HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Browns Still Considering Signing Dez Bryant

September 6th, 2018 at 10:52am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Dez Bryant left his visit to Cleveland a couple weeks back without a contract, but the two sides could still hammer something out eventually a source told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

Cabot writes that the two sides could begin talking again after Week 1 due to the vested veterans guarantee date that’s part of the CBA. Under the rules, any veteran on a roster at the start of Week 1 has his contract guaranteed for the entire season. After Week 1, only 25% of the players contract is guaranteed if he were to be released.

It makes sense the Browns would be concerned about this due to it being a somewhat risky signing that is far from a guarantee to work out. If Bryant arrived in Cleveland and immediately began clashing in the locker room, they very well might have to end up cutting him.

Browns GM John Dorsey told Cleveland.com “it’s a week-to-week thing. Who’s to say I won’t call Dez on Tuesday and see how it’s going.” It was reported earlier that the Browns had offered Bryant a little bit under $5MM in salary for 2018, far less than Bryant was seeking. It’s possible the Browns will be willing to increase their offer once they no longer have to pay 100% of it if things don’t go smoothly. One way or another, we should no more very soon as the start of the regular season is just days away.

Dolphins Re-Sign TE Gavin Escobar

September 6th, 2018 at 10:21am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

After he was released by the team at final cuts, the Dolphins are bringing back tight end Gavin Escobar according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

To make room on the roster, the team is placing MarQueis Gray on injured reserve. Beasley posted a follow-up tweet noting that it’s “big news” as Gray “was on track to be a Week 1 starter.” It’s a big blow for Miami just days before the season gets underway.

Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald followed up with a tweet of his own, noting that it’s an Achilles injury for Gray. Although he’ll be eligible to return after eight weeks, if it’s an Achilles tear he’ll be done for the whole season. Escobar, a second round pick of the Cowboys back in 2013 was brought in on a one-year deal this offseason but let go as the Dolphins trimmed their roster to 53.

Escobar never lived up to his draft status, catching just 30 passes for 333 yards and eight touchdowns across his four seasons in Dallas. The injury to Gray likely means more snaps and potentially an every down role for rookie second round pick Mike Gesicki.

 

 

Rams Tried Trading For Khalil Mack

September 6th, 2018 at 9:36am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Rams tried trading for Khalil Mack before he was ultimately dealt to the Bears, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Rams COO Kevin Demoff said the team “offered a pretty aggressive package” but that the Raiders ultimately turned it down because they thought the Rams were “going to pick too low.” Jon Gruden made clear earlier this week that one of the primary concerns when trading Mack was getting picks from teams they thought would be drafting in the top half of the draft.

Acquiring Mack would’ve probably made the Rams the favorite to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl, and would’ve meant very low draft picks going back to Oakland. Still, it’s fun to envision a defense with Mack and Aaron Donald lining up next to each other.

With all the recent extensions the Rams have doled out, it’s unclear how they would’ve been able to make a Mack mega-deal fit into their salary cap, but apparently the team felt confident they’d be able to do it. The Rams under GM Les Snead’s leadership have been aggressive in free agency and in trades, and have seemingly been in on every big name player.

A Mack trade to the Rams would’ve made things especially interesting as the Rams play the Raiders in Week 1, on Monday Night Football.

Steelers Won’t Rescind Le’Veon Bell’s Franchise Tag

September 6th, 2018 at 8:46am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Despite his continued absence, the Steelers won’t rescind Le’Veon Bell‘s franchise tag, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

The drama reached new heights yesterday, when many of Bell’s teammates began criticizing him publicly. Several of his offensive linemen chimed in, a situation that is more or less unprecedented in today’s NFL. After yesterday’s fallout, many began to speculate that the Steelers would either rescind the tag, or look to trade Bell, but that’s not true according to Rapoport.

Despite GM Kevin Colbert’s strongly worded statement and the relentless griping from his teammates yesterday, “he’ll play for the Steelers this year. It’s just a question of when” writes Rapoport. While it was reported yesterday that Bell would almost certainly miss Week 1, it appears for now he still will be suiting up for Pittsburgh this season.

Bell missing yesterday’s crucial game-planning practice appeared to be the final straw for his teammates, and they lamented the fact that Bell hasn’t told anybody when he plans on reporting. Bell’s agent when on the radio a bit later in the day, and made clear that Bell’s primary motivation is getting through the season unscathed and entering free agency 100% healthy, even if it means giving up $855K game checks. It’s a risky move by Bell’s camp, and his antics could actually end up hurting his value in free agency.

Either way, it doesn’t sound like this situation will be resolving anytime soon.

Jets Work Out Hau’oli Kikaha, Charles Tapper

September 5th, 2018 at 9:25pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets worked out edge rushers Hau’oli Kikaha and Charles Tapper and cornerback Josh Robinson on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).

Kikaha was the 44th overall selection in the 2015 draft, but he’s been beset by injuries and ineffectiveness during his three-year tenure. After playing on 62% of the Saints’ snaps during his rookie campaign, Kikaha missed the 2016 season with a torn ACL (the third of his football career) and subsequently saw action on only 209 defensive snaps the following year. New Orleans shopped Kikaha ahead of the 2017 trade deadline, and waived him over the weekend.

