2018 September - Pro Football Rumors

South Notes: Panthers, Colts, Texans, WRs

September 4th, 2018 at 2:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

An offensive line that already lost a first-team All-Pro this offseason became beleaguered by injuries in training camp. Andrew Norwell left the Panthers for the Jaguars, and Carolina then lost Daryl Williams, Amini Silatolu and Matt Kalil to injuries. However, Carolina’s receiving good news on this front entering Week 1. Williams returned to Panthers practice, per Bill Voth of Panthers.com, despite being barely a month removed from an MCL injury and a dislocated patella. The contract-year right tackle was believed to be an IR-return candidate in August, but the Panthers still have him on their active roster. He hasn’t been ruled out for Sunday’s game against the Cowboys, but the Panthers may be cautious with their right tackle starter.

Silatolu is also back on the field. The veteran blocker tore one of his menisci in mid-August but said he’s 100 percent, per Joe Person of The Athletic (on Twitter). Voth adds Silatolu may be available for the Panthers’ opener. Greg Van Roten took over as the team’s starting left guard after Silatolu went down.

Here’s the latest from the South divisions:

D’Onta Foreman wasn’t as fortunate with his rehab process, though the Texans‘ backup running back was rehabbing a more severe injury this offseason. The Texans placed Foreman, who tore his Achilles’ tendon in November 2017, on the Reserve/PUP list to shelve him for six weeks. And Bill O’Brien said (via Deepi Sidhu of Texans.com, on Twitter) the second-year back “no question” needed the time to finish his recovery from the malady. Foreman is expected to be Lamar Miller‘s top backup again, but it’s uncertain how quickly he’ll be able to return to that role.
The Colts may have identified their starting right-side offensive linemen. For now, as this team-issued depth chart is unofficial, Indianapolis is going with veterans to man those spots. Matt Slauson is listed as Indy’s starting right guard, and third-year starter Joe Haeg is the first-string right tackle. Second-round rookie guard Braden Smith was tried at right tackle, but for now he will learn from the sideline as his career begins. Haeg started as a Colts right guard and right tackle the past two seasons. The Colts cut Austin Howard, the Ravens’ starting right tackle last season, over the weekend.
The Titans will worked out a pair of wide receivers on Tuesday. Devin Lucien and Drew Morgan auditioned for the team, per NESN.com’s Doug Kyed and the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson (Twitter links). The Patriots cut Lucien last week, and Morgan didn’t make the Dolphins’ 53-man roster.
Recent Seahawks wide receiver cut Malik Turner is in Houston working out for the Texans today, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

Chiefs Extend OL Cameron Erving

September 4th, 2018 at 1:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Going into his second Chiefs season, Cameron Erving will have some security with his second NFL franchise. The Chiefs announced they’ve signed the former first-round pick to an extension.

The 2015 Browns first-rounder is now signed with the Chiefs beyond 2018. It’s a two-year deal worth up to $15.7MM, Yahoo.com’s Terez Paylor reports (on Twitter), adding that the 26-year-old blocker will receive $6.45MM guaranteed.

The Chiefs declined Erving’s fifth-year option in May but reached an extension agreement that will make him part of their 2019 equation.

Erving worked as Kansas City’s starting left guard during the preseason but is listed as a backup tackle on the Chiefs’ pre-Week 1 depth chart. Considered unofficial, this depth chart nevertheless has Erving slotted as a backup tackle and rookie UDFA Andrew Wylie as the left guard starter.

The versatile Florida State alum started four games for the 2017 Chiefs, despite being a late-offseason trade acquisition, and has a clearer path to playing time in 2018 after Zach Fulton‘s Texans defection. Regardless of his status as a starter, Erving will not be on track for 2019 free agency after all.

Erving’s played center, guard and tackle as an NFLer. The Chiefs have Eric Fisher, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and Mitchell Schwartz signed to extensions, but center Mitch Morse is entering a contract year. Erving may provide some insurance if the Chiefs opt to let Morse walk after 2018.

Donnel Pumphrey To Join Lions’ P-Squad

September 4th, 2018 at 12:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the odd men out in the competition for the Eagles’ No. 4 running back job, Donnel Pumphrey has another gig. He’s expected to sign with the Lions, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com report (Twitter link).

The former fourth-round pick, however, won’t join Detroit’s active roster just yet. He’s being added to the practice squad, Rapoport adds (via Twitter). Pumphrey’s potential as a return man intrigues the Lions, per Garafolo (on Twitter).

Pumphrey’s next NFL game will be his first. He missed all of his rookie season due to an IR placement and lost out on the Eagles’ back-of-the-depth chart job to Wendell Smallwood.

The Lions have four active-roster running backs in Kerryon Johnson, Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and former Eagles teammate LeGarrette Blount. However, they did cut Dwayne Washington and saw him opt to join the Saints’ practice squad. This will represent another chance for Pumphrey to prove he can develop as an NFL running back.

