HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Bengals Notes: Price, Green, Dennard, QBs

August 26th, 2019 at 5:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

After losing starters Clint Boling and Jonah Williams this offseason, the Bengals will have another new first-stringer up front. They are set to bench center Billy Price, a 2018 first-round pick, for veteran Trey Hopkins, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic tweets. This marks a setback in Price’s development. The Ohio State alum struggled as a rookie, playing in only 10 games and grading as Pro Football Focus’ fourth-worst full-time center. A sixth-year UDFA who has made 21 Bengals starts over the past two seasons, Hopkins fared better in 589 snaps in 2018. He graded as PFF’s No. 21 snapper and will parlay that into a Week 1 job.

Additionally, Price’s former Ohio State teammate, fourth-round rookie guard Michael Jordan, will be Cincinnati’s left guard starter. Should an injury befall Hopkins, Jordan or starting left guard John Miller, Dehner adds (via Twitter) Price will return to center.

Here is the latest out of southwest Ohio:

  • Darqueze Dennard is expected to begin the season on the Bengals’ reserve/PUP list, according to Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. The recently re-signed cornerback underwent knee surgery before re-upping with the Bengals. While the team knew Dennard would need surgery after re-signing him, it is certainly a bad sign when a player on a one-year deal will be out at least six regular-season games. Dennard signed for $4.5MM in March.
  • A.J. Green will join Dennard in being out for the start of the season, and it’s uncertain when the perennial Pro Bowl wideout will return. But Hobson adds the Bengals will still attempt to extend Green, who is entering his age-31 season. The Bengals already extended Tyler Boyd. Earlier this offseason, Green expressed a desire to stay in Cincinnati after his 2019 contract year. But that was before he suffered an ankle injury that is expected to keep him out of multiple September games.
  • While Green recovers, a rookie UDFA will take his place. Damion Willis will start alongside Boyd, Zac Taylor said (via Dehner, on Twitter). Willis was part of Cincinnati’s initial post-draft free agent class, signing with the team out of Troy. He has certainly enjoyed a standout preseason.
  • Ryan Finley has commandeered the Bengals’ backup job, and the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Tyler Dragon expects this to push Jeff Driskel off the roster. Driskel has run into hamstring trouble and was making an attempt to show versatility by lining up at wide receiver recently. The former sixth-round pick started five games last season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/26/19

August 26th, 2019 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Buffalo Bills

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Patriots’ Patrick Chung Pleads Not Guilty

August 26th, 2019 at 2:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The lawyer for Patrick Chung entered a not guilty plea on his client’s behalf, according to The Associated Press. Chung was indicted for felony cocaine possession on August 8 and details on the case remain sparse. 

Here’s what we do know – New Hampshire cops were called to Chung’s home in late June on “on a call for service.” While at his residence, police obtained evidence leading to the felony drug charge.

Chung, 32, is scheduled to appear in court on November 8. No NFL discipline will come for a while – if at all – but head coach Bill Belichick has remained characteristically quiet about the safety’s status.

In 2018, the longtime Patriots safety played in 15 games and started 14, registering one interception and 84 tackles. Still operating at a high level, he rated as the No. 30 safety according to Pro Football Focus, with an above-average grade of 72.7.

Broncos To Release WR Nick Williams

August 26th, 2019 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos are releasing wide receiver Nick Williams, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post tweets. With that, the Broncos’ roster is now at 87, three shy of the present 90-man max.

The Broncos have spent Monday doing some cleanup in advance of Saturday’s 53-man deadline. There’s still tons of work to go, but the Broncos have already released linebacker Dekoda Watson, defensive lineman Zach Kerr, and Williams, giving all three players a head start on their job hunt. The releases of Kerr and Watson freed up significant cap room, but Williams’ release will have little impact on the club’s finances.

Williams appeared in two games for the Titans early on last year, but was let go after dropping a would-be go-ahead touchdown pass against the Bills. The 28-year-old then hooked on with the Rams where he caught two passes for 17 yards in two games. The Broncos signed Willams in late July, but his Denver run is up after just one month.

Packers Waive Mike Tyson

August 26th, 2019 at 2:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have waived safety Mike Tyson, according to a team announcement. To take his place, the club signed cornerback Jackson Porter.

The Packers claimed Tyson off waivers earlier this offseason when he was dropped by the Texans. After originally entering the league as a 2017 sixth-round pick of the Seahawks, Tyson appeared in ten contests for Houston in 2018.

Porter, meanwhile, is still looking for his first taste of NFL action. The UMass product amassed 84 tackles, 1.5 tackles for a loss and two interceptions over 42 games with the Minutemen, but was unsuccessful in his bid to make the Ravens as a UDFA last year.

