2019 July - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks, DT Earl Mitchell Agree To Deal

July 24th, 2019 at 2:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a methodical approach to defensive line upgrades this offseason, the Seahawks moved quickly this week. Jarran Reed‘s suspension prompted the team to revisit Earl Mitchell, who agreed to terms Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Mitchell was one of a few defensive tackles to visit Seattle this offseason, making his trip in March. The team passed at that point and did the same after Corey Liuget paid a visit in April. The Seahawks opted for Al Woods, who joined Liuget on that visit. Now, the team — the only one connected to Mitchell this offseason — will employ both Woods and Mitchell.

News of Reed’s six-game ban led the Seahawks to pursue outside help, and Mitchell will join Woods, Poona Ford, Quinton Jefferson and Jamie Meder as key Seattle interior linemen. Mitchell, 31, has started for three teams in a nine-year career. Most recently, he worked as a first-stringer for the 49ers, joining their crew of first-round defensive line investments. Mitchell has started 66 games for the Texans, Dolphins and 49ers.

After failing to find a trade partner, the 49ers released Mitchell just before free agency. He spent four seasons in Houston, three in Miami and will likely serve as a lower-cost option for a Seahawks team that will be without Reed (10.5 sacks in 2018) for six games.

In addition to the Mitchell signing, Seattle also signed WR Daniel Williams. To make room, the club waived RB Marcelias Sutton and CB Derrek Thomas.

Vikings Work Out CB Orlando Scandrick

July 24th, 2019 at 2:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Vikings are apparently sniffing around the veteran free agent market and looking into corners, as they worked out veteran Orlando Scandrick earlier today, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).

We haven’t heard anything about Scandrick all offseason, but it seems like he could resurface soon. Pelissero notes that the Vikings are “keeping the door open for possibly signing Scandrick during camp.” Scandrick signed a two-year, $10MM deal with the Redskins last offseason, but didn’t even make it through the preseason with the team. Washington cut him in mid-August, and he was scooped up by the Chiefs.

Scandrick ended up appearing in 15 games for Kansas City, making seven starts. He finished the year with 44 tackles, 13 passes defended, and an interception. Before signing with the Redskins, Scandrick played the first ten seasons of his career with the Cowboys. He had some good years in Dallas, but had declined sharply due to multiple injuries by the end of his run there.

Simply put, there’s a reason he didn’t make it through camp with the Redskins. With Scandrick in tow, the Chiefs had one of the worst secondaries in the league. He’s 32 now, and probably doesn’t have much left in the tank. If the Vikings signed him, it would be as depth. This news comes on the heels of cornerback Holton Hill being suspended for eight games yesterday, so a signing wouldn’t be shocking.

Saints To Sign DT Ziggy Hood

July 24th, 2019 at 1:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Saints are making a move to address a sudden hole on the interior of their defensive line. The team is signing veteran defensive tackle Ziggy Hood, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

David Onyemata was slapped with a one game suspension last month, which left the Saints a bit thin at defensive tackle. Stud tackle Sheldon Rankins tore his Achilles in the playoffs last year, and isn’t expected to be ready for the start of the season. With Onyematta sidelined for the first game, the Saints were going to need some defensive tackle help for Week 1.

Hood was the 32nd overall pick of the Steelers all the way back in 2009. He’s bounced around ever since, spending time with five different teams. Hood was a starter for the Redskins in 2016 and 2017, but was relegated to a backup role last season. He was then cut in October, but got swooped up by the Dolphins not long after. This is the first we’ve heard of him all offseason, and he didn’t draw much known interest on the open market.

Hood is 32 now, and ideally the Saints won’t count on him for too much. In his lengthy career, he has 141 appearances and 73 starts under his belt. He’s always been primarily used as a run-stuffer, entering the 2019 campaign with 235 career tackles and 14 sacks.

