2018 September - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Release OL Jermon Bushrod

September 8th, 2018 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jermon Bushrod‘s no longer on the Saints’ roster, and three running backs again are. The Saints released the veteran offensive lineman and promoted Jonathan Williams from their practice squad, Nick Underhill of The Advocate and Mike Triplett of ESPN.com report (Twitter link).

A Pro Bowler with the Saints in 2011 and 2012, Bushrod spent the past five seasons with the Bears and Dolphins. He re-signed with the Saints on a one-year deal. However, the 34-year-old blocker missed two practices this week due to non-injury reasons, per Underhill.

It’s possible the Saints could bring back Bushrod, but for now, the 12th-year veteran is unattached. The Saints re-signed Michael Ola and Josh LeRibeus this week, though, perhaps signalling they’re OK with younger players working as second-stringers up front. Bushrod started 10 games for the Dolphins last season and has 122 career starts.

Affiliated with the Saints since midway through last season, Williams will join Alvin Kamara and Mike Gillislee as New Orleans’ Week 1 backs. Williams has not played in a game since doing so as a rookie for the 2016 Bills. The Saints signed Gillislee earlier this week after sorting through a few Mark Ingram-replacement options this offseason.

Seahawks To Activate, Start Earl Thomas

September 8th, 2018 at 2:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earl Thomas‘ begrudging return to the Seahawks will mean getting his job back immediately. The Seahawks are set to activate their All-Pro safety and start him against the Broncos on Sunday, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

A full-time component of the Seahawks’ secondary from 2010-17, and the Legion of Boom’s last remaining bastion, Thomas will begin the final season of his four-year, $40MM contract. He doesn’t appear too happy about that, after waging a holdout that lasted into September, but his return greatly improves Seattle’s defense.

Despite Russell Wilson‘s presence, the Seahawks are viewed as a rebuilding team after gutting their defense this offseason. Thomas and Bobby Wagner will be all that’s left from Seattle’s Super Bowl defenses, with K.J. Wright set to miss Week 1, but that’s a good place to start for a defense.

The Seahawks have not lost to the Broncos in the Wilson era, defeating them in Super Bowl XLVIII and winning an overtime game in Seattle in September 2014. They are three-point underdogs in Denver this week. Thomas’ return obviously helps the team’s chances of exiting the Mountain Time Zone 1-0.

During Thomas’ absence, Tedric Thompson stepped in as a starter alongside Bradley McDougald. Sunday’s expected arrangement will be a Thomas-McDougald starting back line. After breaking his leg in 2016, Thomas returned last season and reclaimed his position as one of the NFL’s best safeties. He earned another Pro Bowl nod, made two interceptions, returned one of those for a touchdown and made 88 tackles.

While the 29-year-old defender could still be on the trade block, given the unlikelihood he’ll be part of the 2019 Seahawks and the Cowboys’ enhanced trade offer, he’s moving forward with his current team for the time being.

Bell Won’t Report To Steelers This Week

September 8th, 2018 at 2:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers-Le’Veon Bell stalemate will take a significant divergent turn compared to last year’s impasse. Bell will not report to the team on Saturday and will forgo an $853K payment, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Bell has until 4pm ET to show up, but Schefter adds that deadline will come and go with the two-time All-Pro away from the team. James Conner was already entrenched as the Steelers’ Week 1 starter against the Browns, but Bell being willing to skip a game check adds a layer to this situation.

This process will now carry over into Week 2, when the Steelers are set to host the two-time reigning AFC West champion Chiefs. And if Bell’s on board with bypassing a near-$1MM check this week, it’s obviously in play he’d do so again. Steelers offensive linemen unloaded on the running back this week for his seeming disinterest in his 2018 team’s status compared to his potential position on the 2019 free agent market. The situation plunges into stranger territory now that he’s refused to report before his team’s Cleveland trip.

The early part of the Steelers’ schedule is not as menacing as the back end. The Chiefs are the only 2017 playoff team on the Steelers’ September slate. But the Ravens, viewed by many as the top threat to the Steelers’ AFC North crown this season, are set to visit Pittsburgh in Week 4.

