2019 July - Pro Football Rumors

Injury Notes: Brown, Luck, Gore, Watt, Jones, Lawrence

July 26th, 2019 at 4:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Here’s the latest on all the injuries to big names as training camps get underway across the league:

There was a brief uproar earlier when it was mysteriously announced that Antonio Brown would start camp on the Raiders’ non-football injury list. However, the as of now undisclosed issue that caused Brown to be placed on the NFI was described to Field Yates of ESPN as “very minor” (Twitter link). Further, Jerry McDonald of the Oakland Tribune tweets that the Raiders have known of the injury for two weeks, and that Brown will probably only miss a week of camp time. Despite the initial panic, it doesn’t sound like this is anything you need to monitor going forward.
Andrew Luck was sidelined by a calf injury during the Colts’ offseason program, which sparked some concerns about his Achilles. However, Luck told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network today “my Achilles is not at extra risk of anything. It’s fine” (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Pelissero notes Luck participated in team drills today, and that his limited workload has only been precautionary.
Speaking of the NFI, Bills GM Brandon Beane said that running back Frank Gore has been removed from it, per longtime Bills beat reporter Joe Buscaglia (Twitter link). Gore had been dealing with a minor injury, but has passed his physical and is cleared to practice. Gore will be competing for carries in a crowded Buffalo backfield that also features LeSean McCoy and rookie Devin Singletary.
J.J. Watt started camp on the Texans’ PUP list, but he’s now been removed and cleared to practice, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Watt was limited to just eight combined games in 2016 and 2017 due to injuries, but he played a full 16-game slate last year. Watt wasn’t the only Texan to get cleared, as James Palmer of NFL Network tweets that DeAndre Hopkins was also cleared and activated from PUP.
Byron Jones, DeMarcus Lawrence, Tyrone Crawford and Noah Brown will start camp on the PUP list for the Cowboys, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Fortunately, Dallas is expecting all of them to be ready for the start of the season. Lawrence had offseason shoulder surgery, Jones had surgery on his hip, and Crawford is also dealing with a hip injury. Last we heard, there had been no progress in extension talks between the team and Jones.

49ers To Sign TE Niles Paul

July 26th, 2019 at 3:55pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 49ers are making a late veteran free agent add. San Francisco is signing tight end Niles Paul, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Terms of the deal weren’t immediately disclosed, although it’s safe to assume it’s a cheap short-term deal. This will be Paul’s ninth year in the league after he originally entered the NFL as a fifth-round pick of the Redskins back in 2011. He spent the next seven seasons in Washington before signing with the Jaguars last year. Paul has never played a huge role on offense, but he is capable of catching passes in a pinch.

By far his best season as a receiver came in 2014, when he had 39 receptions for 507 yards and a touchdown. He signed a two-year deal with Jacksonville last offseason, but was placed on injured reserve in October and then released in December. In six games with the Jaguars, he had ten catches for 98 yards.

Tight end Garrett Celek seems likely to miss some regular season time after undergoing back surgery, and it’s apparently possible he won’t be able to continue his career. As such, it makes sense why the 49ers were looking for some depth behind George Kittle. Paul played under 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan in Washington, so there’s some familiarity here.

Lions To Sign Mike Daniels

July 26th, 2019 at 3:22pm CST by Zachary Links

UPDATE, 4:55pm: Daniels’ deal is worth $9.1MM, with $7.8MM of it being fully guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a great payday for Daniels to get this time of year, and he might end up making more than if the Packers hadn’t released him in the first place. Daniels had been set to earn $8.1MM in the final year of his deal with Green Bay.

UPDATE, 4:23pm: It’s a one-year deal for Daniels, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

3:22pm: The Lions will sign defensive lineman Mike Daniels, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The two sides are finalizing things now, but the deal should be completed soon.

The Packers extended Daniels via four-year, $41MM contract during the 2015 season. For the most part, the deal has paid off. Daniels earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, though he was less productive in 2018 before ultimately landing on IR in December with a foot injury.

In his Pro Bowl campaign, Daniels notched five sacks and 49 tackles across 14 games. Last year, he had two sacks and 18 tackles in ten contests.

With the Lions, he’ll join fellow D-Line newcomers Trey Flowers, Darius Kilgo, Austin Bryant, and P.J. Johnson. Flowers is currently on the PUP list while Kilgo and Damon Harrison are on NFI, so Daniels will be especially valued in the near term.

Many expected the former Packers lineman to land with the Browns, but it was not meant to be. John Dorsey and fellow team execs Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf were in Green Bay when Daniels was drafted in the 2012 fourth round, but the Lions possibly had the greater need and the higher offer.

Daniels reportedly wanted to land with a Super Bowl contender so he must believe in the Lions’ potential, even though they are not one of Vegas’ odds-on leaders for the 2019 season.

Latest On Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott

July 26th, 2019 at 3:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Ezekiel Elliott was not on hand for Cowboys training camp on Friday. With that, Elliott will be subject to substantial fines, though it’s not certain as to whether the Cowboys will look to collect from their star running back (Twitter link via Jane Slater of NFL.com).

Meanwhile, Elliott is looking for a deal that would exceed Todd Gurley‘s four-year $57.5MM pact with the Rams, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) hears. If the Cowboys give him a deal to match, the Cowboys could eventually have three players (including quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper) among the top three salaries at their position.

Last season, Elliott posted 1,434 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while adding 77 receptions, 567 yards, and three scores in the passing game. Of course, Elliott also ran behind one of the NFL’s better offensive lines, and only ranked 18th in Football Outsiders’ success rate.

Coach Jason Garrett has said that he expects Elliott to report to camp, but, so far, there’s no sight of No. 21.