Titans LT Taylor Lewan Suspended 4 Games

July 24th, 2019 at 1:22pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Titans just got dealt a big blow as training camps across the league open. Starting left tackle Taylor Lewan announced on Twitter that he’ll be suspended for the first four games of the season.

In a video explaining what happened, Lewan said he unknowingly took a substance banned by the league. Lewan forcefully denied taking it on purpose, and said he even took a polygraph test to prove it, the results of which he’ll be publishing shortly. Either way, it’s a huge loss for Tennessee.

Lewan has been a rock for them, starting at least 15 games in each of the past four seasons. Lewan filled in for six games as a rookie due to injuries, then took over the full-time starting job in his second year. He originally entered the league as the 11th overall pick back in 2014 and has blossomed into one of the league’s better tackles since, making the Pro Bowl in each of the past three seasons.

The Michigan product signed a five-year extension last summer that made him the highest paid offensive lineman in league history. The Titans open up the season with the Browns, Colts, Jaguars, and Falcons. While Lewan already announced the news himself, there is apparently a sliver of hope. Lewan’s ‘A’ sample tested positive, but his ‘B’ sample hasn’t come back from the lab yet, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). If the ‘B’ result comes back clean, Lewan could potentially be spared.

Patriots To Sign TE Lance Kendricks

July 24th, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have signed tight end Lance Kendricks, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Kendricks, they hope, will help to fill the void after Rob Gronkowski‘s retirement.

Kendricks, of course, is not as accomplished as Gronk, though no other tight end in the NFL can make that claim. However, Kendricks did have 19 catches for the Packers last year and offers the experience of 125 career games for the Rams and Packers.

Kendricks’ best recent season came in 2016 when he hauled in 50 catches for 499 yards and two touchdowns for L.A. Earlier in his career, he had a 42/519/4 campaign for St. Louis as an NFL sophomore.

In addition to Kendricks, the Pats have Ben Watson, Matt LaCosse, Andrew Beck, Stephen Anderson, Ryan Izzo, and Jakob Johnson at tight end. With Watson set to start the year on suspension, LaCosse may open the year as the club’s No. 1 tight end, unless Kendricks has something to say about it in the coming weeks.

NFC West Rumors: Seahawks, Rams, Kupp

July 24th, 2019 at 10:32am CST by Zachary Links

You can expect the Seahawks to add a veteran defensive tackle following Jarran Reed‘s suspension, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets. He also offers a couple of names to keep an eye on: Earl Mitchell and Corey Liuget have both been linked to Seattle and are still available.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

Rams receiver Cooper Kupp will not have to start training camp on the physically unable to perform list, Steve Wyche of NFL Media tweets. That’s huge for Kupp, who tore his left ACL in November. The receiver has been vocal about his desire to play in Week 1 and it sounds like he’ll be ready to go for the opener if all goes well from here. Last year, Kupp had 40 catches for 566 yards and six scores before succumbing to injury.
A minor bit of news – Cardinals lineman Justin Pugh will shift from right guard back to his native left guard this season (Twitter link via Pugh). Pugh, 29 in August, started in all seven of his games for the Cardinals last year before landing on IR in November. The former first-round pick, unfortunately, has not played a full season since his 2013 rookie year.

AFC North Notes: Bengals, Green, Ravens

July 24th, 2019 at 10:25am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the AFC North:

Tyler Boyd‘s new extension will impact the ongoing extension talks between the Bengals and A.J. Green, as The Athletic’s Jay Morrison writes. Still, for what it’s worth, director of player personnel Duke Tobin says that they are separate matters. “It’s not an either/or. It’s a both,” Tobin said. “And we’ll see where we can go with the other. We would like to retain both of them, and we will work to do that and see what we can get done as we go here. It’s nice when you are not the only good receiver on a football team, it helps you. Tyler has been great in that he’s really versatile for us, and he can play a number of different positions. They are different-style guys for our game, and they complement each other well. So whether (Boyd’s) No. 1 or No. 2 or whatever, he’s a good football player and he’s been rewarded for that.”
Good news for the Ravens. According to the transactions wire, defensive tackles Michael Pierce and Daylon Mack and outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson have all passed their physicals. This means that they’re off the non-football injury list and available to practice when things get underway on Thursday. It should be noted that their NFI designation was different from the one that would have automatically ruled them out for a portion of the year, but it’s still a promising sign for the defense.
The Browns met with the agent for disgruntled running back Duke Johnson this week.