Pittsburgh will not trade Bell, rescind his franchise tag or add money to it. Bell’s agent cryptically voiced concerns about how the Steelers will use his client this season — on the heels of mammoth workloads in 2016 (on a per-game basis) and ’17 — and Bell’s side is showing it means business by extending the player’s absence into the regular season.

Mike Tomlin said earlier this week he won’t let an agent dictate his game plans, firing back at Adisa Bakari’s comments regarding his client’s high-volume usage rate. But until Bell’s side blinks, Conner will be the Steelers’ top running back.

Steelers Won’t Adjust Bell’s 2018 Salary

September 8th, 2018 at 2:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Steelers and Le’Veon Bell are not permitted to discuss a long-term extension until after the regular season concludes, the team would be allowed to increase its star running back’s 2018 payment. However, don’t count on that happening.

The Steelers are not going to set a precedent in this unexplored area by adjusting Bell’s $14.5MM tag price, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com reports (video link), adding they also will not discuss a trade. A trade would in effect thrust another team into Pittsburgh’s place — renting a running back that appears hellbent on doing his best to make it to the 2019 market without too much additional wear and tear from this season.

Bell turned down Steelers contract proposals the past two summers and is now essentially locked into his $14.5MM franchise tender, or a prorated amount of it. He could still report to the Steelers on Saturday, sign his franchise tender and receive the first of his $855K payments. He’s yet to do so.

Pittsburgh could rescind Bell’s tag, make him a free agent now and save $14.5MM. That also will not happen. The Steelers have restructured several veterans’ contracts to make room under the cap this year. They are prepared to carry that $14.5MM salary on this year’s cap sheet.

As the high-profile staring contest continues, James Conner is in line to start against the Browns on Sunday. The Steelers will host the Chiefs in Week 2.

Bengals Extend WR Alex Erickson

September 8th, 2018 at 12:46pm CST by Ben Levine

Alex Erickson is sticking around Cincinnati through the 2020 season. Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer reports (via Twitter) that the Bengals have signed the wideout/returner to a two-year extension.

The former undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin joined the Bengals as a rookie back in 2016. He’s served mostly as a special teamer during his first two seasons in the league, returning 61 kicks (24.1-yard average) and 67 punts (7.1-yard average).

While his averages aren’t bad, the 25-year-old has compiled a dreadful 10 fumbles in two years, including seven while returning punts. Still, the Bengals continue to go back to him as a returner, as he’s slotted in as both the punt and kick returner in 2018.

Perhaps the team sees Erickson eventually working his way into an offensive role. He showed improvements last season, hauling in 12 catches for 180 yards and one touchdown. He also added another five carries for 16 yards. He’s currently listed as the fifth wideout behind A.J. Green, John Ross, Josh Malone, and Tyler Boyd.

Raiders GM Discusses Khalil Mack Trade

September 8th, 2018 at 12:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Last weekend, the Raiders were the talk of the NFL after sending star linebacker Khalil Mack to the Bears. While owner Mark Davis and head coach Jon Gruden were the two pushing for the trade, it’s uncertain how much general manager Reggie McKenzie had to do with the deal.

Gruden clearly has the ear of his owner, emphasized by the organization dealing off many of McKenzie’s draft picks. There have been rumblings that the Raiders could be preparing to part ways with the general manager, although Gruden was clear it was an organizational decision to trade off Mack.

For what it’s worth, McKenzie didn’t sound like he was entirely on board with a Mack deal. In an interview with Scott Bair of NBC Sports BayArea, the general manager provided some insight into the trade. The whole interview is worth reading, and we’ve collected some of the notable soundbites below:

On how he was handling the entire ordeal prior to the trade:

“My whole thought process was to get Khalil (signed). It was at the end, in the final hour, that it just hit. It hit hard and heavy. It was not a plan to trade him at all.”

On negotiations with Mack, who ended up signing a six-year, $141MM ($90MM guaranteed) deal after being dealt to Chicago:

“There were some things that weren’t meshing between the two proposals. That made it hard to go into details. We were trying to figure out ways to get it done, but it wasn’t going to look like what Khalil wanted.”

On whether quarterback Derek Carr‘s five-year, $125MM extension impacted negotiations with Mack:

“We knew we had two great players in that [2014] draft a long time ago. We knew this thing was coming. We were trying to plan for this. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. That scenario did not weight heavily in our decisions.”