Vikings Work Out Morris Claiborne

July 26th, 2019 at 2:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings worked out Morris Claiborne on Friday, sources tell Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Claiborne could provide the team with additional depth during a slightly rocky time for the secondary.

Rising sophomore Mike Hughes, who suffered a torn ACL in 2018, opened up camp on the PUP list, leaving the team thin at cornerback. Furthermore, Holton Hill has been suspended for eight games (substance abuse and PEDs), so the Vikings are doing their due diligence.

Claiborne, 29, spent the past two seasons with the Jets and has played on one-year deals for the past three seasons. He hasn’t really excelled since his 2016 season with the Cowboys, when he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 12 ranked corner in a limited sample of seven games. Last year, Claiborne graded out as just the No. 75 CB in the NFL out of 112 qualified players, per PFF.

The Vikings also kicked the tires on veteran Orlando Scandrick this week.

Falcons To Sign Stephone Anthony

July 26th, 2019 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have agreed to sign linebacker Stephone Anthony, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The former Saints first-round pick profiles as a depth option and special teams player for Atlanta.

Anthony seemed to have a great deal of promise when he entered the league in 2015, but he’s been unable to make good on that potential thus far. After starting in all 16 games as a rookie, he was moved from middle linebacker to strongside linebacker with poor results. The Dolphins acquired him for a fifth-round pick in 2017, but the change of scenery didn’t do much for him. Anthony had just seven tackles across 16 appearances last year and the Dolphins declined his fifth-year option, making him a free agent this offseason.

In other Falcons news, the club is optimistic about a new deal for Julio Jones.

Rams Extend Sean McVay, Les Snead

July 26th, 2019 at 1:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams’ power structure will stay in tact for years to come. On Friday, the Rams announced extensions for head coach Sean McVay and GM Les Snead through the 2023 season.

“I’m very thankful to be a Ram for many years to come, working with great ownership, people, coaches, and players,” McVay told NFL.com. “It’s exciting to get camp going and we’re ready to roll up our sleeves up and get to work.”

McVay, 33, has brought youthful energy to the franchise and a high-powered offensive game plan. In his first year, the Rams went 11-5 after finishing out with a 4-12 mark. Then, last year, they took another huge step forward with a Super Bowl appearance. This year, McVay will look to build off of that momentum as the Rams figure to be one of the strongest teams in the league.

Snead, meanwhile, will continue in the role that he assumed in 2012, way back when the Rams were in St. Louis. His next big task will be to hammer out an extension with quarterback Jared Goff, who is slated for free agency after the 2020 season.

Chiefs’ Chris Jones Reports To Camp

July 26th, 2019 at 1:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The negotiations between the Chiefs and defensive lineman Chris Jones may be on the right track. Jones, who previously skipped team activities, reported for the start of training camp on Friday.

“He knows his value and if he has to play out his deal in order to reach free agency, then that’s what he will do. For now, he’s focused on winning a Super Bowl for Kansas City,” his agents told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Jones wants a deal similar to the one that Frank Clark received after he was traded to Kansas City from Seattle (five years, $104MM, $63.5MM in guarantees). The Chiefs, meanwhile, want to keep the AAV lower than $20MM per season and want to keep the guarantees in the $45-50MM ballpark. However, the Chiefs may prefer to pay out a significant chunk of those guarantees upfront in the form of a signing bonus, and given that only ~$44MM of Clark’s guaranteed money was fully-guaranteed at signing, the two sides might not be far apart.

The Chiefs, though, have every reason to slow play this situation. Even if they don’t reach a long-term deal with Jones this year, they can get another season out of him for next to nothing and hit him with the franchise tag in 2020.

Giants’ Corey Coleman Done For Year

July 26th, 2019 at 10:31am CST by Zachary Links

More bad news for the Giants. On the same day that Sterling Shepard suffered a fractured thumb, fellow wide receiver Corey Coleman went down with a torn ACL, according to a team announcement.

Coleman, of course, will be unable to play this season. The Giants will soon place him on injured reserve, making it all official.

Coleman technically returned to the Giants on a one-year, $720K deal this offseason, though it was some creative accounting. As a former first round pick, his ’19 salary was already guaranteed, so the Browns are paying the remainder of his $2.025MM paycheck.

This was, potentially, going to be a big year for Coleman. The Giants also tacked on $1.7MM in incentives to his new deal and there was quiet belief that he could break out after the departure of Odell Beckham Jr.

Without Coleman, there will be even more pressure on Golden Tate to perform. Ditto for Shepard, though his Week 1 status is presently uncertain.

Saints, Michael Thomas Nearing Deal

July 26th, 2019 at 8:23am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints and Michael Thomas are “close” to getting a deal done, Mike Florio of PFT hears. It’s still not a done deal, but Florio expects a five-year extension worth either $19MM or $20MM per season.

There might not be much left to debate in terms of overall value, but as with any NFL deal, the two sides are probably still haggling over guarantees, bonuses, and the all-important cash flow. In the interim, Thomas will reportedly continue to stay away from training camp.

At one point in time, Thomas was reportedly pushing for $22MM per year, which would have blown the contracts of Odell Beckham Jr. and Antonio Brown out of the water. Thomas’ reduced ask should be more palatable for the Saints, who are still in a tricky cap situation thanks in large part to Drew Brees‘ contract.

Still only 26, Thomas is one of the best young wide receivers in the NFL. Last year, he led the league with 125 catches while recording 1,405 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

Reportedly, fellow NFC South star Julio Jones is also on the cusp of a new extension. His brand new deal with the Falcons could become official before the end of business on Friday.