Redskins’ Trent Williams Ready To Play

August 26th, 2019 at 12:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Redskins left tackle Trent Williams is healthy and ready to play, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Of course, Williams is looking to suit up for a different team, so the stalemate continues. 

On Monday, head coach Jay Gruden reiterated that he still “very strongly” believes Williams won’t be traded. However, at this juncture, it’s hard to see a scenario in which Williams plays for the Redskins this year, so it’s hard to imagine the club passing on help in other areas or draft capital.

Earlier this month, the Redskins signed Donald Penn to help fill in for Williams up front. They’ve also discussed deals with other teams – for instance, the Dolphins have inquired on Williams and may still have interest. The Patriots, however, do not seem to be in the mix, despite being loosely connected to the veteran throughout the offseason.

The Redskins will face the Ravens on Thursday night in the final game of their preseason schedule. Then, on Sept. 8, they get the season started against the Eagles in Philadelphia.

Chiefs To Sign QB Matt Moore

August 26th, 2019 at 12:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have agreed to sign quarterback Matt Moore, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). Moore will step into the role left vacant by Chad Henne, who is undergoing ankle surgery. 

Moore, 35, served as Ryan Tannehill‘s backup with the Dolphins for five seasons, but was out of football in 2018. In the previous season, Moore figured to be Tannehill’s fill-in post-ACL tear, but he was pushed out of the picture in favor of Jay Cutler.

For obvious reasons, the Chiefs are hoping that they won’t have to rely on Moore at all this year. There’s also this to consider – the Dolphins reportedly didn’t turn to Moore in 2017 because his arm was “shot.” Now 35 and coming off of a one-year layoff, it’s fair to wonder what Moore would have to offer if he were thrust into action.

While Moore led the Dolphins to the playoffs in 2016 in place of Tannehill, he did not fare as well in two starts for Cutler in 2017 – Moore’s yards-per-attempt figure dropped from 8.3 to 6.8 and his interception count (five) eclipsed his touchdown-pass total (four).

In addition to Mahomes and Moore, the Chiefs also have Chase Litton and Kyle Shurmur on hand. Neither of those quarterbacks have taken a regular season snap.

Broncos Cut Dekoda Watson

August 26th, 2019 at 9:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have released veteran outside linebacker and special teamer Dekoda Watson, sources tell Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). The Broncos traded for Watson just four months ago, but there ultimately wasn’t a place for him on the 53-man roster.

In April, the Broncos shipped the No. 148 overall pick to the 49ers in exchange for Watson and the No. 212 choice. The deal, for at least a brief time, reunited the Watson and the Broncos, as the linebacker played in Denver during the 2016 season.

Watson will have to move on to a new employer, but this is nothing new for the former seventh-rounder. Throughout his nine-year career, Watson has played for a number of teams, mostly as a special teamer.

Broncos To Release Zach Kerr

August 26th, 2019 at 9:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have released defensive lineman Zach Kerr, as Mike Klis of 9News tweets. It’s yet another indication that the Broncos are expecting big things from DeMarcus Walker in 2019.

Following three seasons with the Colts, Kerr joined Denver on a two-year deal prior to the 2017 season. The defensive lineman appeared in 27 games for the Broncos over the past two seasons, including a 16-game campaign in 2018.

Despite not starting a single game last season, the 334-pound lineman still finished with 33 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one pass defended. While Pro Football Focus gave him a solid score, he still only ranked 73rd among 112 eligible interior defenders.

The release is not ideal for Kerr, but on the plus side, it’s preferable to get cut earlier in the week rather than later. He’ll keep the $600K signing bonus he secured in March, though the rest of his two-year, $5MM deal contained no guarantees.

Colts Considered Delaying Luck’s Decision

August 26th, 2019 at 7:48am CST by Zachary Links

Before Andrew Luck officially retired from the NFL, the Colts considered a plan that would give the quarterback a chance to reverse course. There was a discussion in the Colts’ front office about placing Luck on injured reserve in order to postpone his final decision, ESPN.com’s Ed Werder tweets. 

[RELATED: More Fallout From Andrew Luck’s Retirement]

Of course, that’s not what transpired – although it wasn’t an easy call, Luck was firm in his decision to walk away from the game in his prime years. Plagued by an incomprehensible amount of rehab and physical pain, the former No. 1 overall pick is walking away from the NFL to focus on other interests.

From a football perspective, the Colts are in better shape than most other teams would be in this scenario. They are very are high on their new QB1, Jacoby Brissett, though they may need to find a new QB2 to backstop him. As of this writing, Swag Kelly stands to be Brissett’s backup, though he’ll first have to serve a two-game suspension.

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