Like Kikaha, Tapper has been affected by injuries during his NFL career, as a pre-existing back condition caused him to miss his entire rookie year in 2016. He suited up for the Cowboys’ first two games in 2017, but a broken foot landed him on injured reserve in October. A former fourth-round pick, Tapper could conceivably help the Jets as a rusher off the edge, an area of weakness for Gang Green.

The Buccaneers exercised their 2018 option on Robinson in March, but released him on Sunday during final cutdowns. A seven-year veteran who’s also spent time with the Vikings, Robinson has essentially become solely a special-teamer. Robinson played on at least 50% of Tampa Bay’s special team snaps in each of the past three seasons, and saw just nine total defensive snaps during that snap. He auditioned for the Lions earlier this week.

After looking at Kikaha, Tapper, and Robinson today, the Jets are scheduled to work out free agent linebacker Zaire Anderson on Thursday, according to Herbie Teope of NFL.com (Twitter link).

NFL Workout Updates: 9/5/18

September 5th, 2018 at 8:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee Titans

Minnesota Vikings

Philadelphia Eagles

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/5/18

September 5th, 2018 at 7:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Los Angeles Rams

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Washington Redskins

Jeremy Maclin Intends To Play In 2018

September 5th, 2018 at 6:26pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Veteran wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is still a few weeks away from full recovery after tweaking his hamstring during a training session, but he still hopes to play in 2018, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Maclin reportedly had offers in hand prior to training camps getting underway, per Schefter, but was waiting for the “right opportunity” before signing. Whether that means Maclin is searching for a larger contract or more playing time is unclear, but the only club to have expressed reported interest in Maclin was the Eagles, who had Maclin on their radar at one point.

Maclin, 30, was once a perennial threat to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards and double-digit touchdowns, but his production has dwindled in recent seasons. From 2016-17 (which he split between Kansas City and Baltimore), Maclin played in just 24 total games and averaged only 42 receptions, 488 yards, and 2.5 touchdowns per year. Last season, Maclin ranked as a bottom-10 receiver in Football Outsiders’ DYAR and DVOA, meaning he was ineffective both overall and on a per-play basis.

At this stage of his career, it’s difficult to imagine Maclin garnering anything other than a one-year deal near the minimum salary. Given that he won’t be fully healthy until after the regular season begins, teams won’t have to worry about Maclin’s salary becoming guaranteed in Week 1 (as it would have had he made an opening roster as a vested veteran).

Patriots Work Out WR Kendall Wright

September 5th, 2018 at 5:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots hosted wide receiver Kendall Wright and a host of other free agents for workouts on Wednesday, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

New England currently only has four wide receivers on its roster (excluding special-teamer Matthew Slater), and the club is counting on Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, Cordarrelle Patterson, and the recently-claimed Chad Hansen to shoulder the load until Julian Edelman returns from suspension in Week 5. In addition to Hansen, the Patriots claimed former Seahawks pass-catcher Amara Darboh off waivers on Sunday, but waived him with an injury designation on Tuesday.

Wright inked a one-year, $1MM deal with the Vikings this spring that contained $400K guaranteed, but he was cut loose on Sunday. Scheduled to be Minnesota’s slot receiver between Adam Thielen and Stefon Diggs, Wright was beaten out by former first-round pick Laquon Treadwell for a starting spot. Given his lack of special teams prowess, Wright didn’t hold much appeal as a reserve for Minnesota.

That Wright doesn’t play special teams (he has only four career ST snaps) could present a problem for his chances to earn a Patriots roster spot, as well, but New England’s dire need for receiving weapons could trump Wright’s weakness on teams. A former first-round pick, Wright spent five years with the Titans before landing with the Bears in 2017. The lone bright spot in an otherwise dismal passing attack, Wright posted a team-leading 59 receptions and 614 yards in his only season with Chicago.

Here’s the full list of free agents that were on hand for New England today, per Reiss:

Lions Waive Zettel, Claim Okwara

September 5th, 2018 at 4:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Anthony Zettel started 16 games for the Lions last season but is headed to the waiver wire. The Lions jettisoned the third-year defensive lineman to make a successful waiver claim for Romeo Okwara, whom the Giants recently cut, per Field Yates of ESPN (on Twitter).

Zettel was listed as a backup defensive end on Detroit’s Week 1 depth chart, and given his experience, he might be intriguing as a waiver add for another team by Thursday.

A defensive end out of Notre Dame, Okwara started four Giants games as a rookie. At 23, he’s three years younger than Zettel despite both being third-year players. Okwara was a 2016 UDFA, while Zettel went off the board in the sixth round.

Pro Football Focus graded Zettel as a top-50 edge defender last season and viewed the Penn State product as one of the position’s better run defenders. He registered 6.5 sacks in his second year.

Okwara played in six games for the 2017 Giants. He has one career sack, recorded as a rookie, and 24 total stops.

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