Linebacker Reuben Foster was carted off of the Redskins’ practice field with an air cast on his left leg, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Nothing is certain yet, but the air cast/cart combo suggests that this is a very serious injury and a likely season-ender.
Foster, a 2017 first-round pick, is among the most talented linebackers in the NFL. He’s also one of the league’s most controversial players due to his off-the-field transgressions. Foster was accused of roughing up his ex-girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, in February of 2018. Ennis went on to recant that story, but, in November, she alleged Foster of abusing her once again at the 49ers’ team hotel in Florida. The Niners dropped him soon after and the Redskins shocked many in the football world by claiming him off waivers.
The remaining guarantees in Foster’s contract have been voided due to his off-the-field transgressions, but the Redskins will be responsible for his salary if/when he is placed on IR.
Four years ago today, the Cowboys inked Randy Gregory to his first NFL contract. After taking a gamble on the Nebraska edge rusher in the second round of the 2015 draft, the Cowboys were optimistic about his potential at the pro level.
Gregory was viewed as a probable top-10 pick based on talent alone, but a failed drug test at the combine and potential mental health concerns caused him to drop into the second round. Had Gregory been a top-10 selection, he would’ve been assured of a four-year contract worth upwards of $14MM fully guaranteed, with a signing bonus of more than $8MM. After falling to No. 60, he landed a four-year pact worth $3.815MM, with a signing bonus of about $1.035MM.
Despite those off-field concerns, PFR readers were surprised not to see Gregory come off the board in round one — heading into the second round, he edged Landon Collins as the most surprising non-first-round pick in our poll. Unfortunately, Gregory’s demons derailed his career early on.
In February 2016, Gregory was hit with a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. That same year, Gregory went on to fail a second drug test, resulting in an additional ten-game ban. Months later, we learned that Gregory had failed a third drug test, but the league did not immediately institute the ban. That gap allowed Gregory to play in the final two games of the regular season, though he was barred from appearing in the playoffs and sidelined for the entire 2017 campaign.
Last year, Gregory was given another chance by the league office and was reinstated on a conditional basis. Playing mostly in a reserve role, Gregory managed six sacks and 25 tackles in 14 games and showed serious promise. Sadly, the offseason would bring another familiar hurdle for Gregory as he violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy yet again and was banned indefinitely.
Despite it all, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has remained steadfast in his support of the 26-year-old.
“He’s a pure soul first and foremost, the proof of that is how he’s thought of everybody around him, teammates coaches everyone,” Jones said in March. “He’s genuinely afflicted, genuinely. It’s real. He has to work through, just as you would many things as human beings. He has to work through this, the way and the way he works through it, the way he deals with his circumstances. It’s impressive. It may not look that impressive when you say look at the penalties that he’s endured, but it is impressive.”
Weeks later, Jones backed up those words with an extension that will keep Gregory in a Cowboys uniform through 2020, provided that the NFL allows him to play. The Cowboys remain hopeful that Gregory will be cleared to play sometime in 2019, and, more importantly, get his personal life on track.
The Colts have signed quarterback Chad Kelly, according to a team announcement. In a related move, the Colts waived defensive tackle Jordan Thompson to make room.
Kelly attended the team’s rookie minicamp as a tryout player earlier this month and showed enough to get a longer look. Given his history, this could be his last opportunity to make things work in the NFL.
Kelly was once considered one of the top QB prospects in the nation, but he was kicked out of Clemson and his senior season at Ole Miss was cut short by a torn ACL and lateral meniscus. The Broncos made him “Mr. Irrelevant” in 2017 with the final pick in the draft, but he had an opportunity to be very relevant and supplant Case Keenum as the club’s starter in 2018. That never came to fruition thanks to a bizarre October arrest and his subsequent release.
With the Colts, Kelly will try to stick as a backup behind Andrew Luck and Jacoby Brissett. Brissett is likely to pursue a starting job next offseason, so Kelly could conceivably have a path to being the No. 2 QB behind Luck in 2020 if all goes well.
Entering his first year as an assistant coach with the Patriots, former linebacker Jerod Mayo is emerging as a leader in the team’s rebuilt defensive staff, ESPN’s Mike Reiss writes.
Mayo, who spent all eight of his seasons in New England, was brought in to coach inside linebackers for the 2019 campaign after spending the last three seasons away from the game. The former star linebacker has quickly made his presence felt.
