2019 July - Pro Football Rumors

Redskins Release Mason Foster

July 23rd, 2019 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins released Mason Foster on Tuesday (Twitter link via Erin Hawksworth). The news comes as a surprise, especially since inside linebacker Reuben Foster won’t be able to play in 2019.

Foster started in 16 games for the Redskins last year and was expected to return to first-string duties following R. Foster’s leg injury. Still, the team had concerns about M. Foster’s ability to play in nickel sets, which may have led to his release.

The 30-year-old tallied 131 tackles, two interceptions, and one sack last season. He’ll now be free to sign with another club as an unrestricted free agent and he likely won’t be out of work for long. By releasing Foster, the Redskins will save $4MM against just $250K in dead money.

Latest On Browns, Duke Johnson

July 23rd, 2019 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns met with agent Drew Rosenhaus on Tuesday to discuss Duke Johnson‘s situation, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With Nick Chubb ahead of him and Kareem Hunt set to leapfrog him after an eight-game suspension, Johnson has demanded a trade to a team that will give him a featured role.

So far, the Browns have held firm, stating publicly that they will keep the pass-catching specialist. Johnson, meanwhile, reported to minicamp in June, but his recent switch to Rosenhaus indicates that he wants to take a strong stand.

Rosenhaus has a solid working relationship with the Browns, as evidenced by the Emmanuel Ogbah trade earlier this year. Working with GM John Dorsey, Rosenhaus was able to get Ogbah to the Chiefs, where he’ll see plenty of playing time after Dee Ford‘s departure.

Browns training camp kicks off on Wednesday.

Cowboys Release WR Allen Hurns

July 23rd, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys are cutting wide receiver Allen Hurns, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The Cowboys were reportedly asking Hurns to take a pay cut this offseason and his release could be related to that matter.

Hurns signed a two-year, $12MM deal with Dallas last offseason, and was slated to have a cap hit of $6.25MM this year. Given his level of production last season, it’s not surprising that the Cowboys wanted to reduce that number or remove him from the roster. Still, they exercised the Year Two option in March.

With Dez Bryant gone, Hurns was supposed to compete for one of the Cowboys’ top receiving jobs after Dallas signed him away from Jacksonville. But he never showed much chemistry with Dak Prescott, and he quickly got buried on the depth chart after the emergence of rookie Michael Gallup and the trade for Amari Cooper. Hurns caught 20 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns during the regular season.

His season ended with a devastating ankle injury suffered in the first round of the playoffs against the Seahawks. The injury was gruesome, but Hurns was said to be recovering well.

Hurns will now look to prove his health elsewhere and look to regain the form he exhibited in Jacksonville.

Bengals, Tyler Boyd Agree To Extension

July 23rd, 2019 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals are signing wide receiver Tyler Boyd to a four-year, $43MM extension, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Boyd now will be under contract through the 2023 season.

Prior to the deal, Boyd was set to play out the 2019 season before reaching free agency. Under the new pact, the Bengals have added four more years while Boyd has put himself in the top 20 at his position, in terms of new money average annual value. Furthermore, he’s now one of the league’s highest-paid slot receivers.

Following a pair of underwhelming seasons to begin his career, Boyd had a breakout campaign in 2018, hauling in 76 receptions for 1,028 yards and seven touchdowns in 14 games. Part of his production could be attributed to the fact that A.J. Green missed seven games, placing Boyd atop the depth chart. On the flip side, the receiver also established a career-high catch percentage and yards-per-target.

The deal is similar that of Sterling Shepard‘s contract with the Giants, which was a four-year deal worth $41MM ($21.3MM guaranteed), a watermark that Boyd personally said he had in mind. We’re still waiting on the full details, but the contract may also mirror the one Tyrell Williams signed with the Raiders (four years, $44MM ($22MM guaranteed)).

As our own Dallas Robinson previously pointed out, Boyd topped Shepard in every offensive category this past season, and he finished higher than the Giants wideout in both Pro Football Focus‘ positional grades and Football Outsiders’ receiving metrics. Boyd’s 2019 season was comparable to Williams’ 2016 campaign, although Williams was older and coming off a pair of subpar seasons when he signed his recent deal with Oakland.

With Boyd’s contract addressed, the Bengals’ focus now must shift to Green, who has one year to go on his deal. Despite Green’s recent injury trouble, both sides have expressed a strong desire to get something done.

Jets, Williams Disagree On Payout

July 23rd, 2019 at 10:38am CST by Zachary Links

Jets No. 3 overall pick Quinnen Williams is one of the few remaining stragglers left in this year’s draft class, and now we know why. The Jets are pushing for a particular bonus payout structure that would cost the defensive lineman approximately $100K, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

It’s not ideal for negotiations to drag, but this is a minor dispute, all things considered. A difference of $100K ultimately shouldn’t mean much to the Jets, considering that Williams’ slot calls for $32.5MM across four years.

