HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Buccaneers To Place Vernon Hargreaves On Injured Reserve

September 12th, 2018 at 10:37am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Buccaneers were dealt another blow to their secondary with an injury to Vernon Hargreaves, and it’s serious enough that the team will place him on injured reserve, a source told Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link).

Stroud adds that the shoulder injury is “season ending” so it doesn’t sound like Hargreaves is a candidate for one of the Bucs’ two designated to return spots. It was reported yesterday that the injury was potentially serious, and now we have confirmation. Hargreaves, a starting cornerback, was supposed to be an integral part of the Buccaneers’ defense.

The team was already without number one corner Brent Grimes in Week 1, and the secondary is now extremely thin. It would be pretty surprising if the Bucs don’t bring in some outside help sometime this week. The team met with Bashaud Breeland earlier this week, and adding him to the roster would make a lot of sense.

Hargreaves, the 11th overall pick in the 2016 draft, has had a disappointing career this far. Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the worst cornerbacks in the league through his first two seasons, but Bucs’ coaches and executives were reportedly still high on him and expecting him to make a leap in 2018. He’s still just 23, but it’s a huge blow to his development.

Josh Allen To Start Week 2 For Bills

September 12th, 2018 at 9:31am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Josh Allen era in Buffalo is officially underway. The rookie quarterback will get the nod under center for the Bills in Week 2 according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link).

Allen will replace Nathan Peterman in the starting lineup. Peterman earned the job due to a strong preseason, but fell flat on his face in Week 1 against the Ravens, mustering only 24 yards on 18 attempts. Allen came into the game in the third quarter and while he wasn’t great, he was clearly better than Peterman.

It’ll be a tough test for Allen’s first career start, as he’ll be facing a Chargers defense that has a ton of talent. Luckily for him, it appears that Joey Bosa is unlikely to play. Since the Bills faced a brutal slate of defenses to open the year, it was assumed by many that the plan was for Allen to sit the first few weeks, but they apparently felt they couldn’t wait any longer.

In what’s almost certain to be a rebuilding year for the Bills, this move makes sense. They can give Allen as much time as he needs to develops and ride the ups and downs with the rookie. The fanbase likely would’ve grown antsy and impatient quickly with Peterman’s struggles, so it’s natural they’d make the move ahead of the home opener.

DT Johnathan Hankins To Visit Raiders

September 12th, 2018 at 9:03am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Johnathan Hankins‘ longer than expected free agency could finally be drawing to a close. The veteran defensive tackle will visit the Raiders today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).

Schefter notes that the team “want[s] to sign him”, so it sounds like there’s a good chance this happens. Hankins signed a three-year $27MM deal with the Colts before the 2017 season, and despite high Pro Football Focus grades, was let go this past March after just one year.

He was expected to be hotly pursued after his release, but much of a market never materialized. He went on a few visits, most recently with the Chargers, but never signed a deal. It’s possible that he’s been holding out for better offers and simply never received the type of money he was looking for, so it will be interesting to see what the terms of his deal are with the Raiders, assuming he signs in Oakland.

Hankins, who’s still only 26, came into the league as a second round pick of the Giants in 2013. He had seven sacks in 2014 but is mostly a run-stuffing defensive tackle. The Raiders’ defensive front was a major weakness in their Week 1 loss to the Rams, so it makes since why they’re looking to bring in Hankins.

Eagles Release Markus Wheaton

September 12th, 2018 at 8:37am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Eagles’ shuffling of their receiving corp continued this morning when they cut Markus Wheaton, the team announced via Twitter.

The Eagles just signed Kamar Aiken yesterday, so a move had to be made and the team decided to move on from Wheaton. Wheaton, a sixth-year wideout, was just re-signed himself last week. He played only two snaps in the team’s Week 1 win over the Falcons, but Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports he’ll receive his full salary as he was signed before the Week 1 deadline (Twitter link).

Wheaton signed with the Eagles back in May, was cut September 1st at final cuts, brought back on September 4th just in time for the game, and now released again to make room for Aiken. With Alshon Jeffery still out for likely multiple more weeks, receiver is a major concern for the Eagles. They also recently signed former Texans third round pick Braxton Miller to the practice squad, as well as a pair of other practice squad receivers.

Wheaton showed a lot of promise over a couple of years in Pittsburgh, catching 44 passes for 749 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2015, but never could put it all together. He was a massive free agent bust in Chicago last year, catching only three passes for the Bears all season despite a hefty salary.

Patriots Audition RBs Orleans Darkwa, Charles Sims

September 11th, 2018 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots worked out free agent running backs Orleans Darkwa and Charles Sims, as well as receiver/returner Brandon Tate, on Tuesday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

New England placed running back Jeremy Hill on injured reserve earlier today, but they also signed Kenjon Barner, so it’s unclear if the club is still interested in adding another runner. Barner is more a returner than a true back, so it’s possible the Patriots want to bring in another back to complement Rex Burkhead, James White, and Sony Michel, the latter of whom was inactive on Sunday.