Pumphrey is the Division I-FBS all-time leading rusher. He amassed 2,133 ground yards in 2016 with San Diego State and rushed for 62 touchdowns during his college career.

Patriots To Re-Sign OL Brian Schwenke

September 4th, 2018 at 12:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brian Schwenke will rejoin the Patriots after a brief stay as a free agent. The Pats re-signed the veteran interior offensive lineman, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets.

Schwenke will take the roster spot of wide receiver Amara Darboh, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (via Twitter). The Patriots claimed Darboh off waivers from the Seahawks, but the 2017 third-round pick will be waived two days later with an injury designation. He’ll revert to New England’s IR if unclaimed on waivers this time around.

Darboh will undergo an unspecified surgery on Tuesday, Garafolo adds. This will again deplete the Patriots’ depth at wideout. Only Chris Hogan, Coradarrelle Patterson, Phillip Dorsett and the recently claimed Chad Hansen reside as healthy Pats receivers at this point.

New England made Schwenke one of its weekend cuts but will reinstall him as an interior-line backup. He joins LaAdrian Waddle and Ted Karras as a second-string lineman.

A five-year Titans cog, Schwenke initially caught on with the Patriots when he signed in late July. While his roster spot is obviously not secure, Schwenke stands to slot in behind David Andrews and guards Joe Thuney and Shaq Mason.

Since beginning his career as a starter, the 27-year-old blocker’s been a backup for the past two seasons. Injuries essentially brought an end to his starting days, with the former 2013 fourth-round pick missing 23 games over his first three seasons. But he suited up for 16 Titans regular-season games in each of the past two years.

AFC Notes: Ravens, Chiefs, Raiders, Broncos

September 4th, 2018 at 10:36am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Undrafted rookie kicker Kaare Vedvik wasn’t going to make the Ravens due to the presence of Justin Tucker, but his leg proved so impressive this offseason that it was reported multiple teams were interested in trading for him. Those hopes appeared to be dashed, at least temporarily, when Vedvik was rushed to the hospital with very serious injuries just before roster cuts.

Vedvik can’t really remember what happened to him, but it appears police are suspecting some sort of foul play as he suffered serious head trauma. Ravens coach John Harbaugh thinks it “cost him a chance to kick in this league” and added “there were plenty of trade talks” involving Vedvik according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN. It’s an unfortunate situation all around for the Norway native who was shaping up to be a very good story. Here’s to hoping he makes a full recovery.

Dolphins Sign RB Brandon Bolden

September 4th, 2018 at 9:51am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Dolphins are signing longtime New England Patriots running back Brandon Bolden, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).

To make room on the roster for Bolden, the team cut center Travis Swanson, who was just signed yesterday. Bolden will get to continue his career in the AFC East, as he spent his first six seasons in New England before being released at final cuts on Saturday.

The Ole Miss product improbably made the Patriots as an undrafted free agent back in 2012, and stuck up until now, a remarkable feat for an undrafted player. He became a core special teams player during his time in New England, as well as handling a significant amount of carries his first few seasons.

In total, he rushed 216 times for 912 yards, good for 4.2 yards per carry, with six touchdowns with the Patriots. He also caught 47 passes for 373 yards and two more touchdowns. He’ll join a Dolphins running backs room that includes Kenyan Drake, Frank Gore, and rookie Kalen Ballage.

Davis Webb Signs To Jets Practice Squad

September 4th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Davis Webb is staying in New York, as he will be signing to the Jets’ practice squad the team announced via Twitter.

Webb, a 2017 third round pick of the Giants, was surprisingly let go during roster cuts on Saturday. While he’ll only be on the Jets’ practice squad, he’ll make the full salary that he would’ve on the active 53-man roster according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). That type of arrangement is an increasingly popular one in the NFL, used to lure top free agents to teams’ practice squads.

Webb was a high draft pick, but had no ties to the current Giants front office or coaching staff, so the decision was made to let him go. The Jets are a good landing spot for Webb, and the signing makes sense for both sides. After the Teddy Bridgewater trade, the Jets were left with only 39-year-old Josh McCown behind new starter Sam Darnold.

McCown won’t be with the team longterm, and Webb could definitely develop into the backup of the future to Darnold. It’s a low-risk move for the Jets, and Webb surely had a host of practice squad opportunities to choose from. Once hailed as a possible successor to Eli Manning, the 87th pick of last year’s draft ended his Giants career without ever attempting a regular season pass.

To make room on the practice squad, the Jets released former Wake Forest quarterback John Wolford.

Steelers Restructure Cameron Heyward’s Deal

September 4th, 2018 at 9:21am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers are creating some cap flexibility today, restructuring the contract of defensive end Cameron Heyward, according to Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link).

According to Yates the Steelers are converting $8.o5MM of Heywards $9MM base salary for this season into a signing bonus, freeing up $5.39MM in 2018 cap space. When converting salary into a signing bonus, it spreads the cap hit out over multiple seasons.

