HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Patriots Trade Jordan Richards To Falcons

August 31st, 2018 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have traded safety Jordan Richards to the Falcons, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The Patriots will receive a conditional 2020 seventh-round pick from Atlanta in the trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 

With the roster deadline coming on Saturday, Richards apparently was not going to make the cut. Although he was a second-round pick in 2015, the strong safety hasn’t done much to impress over three years with the Pats.

Last year, Richards appeared in all 16 games (five starts) and totaled 22 tackles plus one forced fumble. Pro Football Focus ranked Richards the No. 78 safety in the NFL last year out of 87 qualified players, so it’s not a total shock to see him jettisoned from New England.

Assuming Richards makes the 53-man cut in Atlanta, he’ll serve as a reserve behind starting strong safety Ricardo Allen. The Falcons will start former first-round pick Keanu Neal at free safety with Ron Parker serving as the top backup.

Texans Release Punter Shane Lechler

August 31st, 2018 at 9:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have cut Shane Lechler, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). With Lechler out of the picture, they’ll roll with rookie Trevor Daniel as their punter.

Lechler didn’t necessarily struggle during the preseason, but Daniel was outstanding. No one thought the University of Tennessee product had a real chance at unseating Lechler, but the Texans went with the untested option, even though they’re still on the hook for Lechler’s $600K guarantee.

After spending the first 13 years of his career with the Raiders, Lechler joined up with the Texans in 2013, and he hasn’t missed a game during his tenure in Houston. Last year, Lechler led the league in punting yards with 4,507 and put his boot to the ball 92 times. The veteran is first all-time in yards per punt, and he’s second all-time in punts and punting yards.

Given his experience, reputation, accomplishments, and holding ability, it would be surprising if Lechler does not find a job elsewhere.

Former Eagles TE Brent Celek Retires

August 30th, 2018 at 9:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Brent Celek is calling it a career. The veteran tight end has informed the Eagles that he’ll be retiring, reports NFL.com’s Michael Silver. Celek will release a statement on the team’s website tomorrow.

We heard earlier this month that the 33-year-old was considering retirement, with Celek suggesting that he’d either stay with the Eagles or hang up his cleats.

“I think I’m leaning more toward retirement,” Celek said. “I’ve had a few offers, but none of them are worth leaving a city that I have been in for eleven years where I won the Super Bowl in my final year. It wouldn’t feel right to put another uniform on.”

Celek finished the 2017 season with a career-low 130 receiving yards, but he still managed to appear in all 16 games for the Eagles. In fact, the durable tight end only missed a single regular season game throughout his career. With former backup Trey Burton out of the picture, the Eagles presumably would have welcomed Celek back for a 12th season with the organization. Instead, they’ll roll forward with Zach Ertz, rookie Dallas Goedert, and Richard Rodgers as their tight ends.

There’s no denying Celek’s impact on the Eagles offense throughout his 11-year career. His best season came back in 2009, when he finished with 76 receptions for 971 yards and eight touchdowns. The 2007 fifth-round pick will finish his career with the fourth-most receptions in franchise history (398), and he’s also towards the top of the list in receiving yards (4,998, eighth) and receiving touchdowns (31, 11th).

Chiefs Trade OL Parker Ehinger To Cowboys

August 30th, 2018 at 8:51pm CST by Ben Levine

We learned earlier tonight that the Cowboys were trading cornerback Charvarius Ward to the Chiefs, and now we’re getting details on what they’ll be getting in return. ESPN’s Adam Teicher reports that Kansas City will be sending offensive lineman Parker Ehinger to Dallas.

The 2016 fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati had difficulties staying on the field during his tenure with the Chiefs. He did start four of his five games as a rookie, but a knee injury ended his season prematurely. In 2017, Ehinger was limited to only one game (one start), but the Chiefs apparently had optimism that he’d be able to start at left guard this year.