“He was obviously a tremendous player, but he’s a tremendous leader as well. I can honestly say I’ve never seen a player lead a team like the way Mayo led us [when he played in 2008-15]. He did things where he could bring players along and help raise their level of play. As an older guy now, you can only imagine what he could do for that locker room based on his leadership,” safety Duron Harmon said.
It’s been a tumultuous few months for the Patriots defense, as the team said goodbye to defensive coordinator Brian Flores and a handful of assistants after the team won Super Bowl LII. Then came the arrival and quick departure of Greg Schiano, who was tasked to take over for Flores, who took the head coaching gig in Miami. Since then, the team has settled on head coach Bill Belichick serving as defensive coordinator, with Belichick also, at this moment, expected to call plays.
A first-year assistant coach isn’t likely to take those reins, but the Patriots always manage to find and develop coaches on the defensive side of the ball. Players already noticing Mayo’s emergence is a good sign the two-time Pro Bowl selection could be the next hot name to come out of Foxborough.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft might not be out of the woods just yet. We heard a few days ago that a judge had ruled in favor of Kraft’s legal team to suppress video evidence in his case that had allegedly been obtained illegally. It was a major procedural win for Kraft, and indicated he might get out of his situation without being convicted of anything. That being said, the government isn’t going down without a fight. Prosecutors are appealing the judges decision, and are looking to get the video evidence reinstated, per T.J. Quinn of ESPN.com.
Kraft’s attorney William Burck celebrated the news, saying it was a sign that the government’s case was very weak without the tape. The lead prosecutor is “acknowledging he has no case without the illegal video recordings that four Florida judges have now found to be unconstitutional,” Burck said. “No evidence means no trial. So the state had only two options — drop the case or appeal. They chose to appeal, but we are confident the appellate court will agree with Judge Hanser and the other judges who threw out their illegally obtained evidence.” Even if Burck is right and the state eventually drops the case, the Patriots boss could still face discipline from the league. How likely Roger Goodell is to issue punishment without a conviction is anyone’s guess. We’ll keep you updated when a ruling on the appeal comes in.
Here’s more from the AFC on a quiet Sunday afternoon:
Speaking of the Patriots, they now have a very crowded running backs room. James White, Sony Michel, core special teamer Brandon Bolden (who just got $2MM guaranteed to return to New England), and last month’s third round pick Damien Harris all seem like locks to make the roster and be active on game-days. As such, Rex Burkhead could be the odd-man out, writes Jeff Howe of The Athletic. Howe doesn’t think the Pats will cut Burkhead as long as he’s healthy, but he could be facing an uphill battle to be on the active-46 on Sundays. Howe points out that Bill Belichick is usually pretty steadfast about keeping only four running backs active, but he could make an exception if Burkhead’s special teams prowess is deemed too valuable. Burkhead is heading into the second year of a three-year extension he signed in March of 2018, and it’s not inconceivable he could be cut this offseason. Injuries limited him to just eight games last year, and ten in 2017.
John Ross didn’t participate in the Bengals’ veterans voluntary minicamp last month due to “tightness,” per Geoff Hobson of the team’s official site. This isn’t necessarily major news, but it’s notable because of Ross’ lengthy history with lower body injuries. Groin issues forced Ross to miss a few games last year, and he only played in three games as a rookie due to shoulder and knee issues, so it’s troubling he’s dealing with any sort of “tightness.” The ninth overall pick in the 2017 draft has proven he can be a burner, but not much else. We heard back in February the team was shopping the young wideout, but the Bengals pushed back on those reports soon after. New Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor has promised Ross a fresh start, but he’ll need to stay healthy to get that. He’ll have his work cut out for him carving out targets behind A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd, who are entrenched as the first and second options. If he wants to avoid being labeled as a bust, he needs a big 2019.
Tied with Von Miller as the Broncos’ longest-tenured player, Chris Harris has opted to stay away from his team’s offseason work thus far in an effort to secure a new contract. Given that the All-Pro cornerback has been one of the top players at his position for many years, and his place financially among active corners, it makes sense.