Jaguars Offer Deal To Yannick Ngakoue

July 24th, 2019 at 10:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars offered a new deal to Yannick Ngakoue, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Surprisingly, they pitched a short-term two-year deal to the youngster – a contract worth over $19MM per year with $50MM+ over the first two years. After that, Ngakoue’s camp broke off talks with the Jags.

Still only 24, many figured that the Jaguars’ eventual offer to Ngakoue would be of the long-term variety. Apparently, the Jaguars appear willing to save some money in the near term and forego the opportunity to lock the Maryland product down through the majority of his prime seasons.

We don’t know the length of the Jaguars’ (declined) proposal, but from the sound of it, they probably pitched something less than four years. Meanwhile, Ngakoue is aiming higher. This offseason, Frank Clark inked a five-year, $105MM deal with the Chiefs with $62.3MM guaranteed. Meanwhile, Demarcus Lawrence signed a similar deal with the Cowboys that included $65MM in total guarantees. For reference: Clark is 26, Lawrence is 27, and Ngakoue just turned 24 in March.

After Clark and Lawrence nabbed deals worth ~$21MM per year on average, Ngakoue is unlikely to take any less. He’s also

Texans Rumors: Clowney, O’Brien, Ossenfort

July 24th, 2019 at 10:05am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest on the Texans:

The Texans do not expect Jadeveon Clowney to report to camp, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (video link). Still, there is reason to believe that he will not miss any regular season games. Pelissero hears that Clowney is studying his playbook and is still in regular contact with teammates, which isn’t the behavior of someone planning an extended holdout. One source close to Clowney even said he’d be “shocked” if the edge rusher was not on the field for Week 1.
The Texans’ reconfigured front office has head coach Bill O’Brien on top, Albert Breer of The MMQB writes. For now, everything will run through him in an operation that is likely to mirror New England’s. The rest of the plan goes like this: chief negotiator Chris Olsen will oversee the cap, director of player personnel Matt Bazirgan will handle pro scouting, college scouting director James Liipfert will do exactly what his title states, and EVP Jack Easterby will continue to have a jack-of-all-trades role.
On a related note, Breer hears that O’Brien liked New England college scouting director Monti Ossenfort as a GM candidate. Still, it sounds like the Texans are still waiting things out until they can land Nick Caserio.

Bengals Seeking Offensive Line Help

July 24th, 2019 at 9:55am CST by Zachary Links

Thinned by injuries and a recent retirement, the Bengals are on the lookout for offensive line help (link via team website). Duke Tobin, the club’s director of player personnel, says he’ll be keeping his ear to the street over the coming weeks.

“We’ll have to find some. Some of the guys have to be able to play multiple positions,” Tobin said. “While they’re having to compete outside, they’ll also have to compete inside. We’re going to have to look and see. As we go through the cut-down process and look at the teams and have discussions, we’ll see what if anything we can add to the group and if we add nothing, somebody in that group has to bubble up.”

It has been a rough stretch for Cincinnati. First, the club lost first-round left tackle Jonah Williams for the year to a torn labrum. Then, veteran guard Clint Boling retired due to a series of issues. Initially, the plan was to halt Cordy Glenn‘s planned switch to the interior to fill in for Williams. Already, that wasn’t ideal. Now, they’re dangerously thin in the front five.

Previously, head coach Zac Taylor expressed confidence in his current unit and indicated that they would find the help they needed from within. Now, we know that the Bengals will be keeping an eye out for available O-Linemen.