HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Colts Audition LB Korey Toomer

December 27th, 2018 at 8:55pm CST by Ben Levine

The Colts are eyeing some reinforcement at linebacker. Veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer reports (via Twitter) that the team auditioned linebacker Korey Toomer today.

The team has suddenly been hit with injuries to their linebacker corps. Starter Anthony Walker Jr. missed last week with a shoulder injury, while reserve linebacker Skai Moore was placed on injured reserve earlier this month. Plus, the Colts have seen lackluster production from the position outside of Walker and Darius Leonard, although it’s too late in the season to make any significant lineup changes.

Toomer could at least provide Indy with a veteran rotation piece. The 30-year-old was plenty productive last season with the Chargers, compiling 48 tackles, one sack, three passes defended, one pick, and two forced fumbles. Toomer signed a one-year deal with the 49ers this offseason, but he didn’t make it to the regular season with his new team. He ended up catching on with the Packers, and he compiled three tackles in seven games with Green Bay this season. The team ended up releasing the veteran in late November.

The Colts have been eyeing some defensive reinforcement for several weeks, as they recently auditioned a pair of linebackers in Chris Odom and Greer Martini. The Colts are recently worked out defensive end Marcus Smith.

Chiefs Sign RB Damien Williams To Extension

December 27th, 2018 at 7:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Damien Williams has had a recent stint as the Chiefs’ starting running back, and he’s parlayed that opportunity into an extension. Terez A. Paylor reports (via Twitter) that Williams has signed a two-year extension with Kansas City. The deal has a max value of $8.1MM (via Paylor on Twitter).

Williams started the year buried on the depth chart, as he ran for a single yard on two carries through the first 11 weeks of the season. Following Kareem Hunt‘s sudden release, the 26-year-old earned reps as Spencer Ware‘s backup, and he’s started the past two games with Ware out of the lineup. After rushing for a pair of touchdowns in Week 15, he ran for a career-high 103 yards last Sunday. Williams has also established himself as a reliable target in the Chiefs’ passing game, as he’s hauled in 13 receptions over the past two weeks.

The 2014 undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma is hoping he’s found a home in Kansas City. Williams spent the first four seasons of his career with the Dolphins, but he never garnered more than 46 carries in a single season. Now, the journeyman will have an opportunity to retain his starting job next year with the Chiefs. However, Paylor cautions that the organization could still pursue a running back via free agency or the draft, where the team is armed with four picks in the first three rounds.

NFL Workout Updates: 12/27/18

December 27th, 2018 at 7:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s workouts, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter):

Cincinnati Bengals

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Oakland Raiders

Texans Re-Sign LB Josh Keyes

December 27th, 2018 at 4:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Josh Keyes is back with the Texans. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the linebacker has signed with Houston.

The 25-year-old spent the entire preseason with the Texans, compiling 23 tackles in four games. However, the Boston College product was cut prior to the regular season. He had a brief stint with the Redskins before re-signing with the Texans. He proceeded to compile five tackles in three games with Houston before being waived again in mid-November.

Keyes has appeared in 25 career games, including a career-high 10 games last season with the Browns and Chargers. The 2015 undrafted free agent has also had stints with the Buccaneers, Chiefs and Falcons.

The Texans could surely use some reinforcement at linebacker, especially with a trio of players (Brennan Scarlett, Dylan Cole, and Brian Peters) sitting on the injured reserve. Keyes will likely slide in behind Whitney Mercilus, Jadeveon Clowney, Duke Ejiofor, and Peter Kalambayi on the team’s outside linebacker depth chart.

Saints TE Ben Watson Plans To Retire

December 27th, 2018 at 4:19pm CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like Ben Watson will play in his final regular season game on Sunday. Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune reports (via Twitter) that the veteran tight end is planning on retiring at the end of the season.

The 38-year-old has been incredibly durable throughout his 15-year career. Watson appeared in at least 12 games in 13 of his 15 seasons, and he had at least 20 receptions in 12 of those campaigns. The 2004 first-round pick spent the first six years of his career with the Patriots, including New England’s Super Bowl run in 2004 (although he won on the IR during their playoff run). Watson then spent three seasons in Cleveland before finding a home in New Orleans; the tight end has spent four of his past six seasons with the Saints (he also had a two-year stint with the Ravens).

Watson has been particularly productive during his tenure with New Orleans, including a 2015 campaign where he compiled a career-high 825 receiving yards. Watson re-joined New Orleans on a one-year, $2MM deal back in March, and he’s appeared in 15 games (four starts) for the Saints this season, compiling 33 receptions for 371 yards and two scores (including Drew Brees‘ 500th career touchdown pass).

