HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Texans Give Raise To CB Johnathan Joseph

July 30th, 2019 at 8:05am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans gave cornerback Johnathan Joseph a raise, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. In the revised deal, Joseph received a $1.5MM signing bonus and a base salary bump from $2.9MM to $4MM. Meanwhile, his per game roster bonuses were reduced from $1MM to $500K total. 

[RELATED: Latest On Texans’ RB Situation]

It’s a solid reward for a veteran player who has outperformed the two-year, $10MM deal he signed prior to the 2018 season. Joseph has pretty much been a starter throughout his career, but last year he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 10 ranked cornerback in the NFL, though his check put him in the middle of the pack at his position.

Joseph finished out 2018 with 58 tackles, two interceptions, and a touchdown. At the age of 35, Joseph now has 30 career picks, seven scores, and 175 total starts to his credit.

Extra Points: QBs, Cap, Sanders, Nkemdiche

July 29th, 2019 at 9:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The latest installment of Mike Sando’s annual quarterback tiers emerged recently, via The Athletic (subscription required). While Russell Wilson ascended into Tier 1 for the first time, evaluators are much less bullish on two of his top dual-threat brethren. Both Cam Newton and Dak Prescott come in on Tier 3, with the shoulder injuries the Panthers passer has suffered in recent years dropping him off his previous Tier 2 placement. The anonymous voter panel, comprised of executives and coaches, placed Newton as the league’s No. 15 quarterback and the Cowboys‘ fourth-year pilot at No. 17. In a separate piece, Sando notes no Tier 3 quarterback who has been paid as a top-10 passer, which seems likely for Prescott by Week 1, has taken his team to the playoffs that season. Newton has two years remaining on his Panthers-friendly deal. Tier 2 quarterbacks, per past Sando surveys, were 8-for-29 in guiding teams to the playoffs with top-10 APY figures since 2014.

Here is the latest from around the league:

  • One of the topics brought up in this year’s CBA talks: the spending floor. Currently, teams are required to spend 89% of their cap over a four-year period. The NFLPA has proposed forcing teams to spend more, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes. One of the proposals floated would increase that 89% threshold to 95%; another would involve reducing the number of years factored into these spending equations from four to two. There is no policy in place mandating teams spend a certain amount each year, only through four-year windows.
  • One issue that will likely change in the new CBA, per Graziano: the league’s marijuana policy. The NFL has already softened its stance on marijuana, through a 2014 change, and has now formed a committee to study alternative pain-management techniques. This points to more leniency on the weed front.
  • No team was willing to take on Robert Nkemdiche‘s first-round contract the Cardinals just shed. The 2016 first-round pick cleared waivers Monday and is now in free agency. The former No. 1 overall recruit reported to Cardinals camp in less-than-ideal shape and is coming off a season marred by a torn ACL. It may be a long road back for the 24-year-old defensive lineman, who did register 4.5 sacks (the first QB drops of his career) last season.
  • Emmanuel Sanders returned to 11-on-11 work at Broncos camp Monday, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic (on Twitter). This marked the first such participation for the 32-year-old wide receiver since before his Achilles tear last December. The Broncos did not stick Sanders on their active/PUP list to start training camp, and with more than five weeks remaining before Week 1, it appears a good bet the 10th-year wideout, barring a setback, will be ready to start the season on time.

Cowboys To Sign Alfred Morris

July 29th, 2019 at 8:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Ezekiel Elliott stays away from Cowboys camp, the team will bring back one of his former backups. Alfred Morris has agreed to rejoin the Cowboys, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Morris was scheduled to visit the Saints, but it looks like he found a more enticing offer with one of his former teams. Morris, 30, played in 28 games for the Cowboys from 2016-17. He closed his first Dallas stint by averaging 4.8 yards per carry for the 2017 Cowboys.

The Cowboys have exchanged proposals with their holdout back, but Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes (via Twitter) the last such numbers were discussed July 25. In the meantime, Morris will serve as by far the most experienced backfield option the Cowboys have.

They lost recent Elliott backup Rod Smith to the Giants and drafted both Tony Pollard (Round 4) and Mike Weber (Round 7) this year. Both Pollard and third-year back Darius Jackson (six career carries since being a sixth-round 2016 Cowboys pick) took reps with Dallas’ first-string offense Monday.

Last season, Morris was a late-summer 49ers addition, heading west after Jerick McKinnon tore an ACL. Morris rushed for 428 yards (3.9 per carry) as a 49er. He was the Cowboys’ primary runner during Elliott’s 2017 suspension. While Morris is far removed from his best seasons, two Pro Bowls with the Redskins from 2013-14, he should be relatively fresh. He has taken just 295 handoffs over the past three seasons. And this deal represents some Elliott insurance, with the Cowboys unlikely to carry five tailbacks on their Week 1 53-man roster.