However, the lineman was benched for Cam Erving during training camp, and Kansas City apparently decided that they were fine rolling with their current backups. That grouping includes Andrew Wylie, Bryan Witzmann, Jordan Devey and rookies Ryan Hunter and Kahlil McKenzie.

The 25-year-old will now try to crack the Cowboys roster, which is currently dealing with injuries to Marcus Martin and Travis Frederick. The six-foot-six, 310-pound Ehinger will presumably compete with Cameron Fleming, Chaz Green, Joe Looney, and Kadeem Edwards for backup reps.

Saints GM Discusses Potential Bridgewater Extension

August 30th, 2018 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

When Teddy Bridgewater was traded to the Saints yesterday, some pundits wondered whether the 26-year-old would take over as the starter once Drew Brees decided to call it a career. However, general manager Mickey Loomis cautioned that the team isn’t in any hurry to extend the quarterback, who is currently playing on a one-year deal.

“Well, I think it’s one step at a time,” Loomis said (via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune on Twitter). “The first step is getting him here and getting to know him as a player and as a person and vice versa.”

The general manager also said it was “premature” to assume Bridgewater would be the heir apparent to Brees.

Of course, Loomis presumably doesn’t want to count his chickens before they hatch, but we can probably assume that the Saints traded for Bridgewater thinking he’d one day take over the starting gig. After all, New Orleans sent the Jets a third-rounder, which seems to be the going rate for a lower-end starting quarterback (the Browns sent the Bills a third for Tyrod Taylor). While the Saints also received a sixth-rounder in the trade, they presumably wouldn’t have given up valuable draft capital if they didn’t envision a future with Bridgewater.

Secondly, the team’s other backup quarterbacks haven’t shown a whole lot of promise during their NFL careers. With Drew Brees approaching his 40th birthday, the organization probably didn’t feel good about a potential future with Tom Savage, J.T. Barrett, or Taysom Hill under center.

At the very least, Bridgewater has already shown that he can be a competent NFL quarterback, and he seems to be recovered from a knee injury that forced him to miss the 2016 season and most of the 2017 campaign. In three preseason games, Bridgewater has completed 73.7-percent of his passes for 316 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Cowboys Trade CB Charvarius Ward To Chiefs

August 30th, 2018 at 6:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Charvarius Ward is heading to Kansas City. ESPN’s Todd Archer reports (via Twitter) that the Cowboys are trading the rookie cornerback to the Chiefs. The deal is expected to be finalized on Friday.

Ward had a standout collegiate career at Middle Tennessee State, compiling 74 tackles, two interceptions and 13 passes defended over the past two seasons. After going undrafted during this past year’s draft, he ended up catching on with the Cowboys.

The organization gave the rookie a chance to show his talent, as Ward ended up playing in 58 snaps through three games this preseason. The six-foot-one, 201-pound cornerback compiled seven tackles and a pair of passes defended during those outings.

As ESPN’s Adam Teicher tweets, the move is unlikely to shake up the Chiefs’ depth chart. Ward will likely slide into the team’s sixth and final cornerback spot behind Kendall Fuller, Steven Nelson, Orlando Scandrick, David Amerson, and Tremon Smith. This means Keith Reaser, Will Redmond and Makinton Dorleant are either competing for a final roster spot or at risk of being cut.

Meanwhile, the Cowboys cornerback depth chart seems to be solidified with Byron Jones, Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Anthony Brown, Duke Thomas, and Marquez White.

Vikings WR Cayleb Jones Charged With Domestic Assault

August 30th, 2018 at 5:54pm CST by Ben Levine

Vikings receiver Cayleb Jones has been accused of domestic assault. Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune reports that the wideout was charged yesterday morning with “felony-level theft, misdemeanor domestic assault and a gross misdemeanor for interfering with an emergency call.” Jones was released from jail on conditional bond, with his pretrial hearing set for October 4th.

