HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Buccaneers Place JPP On NFI

August 30th, 2019 at 2:42pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are placing defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul (neck) on the reserve/non-football injury list. With that, JPP will not count against the team’s initial 53-man max. He’ll also be barred from playing in the first six weeks of the season.

Pierre-Paul was involved in a one-car accident in early May and suffered a fractured vertebra. The fact that he was able to avoid surgery left open the possibility that he could play in 2019, but it sounds like October will be the earliest he can see the field. And, a November or December return seems more likely.

The Bucs are not a favorite to make the playoffs, and if Tampa Bay is out of contention by the time Pierre-Paul is ready to return, the club may elect to keep him sidelined for the whole year. But if there is even a glimmer of hope, adding the two-time Pro Bowler would be a major boost to the Bucs’ defensive front.

Pierre-Paul notched 12.5 sacks in 2018, his first season in Tampa Bay, and reestablished himself as a legitimate force to be reckoned with coming off the edge.

Raiders, Rodney Hudson Agree To Extension

August 30th, 2019 at 1:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders and center Rodney Hudson have agreed to a long-term contract extension, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter). When completed, it’ll be a three-year, $33.75MM extension that will make him the NFL’s highest-paid center, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The pact includes $24.4MM in guarantees, Pelissero adds, but the guarantee-at-signing amount is likely less than that.

“We consider him a big piece of this franchise,” head coach Jon Gruden said when asked about the possibility of a new deal earlier this summer. “We’re going to do everything we can to keep him here a long time.”

Prior to the add-on, Hudson was set to earn a base salary of $8.25MM in 2019 with a $10.017MM cap number. He was also outside of the ten highest-paid players at his position. Before the extension, Mitch Morse, Maurkice Pouncey, Ryan Jensen, Brandon Linder, Weston Richburg, Travis Frederick, Matt Paradis, Alex Mack, and Justin Britt were among those to rank ahead of Rodney, in terms of average annual value. Now, he’s surpassed all of them.

Last year, Hudson graded out as the fourth-best center in the NFL, trailing only Jason Kelce, Paradis, and Mack. The 30-year-old also earned Pro Bowl nods in 2016 and 2017.

Ravens Release Shane Ray

August 30th, 2019 at 1:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have released linebacker Shane Ray, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens added Ray shortly after May’s compensatory deadline and gave him a $1.2MM deal with $200K guaranteed, but he won’t fly with them in September.

The Ravens had a glut of edge rushers, even after losing Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith in the offseason. The numbers crunch, ultimately, pushed Ray out.

Ray posted 12 sacks in his first two NFL seasons, but injuries have held him back ever since. In the last two years, he’s had just two sacks across 29 games.

Rolando McClain Gets Conditional Reinstatement

August 30th, 2019 at 1:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Linebacker Rolando McClain, conceivably, could make a return to the NFL. After three full seasons away from the sport, the league has granted him a conditional reinstatement (Twitter link via Mike Florio of PFT).

McClain, a talented former first-round pick of the Raiders, has battled off-the-field demons for years. The Cowboys gambled on him after the Raiders gave up on him and, for a period, that gamble paid off.

In 2014, the Cowboys acquired McClain via trade and used him in 13 games. He finished that season with 81 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. After that, he was hit with his first – but not last – NFL suspension. In 2015, he was limited to just eleven games, though he still tallied 80 tackles and a pair of sacks.

After signing another one-year deal with the Cowboys during the 2016 offseason, McClain was handed a ten-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. He then failed another drug test midway through the season, and the NFL slapped him with an indefinite suspension. After his third ban in two years, McClain was cuffed on a 2017 arrest for firearm and drug charges.

We haven’t seen McClain on the field since the 2015 season, but the door is at least open for him to sign with a club for the upcoming year. It remains to be seen whether the 30-year-old is in game shape, however.

Bengals Waive 11 Players

August 30th, 2019 at 1:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have taken a considerable step towards reaching the 53-man max on Saturday by waiving the following eleven players:

Lippett, one of the more recognizable names on the list, hooked on with the Bengals exactly 30 days ago. The former second-round pick offered familiarity with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, but it wasn’t enough to keep him in the fold.

Lions Cut CB Teez Tabor

August 30th, 2019 at 12:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Teez Tabor‘s time in Detroit has come to an end. On Friday, the Lions released the 2017 second-round pick, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Tabor fell to the Lions at No. 53 overall two years back, but some draft analysts, like NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah, were much higher on him. The Florida product suffered a hamstring injury during his workout with Detroit and was unable to audition for other teams, leading to his drop.

In the pros, Tabor hasn’t measured up. To date, the 23-year-old has made just five total starts. For his career (22 games), he has 39 total tackles and no interceptions.

Raiders Cut LB Brandon Marshall

August 30th, 2019 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have released linebacker Brandon Marshall, according to PFT’s Mike Florio (on Twitter). Marshall joined the Raiders in late March, but could not make the cut.

Marshall, who compiled 102 tackles and three sacks in 2017, was supposed to boost a linebacker group that also added Vontaze Burfict on a low-cost deal. For one reason or another, he couldn’t stick.

Marshall battled through injuries during the 2018 season and appeared in just eleven games. He finished out the campaign with only 42 tackles, his lowest total since he became a starter during the 2014 season.

Still, the former fifth-rounder has shown that he can be a difference maker when he’s at full strength – Marshall finished with at least 100 tackles in each of his three healthiest seasons.

Bills Trade C Russell Bodine To Patriots

August 30th, 2019 at 11:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots can’t stop trading. On Friday, they acquired center Russell Bodine from the Bills in exchange for a sixth-round pick, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 

Specifically, the Patriots have been trading for offensive linemen all week long. This marks the third OL acquired by the Pats in trades in the past few days.

The Patriots’ offensive line depth has been hit hard in the wake of injuries to David Andrews and Hjalte Froholdt. Bodine can offer help on the interior, along with fellow new OLs Korey Cunningham and Jermaine Eluemunor.

For the Bills, it’s a low-cost acquisition of a late-round draft choice. They liked Bodine, but his presence was not required given the recovery of center Mitch Morse.

Broncos To Release Su’a Cravens

August 30th, 2019 at 11:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have released safety Su’a Cravens, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). With a strong secondary, Cravens has been facing an uphill battle to make Denver’s 53-man cut. 

While Denver’s previous regime saw Cravens as a dime linebacker, new head coach Vic Fangio told Cravens that he would have to make the roster as a pure safety. That proved to be a huge hurdle for Cravens, who has struggled in coverage.

Cravens was traded to the Broncos last year after spending his first two years in the league with the Redskins. A second-round pick in 2016, he quickly had a falling out with the organization. After injuries, retirement, and un-retirement, he was hoping to take his coat off and stay a while with the Broncos.

Things didn’t pan out that way, and he’s now seeking new employment with days to go before kickoff.

Panthers Cut QB Taylor Heinicke

August 30th, 2019 at 11:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have released quarterback Taylor Heinicke, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). With that, the Panthers will move forward with Kyle Allen as the backup and rookie Will Grier as the backups to starter Cam Newton.

The Panthers brought Heinicke, a former UDFA, in off of waivers from the Texans last year. He wound up making one start, though he finished out the year with one touchdown pass and three interceptions. Near the end, they turned to Allen after Heinicke suffered an elbow injury.

Heinicke, 26, will now look to hook on elsewhere and make the second start of his NFL career.

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