Theo Riddick Down To Broncos, Saints?

July 29th, 2019 at 8:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Theo Riddick generated some interest after the Lions ended his six-year tenure last week, and the seventh-year pass-catching back looks to be deciding between the two teams he visited. It appears to be a Broncos-or-Saints decision for the veteran back, per Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter).

This is interesting because of a previous report. Riddick was tabbed, per NOLA.com’s Herbie Teope (Twitter link), as hoping to take his time before choosing his next team. More visits were potentially on the agenda, though Teope did not indicate a third team was definitively in the mix. He now hears that it’s indeed Denver or New Orleans for the 28-year-old back (Twitter link).

Offensive assistants for both teams likely have played roles in this recruitment. Riddick played under Broncos running backs coach Curtis Modkins from 2013-15, with Saints quarterbacks coach Joe Lombardi also in Detroit during that time — as Lions OC from 2014-15.

It’s interesting in an era of running back marginalization that Riddick has generated immediate interest going into his seventh season, but he has shown a defined skill set that fits well in the modern game. Riddick has 285 receptions since his 2013 rookie slate; that’s third in the NFL among running backs over that span. His 2,238 receiving yards are fourth among backs.

Both the Broncos and Saints have solidified first- and second-string backs, with Phillip Lindsay and Alvin Kamara starting and Royce Freeman and Latavius Murray in place as respective complementary pieces. The Broncos have fourth-year back Devontae Booker in place behind Lindsay and Freeman, but Riddick has shown much more as a receiver.

The Saints also lost out on potential target Alfred Morris, who agreed to terms with the Cowboys minutes ago. While Morris and Riddick do not have similar skill sets, the Saints are showing urgency to bring in some help behind their top two backs. Buck Allen has not suited up for camp yet, leaving former Riddick Detroit teammate Dwayne Washington among those seeing time in his absence. While Booker would seemingly stay on as Denver’s third-string back if Riddick opts for New Orleans, Larry Holder of The Athletic writes (subscription required) the Saints’ No. 3 job is wide open.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/19

July 29th, 2019 at 7:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFL, NFLPA Far Apart On CBA Revenue Split

July 29th, 2019 at 7:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the NFL and the NFLPA met multiple times before the recent summit, the most recent meeting provided the clearest picture as to the status of the next collective bargaining agreement. This may not be progressing as both sides hope.

The session in Chicago represented the first time during this CBA negotiation cycle that the parties exchanged proposals, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. With the revenue split entering the equation, a 4 1/2-hour meeting led to the rest of that week’s powwows being nixed because the sides were too far apart. Monday’s follow-up meeting morphed from a key negotiating session to a meeting based around more peripheral matters. The revenue split subject was not on today’s agenda.

The league and the union are still slated to meet Tuesday, Breer adds, but it’s unclear if the big-picture subjects will be discussed. The parties’ next summit is scheduled for mid-August. League owners wanted more time to plan a new proposal, having seen the players’ for the first time, according to Breer. The players are also planning to amend their initial proposal.

While categorizing this round of talks as more productive than where the parties were at this point of the previous CBA cycle, Breer does not expect a new deal to be in place by the owners’ unofficial pre-Week 1 target date. The owners have backed off the goal of having the next collective bargaining agreement in place by then.

With the current CBA not set to expire until after next season, this process being completed in 2019 may be difficult. The union continues to prepare players for a possible 2021 work stoppage, sending out a “work stoppage worksheet” (Twitter link) themed around saving money in the event another lockout comes. Without a new deal in place, next offseason will include new contract and salary cap rules specific to the final year of the CBA, which means no June 1 release designations and the ability of teams to use both the franchise and transition tags to keep players off the free agent market.

Contract Details: Sproles, Kendricks, Hawks

July 29th, 2019 at 6:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

A look at the details on recent deals from around the NFL:

  • Darren Sproles, RB (Eagles): One year, $1.33MM. $600K fully guaranteed, including a $300K signing bonus. $650K in performance bonuses, classified as NLTBE incentives, exist in Sproles’ contract for a Pro Bowl appearance and unspecified yardage totals, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio tweets.
  • Lance Kendricks, TE (Patriots): One year, $1.02MM. Kendricks’ $50K signing bonus represents this deal’s only guarantees. If he makes the team, he will earn a $930K veteran minimum base salary. Kendricks, who can also earn $40K worth of per-game roster bonuses, will count $735K toward New England’s cap, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets.
  • Earl Mitchell, DT (Seahawks): One year, $930K. $90K signing bonus. Mitchell will carry a $735K cap number, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com notes.