Harris is entering the final season of a five-year, $42.5MM deal. This contract was considered to be Broncos-friendly at the time, and as the former UDFA helped anchor dominant Denver secondaries the next two years and kept his Pro Bowl form going into his late 20s, it became one of the NFL’s best bargains. But the Broncos changed the equation this offseason, signing Kareem Jackson to a three-year, $33MM contract — in a move largely responsible for this situation.
Considering Jackson is a year older than Harris and has four fewer Pro Bowl honors (4-0), this looks like one of the more justified holdouts in recent memory. (Though all of the missed workouts have been voluntary thus far, Harris appears intent on continuing his absence through mandatory team activities.) Will John Elway end up redoing his top corner’s deal? The Broncos provided an incentive package last year; it does not sound like that will be an option this time.
Despite a trade-or-extension demand from Harris’ camp, Elway kept the ninth-year defender through the draft and has exchanged offers with the disgruntled standout. Harris’ current deal stands to pay him $7.8MM this season — 26th among corners in terms of AAV. Jackson, brought in because of the Broncos’ inability to develop a reliable corner opposite Harris after trading Aqib Talib, sits 14th on this list.
Elway has a history of being a hard-line negotiator, but the GM has taken care of his own on several occasions — Miller, Demaryius Thomas, Ryan Clady and Champ Bailey being notable extensions. The Broncos’ trade for Joe Flacco suggests they believe they can compete for a playoff spot this season. Removing Harris from the equation would make that a more difficult task. The Broncos were 6-6 last season but lost their final four after late-season injuries to Harris and Emmanuel Sanders.
But Harris is going into his age-30 season. The Broncos are also in better shape at corner, with Jackson and Bryce Callahan in the fold. Harris’ play has not tailed off, with Pro Football Focus grading him as the No. 3 overall corner last season, but counting on a corner to remain a top-tier cover man into his early 30s is somewhat dicey. This explains the parties discussing a short-term deal. Elway extended Bailey when he was entering his age-33 season, and the recent Hall of Fame inductee delivered two more Pro Bowl campaigns before suffering a major injury in 2013.
While Harris has accomplished more than new $15MM-per-year corner Xavien Howard, his age has surely given the Broncos reservations about meeting his $15MM-AAV asking price. Should the sides reach an agreement, a compromise seems likely. Ten corners earn between $12-$14.5MM annually.
If the Broncos’ final offer ends up being too low, Harris could opt to bet on himself and hit free agency in 2020. But walking away from money now and entering free agency in advance of an age-31 slate would be much riskier now than had he done this prior to free agency in 2015.
A trade would have made more sense during the draft, but that endgame could still be in play if it becomes clear there is no post-2019 future for Harris in Denver. But will another team give the Broncos reasonable value at this point in the offseason? It may take an injury to a key performer to induce a suitor to submit a fair offer for a 30-year-old talent in a contract year.
How will this process end? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Patrick Peterson receives six-game ban: The Cardinals’ surefire All-Decade cornerback will have a tough time extending his Pro Bowl streak to nine seasons after this suspension, which is for a positive PED test. No appeal is coming, so the Cardinals will go well into October without their best player. Peterson, whose contract runs through 2020, also asked for guaranteed money to be moved into this season — perhaps to compensate for losses during this suspension. Steve Keimdenied the request. This ban will void the remaining guarantees in Peterson’s deal.
Long, Levitre hang up their cleats: The Eagles’ defensive line became thinner Saturday; the former No. 2 overall pick retired rather than play a 12th season. One of the NFL’s top statesmen, Long enjoyed a rather notable late-career run. After nine playoff-less seasons in St. Louis, Long landed on back-to-back Super Bowl champions — playing auxiliary edge rusher roles with the Patriots and Eagles. The 34-year-old pass rusher also donated his entire 2017 salary to charity. Levitre retired after 10 seasons. The Falcons released him this offseason. Levitre’s career broke down rather interestingly. The Titans gave the former Bills draft choice a massive free agent deal in 2013, but he only played two years in Tennessee. Instead, Levitre resurfaced in Atlanta and played four seasons. The upper-echelon guard started in Super Bowl LI against Long’s Patriots.