This strategy of kicking the can down the road can backfire and lead to even worse cap problems down the line if not executed properly. The Steelers and GM Kevin Colbert do it all the time, and in fact restructured Heyward’s deal at this same time last season. According to Overthecap.com, the Steelers had just $12.19MM in cap space for 2019 before this move, fourth least in the league, a number that will decrease when the restructure is factored in.

It’s unclear what the Steelers are planning to do with the extra space, but it wouldn’t make much sense to worsen their future cap situation and then not do anything with the freed up money. Perhaps there’s a big name veteran that the Steelers are looking to sign. Although Overthecap did project the Steelers to be very slightly over the salary cap before this move, so maybe they made it just to get comfortably under the cap and nothing else.

Heyward is signed through the 2020 season on a $52.81MM deal. He had 12 sacks in 2017, by far a career best.

Eagles Re-Sign Markus Wheaton, Place Richard Rodgers on IR

September 4th, 2018 at 8:30am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Markus Wheaton, who was released on Saturday, is back in Philadelphia according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link).

Wheaton, who was among the casualties of Saturday’s roster cut-down, now rejoins a receiving corp that’s expected to be with out number one threat Alshon Jeffery for at least the first couple of games. It looks like the Eagles were planning on bringing Wheaton back the entire time, and were just waiting to clear up a spot.

To make room on the roster, the team placed tight end Richard Rodgers on injured reserve. Rodgers, who suffered a knee injury in the Eagles’ second preseason game, will be eligible to return after eight games. At the time of his injury, Rodgers was labeled week-to-week, but clearly the Eagles felt he wasn’t valuable enough to hold a roster spot for.

Wheaton has always been a player who’s production has never equaled his potential. After a breakout 2015 season where he caught 44 passes for 749 yards and five touchdowns with the Steelers, he’s played in just 14 games over the past two seasons, catching just seven passes total for 102 yards. Last offseason he signed a two-year $11MM contract with $5MM guaranteed with the Bears, and was an epic bust, catching just four balls during his time in Chicago. He signed a one-year prove-it deal with the Eagles this past May, and will be facing an uphill battle to revive his career in a crowded skill players group.

Khalil Mack Fallout: Suitors, Raiders, Donald

September 3rd, 2018 at 9:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Bears won the 11th-hour Khalil Mack sweepstakes, several other teams are now known to have inquired or submitted bids. After reports of interest from the Jets, Browns and 49ers, Albert Breer of SI.com adds the Packers and Bills contacted the Raiders about their disgruntled defensive end. However, neither team was close to agreeing to the terms the Bears did. Only the Jets were on the Bears’ level in terms of compensation, Breer notes, and the Jets are not believed to have offered two first-round picks. A team was reported to have offered a first- and third-round pick for Mack; it’s possible that was the Jets. (Although, that report last week may have been about a possible first Bears offer rather than the Jets’.) The Packers hovered as the team Las Vegas pegged as the favorites to land Mack, but they will stick with Clay Matthews and Nick Perry on the edge. Buffalo has Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy slotted as its starting edge defenders, with trade-block occupant Shaq Lawson positioned as a depth piece.

Here’s more from one of this century’s biggest NFL transactions:

The Raiders submitted an offer to Mack’s agent in February, and it was swiftly rejected, Breer notes. Jon Gruden said Sunday the Raiders were not in the Bears’ ballpark on numbers, and Breer adds once the Aaron Donald $22.5MM-per-year deal surfaced, the Raiders knew Mack’s asking price was going to become more reasonable. For weeks, the Raiders gave hard no’s when approached with Mack trade inquiries. However, teams noticed the Raiders’ tone changed regarding Mack late last week, with Breer adding they were much more open to deals. It’s logical to assume the Donald agreement catalyzed this process.
Chicago brass monitored the Mack situation all summer, with Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy having long meetings about the prospect of acquiring the 2016 defensive player of the year last week, Breer reports.
As for why the Raiders didn’t try to hold their line about Mack playing on his fifth-year option salary? Jon Gruden referenced Kirk Cousins‘ situation with his brother Jay‘s Redskins as part of his reasoning for why he felt Mack had to go. “We have waited. We waited and waited and the (Week 1) Rams game was looming,” Gruden said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required). “Our feeling was that he was not going to report anytime soon. And … I saw the Redskins go through it with Kirk Cousins. … It’s a long process. You can wait it out; you can franchise him; you can force him to play. But we made a decision and we’re going to stand by it.” However, the Cousins situation dragged into the passer’s sixth season. Mack has yet to play his fifth. The Raiders had the franchise tag to use in 2019 and 2020, but it appears Mack’s threat about sitting out games prompted them to take the Bears’ unique offer while it was on the table.
Mack’s six-year, $141MM Bears deal will feature $73.3MM coming to the new Bears weapon within the first three years, Breer notes. He’ll make $41MM overall in 2018. Donald’s three-year haul on his six-year, $135MM Rams pact will be $67MM.