenever it happens it will happen.”

Unlike some of his fellow stars, Beckham has elected to participate in training camp, which is in keeping with his belief that holdouts are not an effective negotiating tool. He understands that he could suffer an injury in camp that could at the very least throw a major wrench into negotiations, but he believes that is a risk worth taking. After all, he is just happy to be on the field again after a difficult 2017 campaign that was cut short by a broken ankle.

The ankle injury not only kept Beckham off the field, but it had a dramatic impact on his personal life as well. During his news conference, Beckham said that there were times over the last year when he would fall asleep on the couch and then have to crawl up the stairs because of the limitations created by the injury.

And, although he was fully cleared to return to practice in June, he says he truly started to feel like his old self over the course of the past month. He said, “It’s kind of over the last month I’ve taken a huge stride. I remember maybe two months ago it wasn’t as smooth and I wasn’t getting out of cuts. You kind of get that frustration and want to get back to where you were at. But now that I’m here, it has been a lot of hard work put it. Lot of doctors, lot of treatment, lot of rehab, lot of pain that you’ve been in. It’s nice to be here now.”

By all accounts, Beckham and new head coach Pat Shurmur have a strong relationship, and it appears that Beckham is appreciative of the clean slate that the Giants’ offseason coaching and front office overhaul provided. He did not say whether there is a deadline for getting a deal done, but it sounds as if it could happen soon. Despite his injury-marred 2017, Beckham’s age (25), talent, and productivity to date will likely result in a major payday (especially in light of the booming wide receiver market). A five-year pact worth around $80MM, including $35MM in full guarantees, seems like a reasonable estimate.

Extra Points: Patriots, 49ers, Raiders, Jets

August 4th, 2018 at 9:42pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Eric Decker‘s one-year contract with the Patriots has a base value of $1.9MM, the veteran wideout received only $75K in guaranteed money, all in the form of signing bonus, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Decker can earn $2.1MM in total by maxing out bonuses and incentives, but New England won’t have a financial reason not cut him at the end of camp. However, Decker could prove valuable on a Patriots’ depth chart that is not only down Julian Edelman (suspension) for four games, but just lost Jordan Matthews via release. Decker, 31, posted 54 receptions for 563 yards and one touchdown during his lone season with the Titans in 2017.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The 49ers are exhibiting “growing concern” about guard Joshua Garnett‘s right knee injury, per a report from the Associated Press. Garnett, a first-round pick in the 2016 draft, missed the entire 2017 campaign after having surgery on the same knee, so the issue is doubly concerning. After Garnett reportedly banged knees with a teammate in late July, he was expected to return to practice this week, but his presence has been delayed. Garnett is competing for time at right guard — the only open spot on San Francisco’s offensive line — with Jonathan Cooper and Michael Person.
  • After being arrested in April as a member of the Eagles, now Raiders cornerback Daryl Worley plead guilty in to DUI, carrying firearms in public, and resisting arrest, reports Vic Tafur of the Athletic (Twitter link). Worley was sentenced to three days in jail and two years of probation, and his legal issues are now resolved. As such, Worley could be forced to serve a suspension during the 2018 season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Worley was traded to Philadelphia in exchange for wide receiver Torrey Smith earlier this year, but the Eagles cut him the day he was arrested.
  • Speaking of legal problems, Jets linebacker Dylan Donahue plead guilty to a Montana DUI charge earlier this week, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Donahue was sentenced to three months in jail, but that punishment was suspended upon payment of $1K fine. The second-year defender also plead guilty to a DWI charge in New York earlier this year. Donahue, who rarely played during his rookie campaign, will likely face a NFL-imposed suspension this year.
  • The Bears worked out free agent interior offensive lineman Alex Officer, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Officer went undrafted out of Pittsburgh earlier this year but landed a deal with the Raiders in May. He was waived just two weeks into his Oakland tenure, and has been sitting on the open market since. Per Wilson, Officer conducted a solid workout, but Chicago isn’t aiming to sign him immediately.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Redskins, Cowboys