On the perception that the organization is unwilling to pay their own players:

“We will pay top dollar. We couldn’t get around giving Khalil what he wanted. We will pay top dollar to top players. We just could not get it worked out with Khalil. When it seemed like it was going that way, we decided to make a move with the trade. We will be able attract players. …We’ll find a way to continue to play good football. We’re not worried about the outside perception of free agency. We will get free agents in here when its time to do that and we will keep our own. Sometimes you can’t keep them all. That’s just the way it goes.”

Cardinals Work Out WR Braxton Miller

September 8th, 2018 at 11:05am CST by Ben Levine

Corey Coleman wasn’t the only wideout to audition for the Cardinals yesterday. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports that the team was also hosting receiver Braxton Miller on a visit.

The former Ohio State quarterback was selected by the Texans in the third-round of the 2016 draft. Up to that point, Miller had had only played a single collegiate season at wide receiver. The inexperience showed during a lackluster rookie campaign, and he ended that season on the injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

The 25-year-old did show some improvement in 2017, hauling in 19 receptions for 162 yards and one touchdown. However, the Texans decided to roll with Sammie Coates and Vyncint Smith as their fifth and sixth wideouts, leading to Miller being cut last week.

The Cardinals are a bit thin at wide receiver, with undrafted free agent Trent Sherfield serving as the fifth wideout behind Larry Fitzgerald, Christian Kirk, Chad Williams, and JJ Nelson. If Miller were to join Arizona, he’d probably slide into the fifth slot, and he could also contribute in the return game (three career kick returns, four career punt returns).

Seahawks To Place CB Dontae Johnson On IR

September 8th, 2018 at 9:19am CST by Ben Levine

The day before their season opener, the Seahawks have lost a key defensive back. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that the team will place cornerback Dontae Johnson on the injured reserve. The team will promote cornerback Akeem King from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.

Johnson was added to the injury report earlier this week. The injury was initially described as a hip issue, but coach Pete Carroll later described it as a groin strain. The organization wasn’t treating the injury like it was all that serious, although the cornerback was considered doubtful for tomorrow’s game in Denver.

After spending the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, Johnson joined the Seahawks this offseason. The 26-year-old started all 16 games last season, finishing with career-highs in tackles (77) and passes defended (seven). Pro Football Focus wasn’t all that fond of his performance, ranking him 118th among 121 eligible cornerbacks.

Johnson was expected to start at cornerback alongside Shaquill Griffin and Justin Coleman. The team will likely turn to either veteran Neiko Thorpe or rookie Tre Flowers to fill in, although King could end up getting a look. The 2015 seventh-round joined the Seahawks organization last season, and he caught on with the team’s practice squad following this year’s preseason.

Saints Work Out Two Linebackers

September 8th, 2018 at 8:35am CST by Ben Levine

The Saints are hunting for some linebacker depth. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that free agent Scooby Wright worked out for the team yesterday. Meanwhile, Herbie Teope of NFL.com tweets that the Saints also auditioned linebacker Zaire Anderson.

The Saints could definitely use some reinforcement at the position, as they’re currently rostering five linebackers. The grouping includes A.J. Klein, Manti Te’o, Demario Davis, Alex Anzalone, and Craig Robertson, so the could surely benefit from some additional depth.

Wright, 24, has seen the field for 13 regular season games throughout his career. The 2016 seventh-round pick has seven career tackles, and he’s had stints with the Cardinals and Browns. He was cut by Arizona in late August.

Anderson, a 2015 undrafted free agent out of Nebraska, had spent his entire career with the Broncos. The 26-year-old appeared in every regular season game over the past two years, including a 2017 campaign where he compiled 23 tackles.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/7/18

September 7th, 2018 at 9:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Today’s practice squad transactions:

New Orleans Saints

Cut: QB J.T. Barrett

New York Giants

Cut: DT Josh Banks

Philadelphia Eagles

Signed: DT Treyvon Hester
Cut: WR Greg Ward, WR Rashard Davis and DT Winston Craig

Tennessee Titans

Cut (left squad): WR Damore’ea Stringfellow