According to the report, officers were dispatched to a hotel following a 911 hangup. The victim called 911 a second time, claiming that “her boyfriend … put his hands on her.” The victim later said that Jones threw her to the ground, kicked her, and smacked a phone out of her hands while she was attempting to call police.

According to Krammer, Jones must “submit to random alcohol and controlled substance testing and cannot leave Minnesota without consent of the court.” The player will also be subject to discipline under the NFL’s personal conduct policy, and he’s already been suspended for the first four games of the upcoming season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy. The receiver was previously charged with second-degree felonious assault back in 2013.

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman released a statement earlier this week.

“We are aware of the situation involving Cayleb Jones and are in the process of gathering more information,” said Spielman. “Further comment will be provided at the appropriate time.”

The 2016 undrafted free agent out of Arizona had a brief stint with the Eagles before catching on with the Vikings. He spent all of last season on the team’s practice squad, and he was competing with the likes of Tavarres King, Stacy Coley, and Brandon Zylstra for a roster spot. In two preseason games, Jones had hauled in three receptions for 34 yards.

Patriots Rework TE Dwayne Allen’s Contract

August 30th, 2018 at 4:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Earlier today, the Patriots sweetened Rob Gronkowski‘s deal. Now, it sounds like one of his fellow tight ends will be taking a pay cut. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that Dwayne Allen has agreed to a reworked contract. The veteran was set to make $4.5MM (with a $5MM cap hit), and that number will reduced. Specific terms haven’t been reported.

The Patriots acquired Allen (along with a sixth-rounder) from the Colts last offseason in exchange for a fourth-round pick. After compiling 406 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2016, the tight end’s stats took a hit during his first season in New England. While the 28-year-old did appear in 15 games (with eight starts), he finished the year with only 10 receptions for 86 yards and a score. He ended up topping those numbers in three postseason games, compiling 11 receptions for 90 yards and one touchdown.

Due to his underwhelming performance last season, Allen was rumored to be on the roster bubble as recently as last month. However, thanks to his new deal, the veteran will presumably be sticking around New England for at least another season. Assuming his spot on the roster is safe, tight ends Jacob Hollister, Will Tye, and rookie Ryan Izzo will now be competing for one of the Patriots’ final roster spots.

The Patriots’ reworked Gronkowski’s contract earlier today, giving him the ability to earn an extra $4.3MM this season. The maximum value of the Pro Bowl tight end’s contract is now $13.05MM.

Kaepernick Case To Move Forward

August 30th, 2018 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday, Colin Kaepernick secured a major victory over the NFL. The quarterback won the summary judgement phase of his collusion case, which means that Kaepernick’s case will move towards a hearing (Twitter link via Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports). 

The decision from arbitrator Stephen Burbank was the “most pivotal moment” in Kaepernick’s case, according to Robinson. The law required all facts to be viewed “in the most favorable light” towards Kaepernick, since he is the one bringing the case, so the NFL’s legal team was facing an uphill battle.

Kaepernick, of course, has not played in the NFL since 2016, as clubs have shunned the 30-year-old following his national anthem demonstrations. While he was scheduled to work out for the Seahawks earlier this year, the audition was eventually canceled after Kaepernick declined to stop kneeling during the anthem.

Kaepernick alleges that owners from around the league colluded to keep him unsigned. The alleged collusion stems from his protest of social inequalities in the United States, which included kneeling for the national anthem.

Between the 2012 and ’13 seasons, Kaepernick threw for 21 touchdowns and rushed for nine touchdowns while throwing just 11 interceptions. The team also went 17-6 in the regular season with him as a starter. From 2014-16, Kaepernick was unable to lead the team to a record better than 8-8, and he threw ten interceptions in 2014 alone. Of course, the Niners’ woes were not entirely Kaepernick’s fault, and he played well on a personal level in 2016 despite the team going 1-10 in his starts.

Kaepernick will turn 31 in November, and he seems further from an NFL opportunity than ever before. He may never win another game on the field, but he could be on his way to a historic victory against the league.

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