August 4th, 2018 at 8:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz wasn’t placed on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp, Philadelphia’s plan for its signal-caller — who tore his ACL in December — isn’t exactly clear, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer details. Wentz participated in last Sunday’s workout in a limited fashion, and then wasn’t involved in on-field activities for the remainder of the week. Although both Wentz and the Eagles have maintained the third-year pro hasn’t suffered any setbacks, Philadelphia will need to balance its attempts to get Wentz ready with the requirement of preparing backup Nick Foles in the event Wentz isn’t ready for Week 1.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

  • Cornerback Josh Norman‘s future with the Redskins hinges on a number of factors, as John Keim of ESPN.com explains in his latest mailbag. Washington had added depth to its defensive backfield recently, and if Quinton Dunbar or 2017 third-rounder Fabian Moreau proves capable of starting this season, the Redskins could move on from Norman, who inked a five-year, $75MM deal in 2016. Financials, then, play another role in Norman’s fate in the nation’s capital. After counting for a massive $20MM on the Redskins’ salary cap in 2017, Norman’s charge will decrease to roughly $17MM this year and $14,5MM in 2019. Washington would save $8.5MM by cutting Norman before June of 2019, and $11.5MM by designating him a post-June 1 release.
  • Tavon Austin has been a jack-of-all-trades for the Cowboys since he was acquired via trade during the draft, but there’s one area of his game that hasn’t yet been utilized. “All the things you see me doing out here is pretty much what I’ll be doing,” Austin said, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “I ain’t touched the backfield yet, but hopefully, eventually if they need me back there, I’ll be back there too.” Dallas picked up Austin, a disappointing former first-round pick, from Los Angeles in exchange for a sixth-round pick, and he’s now expected to be the club’s primary punt returner.
  • The Giants are experimenting by using longtime cornerback William Gay at safety, writes Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com. Gay, who spent most of his time at corner over an 11-year career mostly spent in Pittsburgh, would give New York another option alongside Landon Collins and Darian Thompson. Gay, 33, saw a bit of action as a linebacker/safety with the Steelers, and also has experience in the slot, so a move to safety shouldn’t be all too challenging.

Poll: Which 2017 First Place Team Is Likeliest To Miss Playoffs In 2018?

August 4th, 2018 at 8:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

In 2017, four first-place teams from the previous season did not earn postseason berths. Those clubs — the Texans, Cowboys, Packers, and Seahawks — all missed the playoffs for different reasons. Injuries, poor luck, off-field issues, and plain old regression to the mean all contributed in certain instances, and 2018 doesn’t figure to be any different for the 2017 first-place teams.

We’ve already asked PFR readers which 2017 last place team is likeliest to make the postseason in 2018 (the 49ers were the top choice, with the Texans following closely behind). Today, we’ll flip that question: which 2017 first place club is going to miss the playoffs during the upcoming campaign?

Let’s take an overview of the teams:

New England Patriots

With Bill Belichick and Tom Brady in tow, the Patriots have won at least 12 games for eight consecutive seasons, and earned playoff berths in 14 of the past 15 years. Despite some roster turnover, that streak doesn’t figure to end in 2018. Not only is the AFC weak overall, but the AFC East in particular isn’t going to offer much competition for New England. New faces such as running back Sony Michel, offensive tackles Isaiah Wynn and Trent Brown, defensive lineman Danny Shelton and Adrian Clayborn, and cornerback Jason McCourty should help keep the Patriots’ postseason streak alive.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers are rolling it back, as the club won’t have many changes on either offense or defense. The only new factor on the offensive side of the ball figures to be rookie wideout James Washington, who will replace Martavis Bryant as Pittsburgh’s deep threat. On defense, linebacker Jon Bostic takes over for the injured Ryan Shazier, while Morgan Burnett and Terrell Edmunds will form an all-new safety tandem. Competition from within the AFC North might be improved, especially if the Browns don’t play like a winless team again in 2018.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Over the course of the 2017 season, the Jaguars posted the second-highest DVOA variance of any NFL club, meaning their performance wasn’t consistent from week-to-week. Now that they’ve brought back quarterback Blake Bortles, that doesn’t figure to change. In a passing league, Jacksonville will commit to winning via the run game and defensive dominance, and those two areas of the game aren’t nearly as correlated to win as passing offense.

