2018 October - Pro Football Rumors

Dolphins’ Ryan Tannehill Ruled Out

October 31st, 2018 at 1:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Quarterback Ryan Tannehill is officially out again for this week’s game against the Jets, Dolphins coach Adam Gase announced on Wednesday. Gase added that Tannehill has been throwing with trainers and the option of surgery on his injured shoulder has not yet been discussed.

The Dolphins remain hopeful that Tannehill will return at some point this season, but there’s no definitive timeline for his return either. Sunday’s absence will mark Tannehill’s fourth consecutive missed game.

Tannehill’s ongoing issue could impact his future with the Dolphins beyond 2018. His status with the team in 2019 is “not settled,” according to Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald, who hears that the QB has not lived up to the expectations set for him before the start of the season. In five games this season, Tannehill has thrown for 972 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Without Tannehill, the Dolphins will turn to Brock Osweiler once again. Although Osweiler showed flashes of what made him such a valued free agent a few years ago, he was unable to deliver against his old friends in Houston on Sunday. Osweiler completed just 21 of 37 passes for 241 yards with zero touchdowns and one interception as the Dolphins lost 42-23 to the Texans.

Lions Sign LB Kelvin Sheppard

October 31st, 2018 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions signed linebacker Kelvin Sheppard, according to a team announcement. Sheppard will fill the roster spot left vacant by Tuesday’s Golden Tate trade.

Sheppard worked out for the Lions earlier this week – his first audition since meeting with Detroit in late July. The 30-year-old linebacker was a three-year starter with the Giants from 2015-17 but has been a free agent all offseason. He’s just the latest ex-Giants front seven member to join the Lions and he’ll reunite with former teammates Damon Harrison and Devon Kennard in Detroit.

Sheppard played with the Bills, Colts, Dolphins, and Giants over the course of his seven-year career. He notched a 102-tackle season with the Giants in 2015 and intercepted two passes — the first two of his career — despite being a midseason Big Blue addition last year.

Saints’ Marcus Davenport To Miss Time

October 31st, 2018 at 12:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Saints rookie pass-rusher Marcus Davenport is expected to miss about a month with a toe injury, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. They’ll evaluate him as he recovers, but he’ll be in a boot for at least a little while.

Davenport has been heating up in recent weeks, so it’s unfortunate timing for the Saints. The 6’6″, 265-pound defensive end notched two sacks against the Vikings in Week 8 to bring his season total to four and presently ranks as one of Pro Football Focus’ Top 40 ranked edge defenders in the NFL.

For now, the Saints will rely a bit more on veteran Alex Okafor to generate pressure from the edge. You can also expect to see Trey Hendrickson on the active roster.

The Saints, who are on a six-game winning streak, face a major test on Sunday when they take on the undefeated Rams.

Chiefs Work Out Obi Melifonwu

October 31st, 2018 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs worked out safety Obi Melifonwu and linebacker Marquis Flowers on Wednesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Melifonwu hasn’t done much at the pro level, but he offers potential as a second-round pick of the 2017 draft.

The 24-year-old Melifonwu played sparingly during his rookie campaign, compiling seven tackles in five games (one start). He was placed on IR twice during his first season, and he was waived/injured by the Raiders back in August. After clearing waivers, he landed on the team’s injured reserve. Earlier this month, the Raiders reached an injury settlement with him, making him a full fledged free agent. He worked out for the Cowboys, Patriots, and Saints, but did not sign with any of those clubs.

Flowers mostly played special teams for the Bengals in 2016, but he saw time on 361 snaps for the Patriots in 2017. The 26-year-old finished out the regular season with 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks and even started in two games. In the playoffs, he added another six tackles and one sack. This year, he missed the Pats’ final cut and had a brief regular season stint with the Lions.

Bills Sign QB Matt Barkley

October 31st, 2018 at 11:03am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills signed quarterback Matt Barkley and Colton Schmidt to one-year deals, according to a team announcement. In related moves, punter Corey Bojorquez shoulder and RB Taiwan Jones neck were placed on injured reserve.

With Josh Allen still sidelined by an elbow injury and Derek Anderson in concussion protocol, the Bills are expected to turn to embattled QB Nathan Peterman as their starter against the Bears. Barkley joins the club as Peterman’s likely backup for Sunday.

Barkley, 28, was most recently with the Bengals. He signed a two-year contract with the club back in March, but landed on IR after suffering a knee injury in the preseason. He was released by the Bengals on Sept. 12th with an injury settlement. The five-year pro has appeared in 11 games in his NFL career and made a season-high six starts in 2016 for the Bears, but he hasn’t done much of note on the field.

Colin Kaepernick remains available, and would represent a more accomplished alternative to Peterman or Barkley, but the Bills apparently did not want to go down that road.

Dolphins Sign DT Sylvester Williams

October 31st, 2018 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins announced the signing of defensive tackle Sylvester Williams on Wednesday morning. They’ve also activated linebacker Mike Hull off injured reserve, giving the front seven a bit of a midseason lift.

Williams started eleven games and made 15 total appearances for the Titans last year, his first campaign outside of Denver since the Broncos made him a first-round pick in 2014. He was strong against the run in 2017, but he didn’t fare well with the Lions this year. Last week, Detroit cut him loose after trading for Damon Harrison.

At the time of his release, Williams ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 78 overall defensive tackle in the league with a subpar score for run defense. He didn’t fill the traditional stat sheet much either with six tackles in six games.