Two reunions commence for UFA defenders: Both Jamie Collins and Pernell McPhee will return to where it began for them as NFLers, with Collins making his way back to the Patriots and McPhee rejoining the Ravens. The Pats shipped Collins to the Browns during their Super Bowl LI season, and he went on to sign what was then a high-water contract for off-ball linebackers. The Browns removed that deal from their books this year, and the former Patriots second-rounder spent more than two months in free agency. McPhee has struggled with injuries since his first Ravens run concluded, but after stints with the Bears and Redskins, the versatile linebacker will supply some depth to a Baltimore team that lost Mosley and Terrell Suggs in March. The Ravens also signedShane Ray.
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
A member of the Falcons’ talented skill-position corps is entering a contract year, and PFR’s Rory Parks looked at where Austin Hooperstands at a key point in his career. While the Falcons’ extension efforts are aimed at Julio Jones and Grady Jarrett at this juncture, Hooper figures to draw attention fairly soon. The former third-round pick is coming off a Pro Bowl season, but the tight end market has been somewhat stagnant.
Just 64 of this year’s 254 draft choices remain unsigned, and PFR’s Zach Links examined why. Unsurprisingly, the bulk of the unsigned players are first- or third-round picks — the latter largely due to the vague CBA language regarding Round 3 selections.
The term “offset language” comes up each year around this time, with that being a haggling point in first-rounders’ negotiations. Zach delved deeper into this term and what it means for top rookies.
Most of the top remaining free agents are defensive players, and teams have acted accordingly on that front this week. But some notable talents from the offensive side of the ball remain unsigned. On a list that includes Michael Crabtree and Jay Ajayi, PFR’s Dallas Robinson looked into who is left on the market and their best fits.
Thirty 2020 draft picks have already changed hands, most notably in last summer’s Khalil Mack deal. Dallas charted what teams gained in next year’s draft. Notably, the Patriots hold four seventh-round selections next year.
Building on that, Rory asked the PFR community — in our latest Community Tailgate installment — who will end up with Suh. With the Rams likely to move on from the acclaimed defensive tackle, Suh will have a fourth employer soon. This will be the mammoth defender’s age-32 season.
Let’s round up several notes from the city of Brotherly Love:
DE Chris Longcalled it a career yesterday, and he apparently made his intentions quite clear to the team all along. Per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Long had been in touch with the Eagles all offseason and had told them to not count on his coming back (Twitter link).
Long played on over half of the Eagles’ defensive snaps last season, and he may have elected to return in 2019 if the team could have assured him of a similar role. However, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), the Eagles could not guarantee Long that his role would not be reduced, which apparently made his decision easier. Geoff Mosher of 97.3 ESPN hears the same (Twitter link).
In a separate tweet, Mosher suggests that the team is unlikely to acquire a veteran defensive end to replace Long. The Eagles have already brought back Vinny Curry this offseason, and they added Penn State defensive end Shareef Miller in the fourth round of the 2019 draft.
Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com believes that Malcolm Jenkins‘ absence from team workouts this offseason is indeed contract-related, and Shorr-Parks believes that Jenkins is justified in demanding more money. He goes on to say that a new deal for Jenkins should be the Eagles’ top priority right now.
We recently graded defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh as the best free agent remaining on the market, but the only reports we have heard on him this year have concerned teams who are not interested in his services rather than teams who are.
Rumor has it that Suh’s asking price is the major deterrent for clubs who may otherwise be interested in his services. As the No. 2 overall pick of the 2010 draft, when the old CBA was in effect, Suh landed a massive rookie contract from the Lions that included $40MM in guaranteed money, and his six-year, $114MM free agent deal with the Dolphins ratcheted him further up the career earnings leaderboard.
Even Suh’s one-year contract with the Rams paid him $14MM, so he has never had to “settle” for less than an eight-figure annual income. The 32-year-old is surely content to wait out the market until a team becomes more willing to meet his asking price due to injury or poor performance, so it may be awhile before this situation resolves itself.
We tabbed the Seahawks, Cowboys, Broncos, and Vikings as potential fits, and Minnesota would perhaps be the most likely destination if the club had more cap space. But unless the Vikes make several significant moves to free up some room, they will not likely be able to give Suh anywhere close to the money he wants.
Whoever does get the Nebraska product will add a player who will instantly upgrade the D-line. Suh may not be the same player he once was, but he showed in 2018 that he still has plenty to offer, and the only two games he has missed in his nine-year career were due to suspension rather than injury.
So where do you think Suh will ply his trade in 2019? Let us know in the comments, and feel free to offer a guess as to the contract he might get.