Kansas City Chiefs

For what it’s worth, the Chiefs finished with the worst DVOA of any first-place team in 2017, and DVOA — Football Outsiders’ efficiency metric — is better at predicting future records than a team’s actual win-loss record. Kansas City is now deploying a new quarterback in 2017 first-round pick Patrick Mahomes, and as Warren Sharp detailed on Thursday, the Chiefs and Mahomes will need to limit their turnovers in order to have success in 2018. Everyone’s favorite sleeper — the Chargers — also reside in the AFC West, while Denver and Oakland also have legitimate postseason hopes.

Philadelphia Eagles

Unlike a postmortem, which helps explain why things happened after the fact, a premortem examines potential crises before they actually occur. Let’s take a premortem approach to a hypothetically-flawed 2018 Eagles roster: Carson Wentz doesn’t recover quickly from his ACL tear and his replacement, Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles, looks more like the Rams version of himself. Philadelphia’s defensive line ages quickly and can’t match its 2017 dominance, and the Eagles’ defensive back depth chart — which is relying on young players like Sidney Jones and Rasul Douglas — can’t hold up. And head coach Doug Pederson‘s aggressiveness, which led him to go for it on fourth downs a league-leading 29 times in 2017, backfires.

Minnesota Vikings

Two words: Aaron Rodgers. Sure, the Vikings were among the most complete teams in the league last season, and have since added both Kirk Cousins and Sheldon Richardson to an already-stacked roster. But the return of Rodgers from injury surely strikes fear in the hearts of Minnesota fans, and we haven’t even mentioned the improvements made by the NFC North’s other two clubs, the Bears and Lions.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints undoubtedly have a lot going for them in 2018: a future Hall of Famer in quarterback Drew Brees, dynamic rushing and receiving weapons, and an up-and-coming defense that will add veterans Kurt Coleman and Demario Davis in addition to rookie defensive end Marcus Davenport. The real problem for New Orleans is the strength of the NFC South. Both the Falcons and Panthers made the playoffs in 2017 and figure to be in contention again, so there’s always a chance the Saints slip out of the postseason picture due to their intra-division competition.

Los Angeles Rams

For all the offseason hype regarding the Rams, there are still quite a few questions about the club’s roster construction? Will LA’s offensive line — fronted by aging veterans Andrew Whitworth and John Sullivan — hold up? How long will All-World defender Aaron Donald continue his holdout? Can Brandin Cooks improve upon Sammy Watkins‘ performance as the Rams’ X receiver? And who exactly will be rushing the passer from outside linebacker in Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 scheme?

So, what do you think? Which 2017 first place team is likeliest to miss the playoffs in 2018? Vote below!

Browns Open To Extending QB Tyrod Taylor

August 4th, 2018 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite using the first overall pick on quarterback Baker Mayfield, the Browns are open to extending the contract of fellow signal-caller Tyrod Taylor, who is entering the final year of his current deal, as general manager John Dorsey explained to Kevin Clark of The Ringer.

“I just want to see Tyrod do what he’s done in the past,” Dorsey said. “He’s a natural born leader. He’s had an excellent camp so far. I want to see it unfold. There may come a point here where I call his representatives in October and say, ‘Let’s strike something up.’”

Cleveland has been adamant that Taylor will open the 2018 campaign as the club’s starting quarterback, but Mayfield is clearly viewed as the franchise’s long-term option under center. When asked if being forced to extend Taylor would cast doubt on Mayfield’s future, Dorsey answered “Nah, let’s deal with it when it happens.”

Taylor, who turned 29 years old on Friday, would surely be searching for starting quarterback money on any extension. He’s currently set to collect $16MM in total from the Browns during the upcoming season, and it’s difficult to imagine Cleveland paying two passers double-digit annual salaries, even though Mayfield’s earnings will be suppressed by the NFL’s rookie slotting system.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/4/18

August 4th, 2018 at 5:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

  • Waived/injured: LB Garrett Sickels
  • Waived from injured reserve: WR Aaron Lacombe

Seattle Seahawks

  • Signed: DE Ricky Ali’ifua
  • Waived: C Marcus Henry, DE Eddy Wilson

Tennessee Titans

Load More Posts