Eric Berry Remains On Cowboys’ Radar

July 29th, 2019 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Throughout the 2018 offseason, the Cowboys were connected to Earl Thomas. They eventually offered a second-round pick for him. But Dallas used Jeff Heath and Xavier Woods as its starting safeties last season. Although the Cowboys signed George Iloka and drafted Donovan Wilson in the sixth round, the Heath-Woods duo remains atop the depth chart.

The team, however, continues to examine other options. Cowboys VP of player personnel Will McClay said during an appearance on 1310 The Ticket (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Jon Machota) the Cowboys continue to monitor the status of Eric Berry but reiterated the team believes in its starters and the depth it has assembled.

Berry visited the Cowboys and received some interest from the Browns. Other than that, it has been a quiet offseason for the three-time first-team All-Pro. (Berry and Thomas are the only active safeties to appear on the top All-Pro team three times.) Two years after signing Berry to the then-richest safety contract, the Chiefs cut their longest-tenured defender amid a defensive overhaul. The 30-year-old defender has played in just two of the past 31 regular-season games, having seen Achilles and heel problems sidetrack his career.

Woods and Heath were first-stringers throughout last season, with only two Woods injury absences breaking up the tandem. Pro Football Focus graded Woods as a middle-of-the-pack safety while slotting Heath toward the bottom of that list. The Cowboys rated as Football Outsiders’ No. 16 pass defense DVOA outfit.

Latest On Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott

July 29th, 2019 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The rumors Ezekiel Elliott had plans to leave the country proved accurate, with the All-Pro running back now in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. Elliott is using this time to train, doing so with multiple other NFL players, one of those being former Giant Orleans Darkwa, per Hill (on Twitter).

Elliott trained in Cabo during his 2017 suspension. He is now doing so as part of a holdout. Elliott’s camp does not view training out of the country as different than the Cowboys using Oxnard, Calif., as their camp site, Hill adds. Some members of Cowboys brass, as could be expected, do and believe this is a bad look for Elliott. Jason Garrett said recently he expected Elliott to be at camp.

The disgruntled running back has two years remaining on his contract, after the Cowboys picked up his fifth-year option, but has evidently not seen enough progress in extension talks to risk showing up for camp. Jerry Jones does not appear ready to budge soon.

“The point there is, you don’t have to have a rushing champion to win a Super Bowl. … Emmitt (Smith) was the first one to do it,” Jones said, via CBS DFW. “That’s one of the dilemmas at running back is that the league knows that you can win Super Bowls and not have the Emmitt Smith back there or not have Zeke back there.”

Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said earlier this offseason an Elliott extension would likely start at Todd Gurley‘s price, calling him “the straw that stirs the drink.” But the team has yet to finalize contracts with Dak Prescott or Amari Cooper. Elliott indeed looks to want Gurley money (four years, $57.5MM, $45MM guaranteed). The Cowboys still have this trio, La’el Collins and Byron Jones as players either holding out or in contract years.

“You’ve gotta do all of the things along with having Zeke that allow you to have other players so that you can win the Super Bowl,” Jerry Jones said. “That’s what we’re going through.”

If Elliott does not report by August 6, he will lose a season toward free agency. Aaron Donald did not let that deadline stop his 2017 holdout, but the Rams superstar also plays a more valuable position. Elliott, though, holds a key stake in the Cowboys’ offense and has accumulated a historic workload through three seasons (NFL-high 1,003 touches since 2016). Staying out of that picture undoubtedly weakens the defending NFC East champions.

This offseason has not seen the progress the summer of 2018 made at the running back spot, when Gurley and David Johnson received market-reshaping deals. The Elliott and Melvin Gordon holdouts, aimed at the Pro Bowlers joining the NFC West duo and Le’Veon Bell as eight-figure-AAV players, have no end in sight.

Patriots Notes: Etling, Allen, Judge

July 29th, 2019 at 3:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the Patriots:

  • Quarterback Danny Etling is now wide receiver Danny Etling, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Already, there is excitement about what Etling can do as a multi-threat talent. “We always knew Danny could play different positions. I always used to joke with him and call him Taysom Hill,” receiver Phillip Dorsett said. Etling also took practice repetitions on special teams this week, which is another area in which Hill contributes to the Saints.
  • As the Patriots near the end of August, NESN’s Doug Kyed and Zack Cox looked ahead at the team’s roster projection. The duo sees Etling missing the cut, despite his versatility. Both writes also see punter Ryan Allen losing the battle to cheaper alternative Jake Bailey.
  • More from Reiss, who notes that Joe Judge is in a unique position as the NFL’s only special-teams coordinator/wide receivers coach. Because he can’t be in two places at the same time, Judge has been relying on Patriots Hall of Famer Troy Brown as a WR assistant on a temporary basis that could theoretically become a full-time job.
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