Williams, an Alabama product, registered 71 total tackles, including 19.5 tackles for a loss and eight sacks in his final year on campus. The Jets, arguably, have placed too much emphasis on their interior defensive line in recent years, but they could not pass up the opportunity to land Williams, who holds tremendous potential.

Dolphins, Colts Work Out Matt Elam

July 23rd, 2019 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins and Colts worked out Matt Elam, according to Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter). The former Ravens-first round pick auditioned for Miami on Monday and his Colts workout took place sometime before that.

Elam, a former first round pick of the Ravens, hasn’t done a whole lot on the field. Elam struggled as a starter in his first two NFL seasons and he missed the entire 2015 campaign thanks to a biceps tear in training camp. Then, after losing much of 2016 to a knee injury, Elam showed very little in the nine games that he did appear in.

Elam is perhaps better known to football fans for his missteps off of the field. Elam’s was arrested in February 2017 when police say he was caught while holding 126 grams of marijuana and three grams of oxycodone. Then, in May, he was arrested for grand theft and battery. Eventually, Elam had all charges against him dropped and he has already served a six-game ban from the NFL as a free agent.

Across three seasons with the Ravens, Elam has 130 career tackles, 41 appearances, and 26 starts to his credit.

Deal In Place For Falcons, Julio Jones?

July 23rd, 2019 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons and Julio Jones are working on a long-term extension, but depending on who you ask, that deal might already be in place. Multiple league sources “firmly believe that the Falcons already have a wink-nod deal in place” with the wide receiver, according to PFT’s Mike Florio.

[RELATED: Latest On Saints, Thomas]

Those sources believe that Jones’ deal will be finalized on Friday, the one-year anniversary of Jones’ last re-up with the team. The deal, which should position Jones as one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the league, by at least a couple of metrics, may impact the talks between the Saints and star Michael Thomas.

Jones is reporting to Falcons camp, despite the absence of a new deal. The optimism he expressed earlier this summer may be an indication that a deal is not far off.

“Mr. Blank gave us his word. … That’s golden,” Jones said in June. “His word is that it’s going to get done. … There’s no stress on my end. I’m not thinking about it. [Blank] makes it easy for me to go out and just work every day and not have one of those situations where there’s a holdout or anything like that.”

Jones’ 7,994 receiving yards since the 2014 season are the most any player has ever compiled in a five-year span.

Bills Hire Brian Gaine

July 23rd, 2019 at 10:06am CST by Zachary Links

Brian Gaine is back in football, and back with the Bills. On Tuesday, the Bills hired Gaine as their new Senior Personnel Advisor.

Gaine was hired by the Bills in 2017 to serve as the Vice President of Player Personnel under GM Brandon Beane. In 2018, he reverted to the Texans to serve as GM, but he was pushed out the door late this offseason in a failed attempt to hire Nick Caserio from the Patriots.

Gaine has worked in NFL scouting for 20 years with Director titles with three other NFL clubs (Cowboys, Dolphins, Texans). He also served as the Assistant GM for the Dolphins from 2012-2013. In his new role, Gaine will work in both college and pro scouting for the Bills.

Lions’ Darius Slay To Report To Camp

July 23rd, 2019 at 9:08am CST by Zachary Links

Lions cornerback Darius Slay will report to camp, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. That’s more good news for the Lions, who learned yesterday that Damon Harrison will also be in attendance.

[RELATED: Damon Harrison To Report]

Slay is scheduled to make base salaries of $12MM this year and $10MM in 2020, with per-game roster bonuses totaling $250K each season. However, he wants a new deal that will keep him under contract for even longer at rates that put him near the top of the cornerback totem pole.

Slay has spent his entire career with the Lions, and he’s earned Pro Bowl nods in each of the past two seasons. While his 2017 campaign was hard to match statistically, he had a solid 2018 with 43 tackles, 17 passes defended, and three interceptions in 15 games (15 starts). Pro Football Focus ranked Slay 23rd among 112 eligible cornerbacks.

Although Slay wants a new deal, he wasn’t expected to hold out into the regular season, when the real fines will start to pile up. Still, his participation in training camp is an encouraging sign for ongoing extension talks.

Jets Release RB De’Angelo Henderson

July 23rd, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have released running back De’Angelo Henderson. The former Broncos sixth-rounder was on the Jets’ active roster last season, but appeared in only three games.

Henderson, 26, appeared in a handful of games as a rookie for Denver, despite some training camp hype and hope about his potential role. He joined the Jets’ practice squad after missing Denver’s final cut in 2018 and earned a promotion to the main roster after Bilal Powell was lost for the year.

The running back had a standout collegiate career at Coastal Carolina University, rushing for a touchdown in 35 consecutive games (an NCCA Division I record). In the NFL, he has a total of nine carries for 32 yards.