Last season, Williams played on roughly a third of the Titans’ defensive snaps, good for third-most among the club’s defensive linemen. Pro Football Focus gave him high marks against the run and some not-so-great marks for his work on passing downs.

Texans Release Bruce Ellington Off IR

October 31st, 2018 at 10:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are releasing wide receiver Bruce Ellington off of the injured reserve list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Ellington, who was suffering from a hamstring injury, was recently cleared by doctors, so he could be ready to contribute for another team right away.

Since the trade deadline has passed, all NFL players released today or going forward are subject to the league’s waiver system. That means the league’s 31 other teams will have a chance at claiming Ellington, even though he is a vested veteran with more than four years of experience in the NFL.

While the Eagles, Texans, and Cowboys added receivers before the buzzer, other WR-needy teams such as the Patriots and Titans did not. Ellington could profile as a low-cost, low-risk addition for them.

Ellington had a breakout campaign with Houston in 2017. The 2014 fourth-round pick hauled in 29 catches for 330 yards and two touchdowns, and he added another 17 rushing yards on three carries. He also proved to be a capable returner when he played for the 49ers. The receiver averaged 25.6 yards per kick return in 2015 and 2016, but he didn’t return a single kickoff in 2017. He did return five punts, though, compiling 47 yards.

Jaguars Sign QB Landry Jones

October 31st, 2018 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have agreed to sign quarterback Landry Jones, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jones previously served as a backup to Ben Roethlisberger before he was released by the Steelers on Sept. 1.

Jones, 29, backed up Roethlisberger for the past three seasons, playing in Pittsburgh for five total, but couldn’t beat out Joshua Dobbs for the veteran-reserve spot in Pittsburgh alongside Mason Rudolph. Roethlisberger’s issues with short-term injuries and the Steelers’ preference to rest him the past two Week 17s forced Jones to make five starts in Pittsburgh. Completing 63 percent of his passes, Jones went 3-2 and has thrown for 1,310 yards, eight touchdown passes, and seven interceptions.

Among the quarterbacks who have thrown at least 160 passes since 2013, Jones ranks 35th in passer rating and 26th in adjusted net yards per attempt, but it’s difficult to assign much relevance to those numbers given his small sample size. With that 160-pass cutoff in place, Jones ranks second-to-last in attempts since his rookie campaign, just ahead of Bills QB Derek Anderson.

The Jaguars have concerns about the health of Blake Bortles, so Jones will provide the team with extra insurance. After their bye, the Jags face the Colts on Nov. 11, followed by Jones’ old team on Nov. 18.

Deadline Notes: DT, Fowler, Collins, Bell

October 30th, 2018 at 9:15pm CST by Ben Levine

There were five trades made on deadline day, but none of them involved Giants safety Landon Collins. Appearing on ESPN’s The Michael Kay Show, the 24-year-old said New York was “asking a little bit too much,” leading to suitors shying away from a deal.

Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes that the Giants were ultimately seeking a 2019 second-rounder and a late-round pick in 2020, but no team offered more than a third. The Chiefs and Buccaneers were among the teams to have made bids for the defensive back.

Considering all of the rumors surrounding the Giants, Collins admitted that he was a bit on edge up until the deadline.

“Yeah I was very anxious honestly,” Collins said (via Vacchiano). “I heard multiple teams offered a lot. It’s crazy. My agent called me and I looked at my phone and thought ‘Oh God.’”

Below are some more deadline notes from around the NFL…

Before the Broncos traded wideout Demaryius Thomas to the Texans, both the Patriots and Eagles made competitive offers for the veteran, reports Mike Klis 9News in Denver (via Twitter). The Titans also made a late bid for the receiver. Denver ultimately sent Thomas and a seventh-round pick to Houston for a fourth-round pick and a seventh-round pick. New England had previously been connected to the 30-year-old. Philly ended up making a trade with the Lions for wideout Golden Tate, another wideout the Patriots were eyeing.
The 2019 third-round pick sent to the Jaguars in the Dante Fowler trade is conditional, tweets Howard Balzer. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the conditional draft pick will be based on how many compensatory picks the Rams receive. If Los Angeles does receive a compensatory pick, that will be sent to Jacksonville. If the Rams receive more than one compensatory pick, the Jaguars will receive the higher selection. If the Rams don’t get any compensatory picks, then they’ll simply send their own pick to complete the trade. Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets that Los Angeles is expecting compensatory picks for the offseason losses of Trumaine Johnson and Sammy Watkins. Jacksonville also received a 2020 fifth-rounder in the Fowler deal.
As ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler points out (via Twitter), the Steelers unwillingness to trade Le’Veon Bell means the running back will now have two weeks to report to the team. If the Pro Bowler fails to show up by November 13th, he won’t be allowed to play this season. Fowler notes that Bell is still intending on playing this season, but he still hasn’t informed the Steelers of his plans.
The Ravens traditionally don’t trade draft picks for players, especially during the season. As Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes, prior to today, the team had only made one significant pre-deadline deal (for left tackle Eugene Monroe in 2013). However, today’s trade for Ty Montgomery followed general manager Ozzie Newsome‘s “right player, right price” attitude. Baltimore ended up sending the Packers a seventh-rounder for a versatile offensive weapon who had more than 800 all-purpose yards only two seasons ago. While the 25-year-old may not be as flashy of a name as LeSean McCoy or Jordan Howard, Zrebiec believes the Ravens gave up minor draft capital for a player who could end up helping them down the stretch.