Playing for the Giants in 2017, Darkwa posted the best campaign of his NFL tenure in by setting career-highs in starts (11), rushes (171), yards (751), and touchdowns (five). Football Outsiders ranked Darkwa as a top-25 running back in both DYAR and DVOA (meaning he was both effective overall and efficient on a per-play basis), while Pro Football Focus noted his ability to create his own yardage. Darkwa previously met with the Patriots back in April.

Sims, meanwhile, has shown flashes of ability during his run in the NFL, especially during a 2015 campaign in which he caught 51 passes for the Buccaneers. While he’s never been much of a ball-carrier (he handled a career-high 107 carries in that 2015 season), Sims is a viable pass-catcher, but he doesn’t contribute on special teams.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/11/18

September 11th, 2018 at 9:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Buffalo Bills

  • DT Du’Vonta Lumpkin (link)

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Jacksonville Jaguars

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Redskins

Panthers TE Greg Olsen To Return In A “Few Weeks”

September 11th, 2018 at 9:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The timeline on Panthers tight end Greg Olsen‘s return from a fractured foot isn’t as dire as it originally appeared. Olsen says he’ll rest his foot for a “few weeks” and then return to play out the season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

That’s an incredibly more positive outlook for Olsen, whom reports earlier today would be evaluated on a month-to-month basis. Olsen missed significant time in 2017 — and was eventually placed on injured reserve — after breaking the same foot, so a lengthy absence appeared likely. But Olsen won’t undergo surgery, as he’s confident an operation can wait until this offseason.

A quick return means Olsen will be viewed as an injury risk for the remainder of the year, as both his age (33) and his foot issue give reason for concern. But his presence will undeniably be essential for the Panthers, as the club doesn’t have the tight end depth to withstand a missing Olsen. With longtime Carolina tight end Ed Dickson now in Seattle, the Panthers will turn to rookie Ian Thomas and veteran Chris Manhertz until Olsen can get back on the field.

Olsen, who in April signed an extension through 2020, has been among the league’s best tight ends since joining the Panthers via trade in 2011. From 2014-16, Olsen earn Pro Bowl honors while topping 75 receptions and 1,000 yards in each campaign.

Vernon Hargreaves Possibly Done For Year?

September 11th, 2018 at 8:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Buccaneers cornerback Vernon Hargreaves suffered a “serious” shoulder injury on Sunday, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, and Adam Schefter and John Keim of ESPN.com add (via Twitter) that the injury may be season-ending. Hargreaves will receive a second opinion from Dr. James Andrews on Wednesday, per Stroud.

Tampa Bay was without veteran cornerback Brent Grimes against the Saints, so Hargreaves acted as the club’s de facto No. 1 corner against Drew Brees until going down with his own injury. The Bucs were reportedly optimistic that Hargreaves’ shoulder issue wasn’t serious, but an MRI may have told the club otherwise.

With Hargreaves possibly out of the picture, the Buccaneers’ problems at cornerback will become even more pronounced. Second-round rookie Carlton Davis‘ is now Tampa’s top corner, while Ryan Smith (a 10-game starter in 2017) will likely hold down the other starting spot. But given that the rest of the depth chart — Javien Elliott, M.J. Stewart, and the recently-signed Marcus Williams — doesn’t offer much NFL experience, the Buccaneers took a look at free agent defender Bashaud Breeland earlier today.

Hargreaves, the 11th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is still only 23 years old, but his career has been a relative disappointment thus far. After starting 16 games as a rookie, Hargreaves missed time with a hamstring injury last year, and wasn’t effective when he was on the field. Pro Football Focus’ grades indicated Hargreaves played like one of the worst corners in the league, and the Florida product finished as a bottom-five cornerback in Football Outsiders’ success rate.

If Hargreaves is out for the year, the Buccaneers will be able to immediately contemplate their now difficult decision on his 2020 fifth-year option. Tampa Bay must decide by May of next year whether it”ll exercise an option that would likely pay Hargreaves around $10MM (the figure was $9.06MM for corners in 2019).

Eagles Work Out QB Paxton Lynch

September 11th, 2018 at 8:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Eagles auditioned quarterback Paxton Lynch and a host of other free agents on Tuesday, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (Twitter link).

Philadelphia, of course, has already brought in one failed early-round quarterback this year in Christian Hackenberg, who didn’t make it through final cutdowns. Lynch, a first-round selection in the 2016 draft, has already met with the Bills and Lions since being cut by the Broncos last week.

Lynch, 24, failed to beat out seventh-round signal-caller Trevor Siemian in Denver for two consecutive seasons, and though he ultimately did make starts for the Broncos, his performances were abysmal. In four career starts, Lynch has completed only 61.7% of his passes for 792 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions, and was dreadful again during the 2018 preseason.

The Eagles don’t necessarily need another quarterback on their roster, as Nate Sudfeld is currently backing up temporary starter Nick Foles. Carson Wentz, still recovering from a 2017 ACL tear, is expected to be sidelined for a few more weeks.

Here’s the list of other players worked out today by Philadelphia, per Caplan:

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/11/18

September 11th, 2018 at 7:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s practice squad updates:

Buffalo Bills

  • Released: OL Gerhard de Beer

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: LS Lucas Gravelle
  • Released: DL Cameron Mavlveaux

Oakland Raiders

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

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