Despite being up there in age, the veteran has still graded out as one of the better tight ends in the NFL. Pro Football Focus currently ranks Watson 21st among 70 eligible tight ends, with the site giving him particularly high scores in receiving and pass blocking.

In his career, Watson has 528 receptions, 5,856 receiving yards, and 44 touchdowns. The veteran has also appeared in 11 career postseason games, hauling in 21 receptions for 222 yards and three touchdowns. The tight end has been a two-time finalist for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award, and he’s a former winner of the Bart Starr Award.

WR Brandon LaFell Not Ready To Retire

December 27th, 2018 at 3:41pm CST by Ben Levine

Veteran Brandon LaFell suffered a torn Achilles back in mid-November, but the receiver doesn’t believe that the injury will end his career. Speaking to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders wideout made it clear that he’ll retire on his own terms.

“I’m definitely coming back,” LaFell said. “I’m leaving on my own terms. I’m not leaving like this. I’ll be back. I’ll definitely be back.”

Of course, it remains to be seen if the 32-year-old will be able to garner any interest on the free agent market. LaFell estimated that he’ll be fully recovered by the time June rolls around, which should mean he’ll be fully healthy for training camp. Of course, that recovery could take longer than expected, and it’s unlikely a team’s going to take a chance on the receiver until he can prove that he’s back to full strength.

Despite starting five of his six games, LaFell saw a reduced role during his cameo in Oakland. The wideout ended up hauling in 12 of his 16 targets, compiling 135 yards and two scores. The veteran didn’t earn enough snaps to earn a spot on Pro Football Focus‘ ranking of the league’s wide receivers, but his score would have place him in the bottom-half of the league. The six-foot-three receiver is now four seasons removed from his 953-yard campaign with New England back in 2014, although he did compile 862 receiving yards with the Bengals in 2016.

Saints Re-Sign OT Derek Newton

December 27th, 2018 at 2:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Derek Newton is back with the Saints. On Thursday, the Saints re-signed the offensive tackle, along with fellow OT Cornelius Lucas. To make room, the club cut defensive back Josh Robinson and defensive lineman Mitchell Loewen.

The Saints signed Newton to a two-year deal in early December, even though he had not played since October 2016, then released him a few weeks later. The Saints needed healthy bodies up front due to a recent rash of injuries last week, but they’re now able to accommodate him on the roster.

A 2011 seventh-round pick out of Arkansas State, Newton was the Texans’ starting right tackle from 2012’s first game until that career-altering night in Denver when Newton shredded both of his knees. The Texans waived Newton via failed physical designation in April, and he filed a $500K grievance. This year, Newton worked out for the Jets, Cardinals, and Saints and showed enough in New Orleans to warrant an opportunity.

The Saints kept Newton on speed dial, and he now has a chance to contribute to a contender.

Following Specific NFL Players On PFR

December 27th, 2018 at 2:05pm CST by Zachary Links

As we’ve outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Pro Football Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don’t want to follow all the site’s updates, you can subscribe to team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don’t have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, it’s easy to follow all our updates on your favorite player as well.

If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell as he prepares for free agency next spring, you can visit this page. If you’re interested in keeping tabs on the latest rumors involving Joey Bosa, you can find his page right here.

In addition to dedicating pages to players, we also maintain archives for certain specific non-NFL topics. For example, all our posts relating to the XFL can be found here, while our updates on the Alliance of American Football (AAF) are here.

Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page, and each of those players also has his own RSS feed, making it even easier to follow the latest updates. Links to RSS feeds for specific players are all located on this page. You can also find links to RSS feeds for various miscellaneous categories there. For instance, if you only want to receive one update every Sunday recapping the week’s notable headlines, you can subscribe to our Week in Review RSS feed, right here.

DeSean Jackson Wants To Leave Bucs

December 27th, 2018 at 11:13am CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver DeSean Jackson has expressed a preference to move on from the Buccaneers after this season, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets. This is consistent with what we’ve heard over the last couple of months even though the team has denied the existence of a rift.

Jackson made waves in October when he requested a pre-deadline trade. Since then, he’s publicly walked back his stance, but things haven’t changed much.

Anderson hears that issues started to “fester” after an argument between the veteran and head coach Dirk Koetter when he sat out of practice due to a thumb injury. He ultimately played in that game, but other maladies, including his recent Achilles issue, have eaten up chunks of his season.

Jackson clicked with Ryan Fitzpatrick, but he has been less successful on the other end of Jameis Winston‘s throws. In any event, Jackson thinks he’ll do better if he’s playing elsewhere.

The Bucs have Jackson signed through next year at a cap number of $10MM, but there is no guaranteed cash remaining on his deal. With a league-leading 18.9 yards per reception, Jackson will certainly have suitors after him in March.

Load More Posts