HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Lions Activate Damon Harrison

August 15th, 2019 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Lions will take defensive tackle Damon Harrison off the active/NFI list on Thursday, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s a promising sign for a Lions defense that badly needs help up front. 

Harrison has been staying away from Lions camp in an effort to secure a new deal, but he is bringing his holdout to an end. The seventh-year pro, presumably, will continue to push for a new deal. For now, he’s got two seasons to go on the five-year, $46.2MM contract he inked with the Giants in 2016. There’s no guaranteed money left, however, and that’s likely the sticking point for the run-stuffer.

The Lions acquired the former All-Pro nose tackle for a fifth-round pick in October of last year. Harrison, 30, forfeited his $250K workout bonus by skipping OTAs and may be subject to roughly $89K in fines for missing mandatory minicamp.

Both Harrison and Darius Slay, each represented by Drew Rosenhaus, are pursuing new contracts. Recently, Slay also reported to the club.

NFC East Notes: Redskins, Cowboys, Giants

August 14th, 2019 at 9:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

It’s unclear if Colt McCoy ever had a realistic chance to serve as the Redskins‘ starting quarterback in 2019, but his continued recovery from a broken leg has deprived him of even getting the opportunity. McCoy won’t play in Washington’s second preseason game after experiencing leg soreness, head coach Jay Gruden told reporters (link via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk). Additionally, McCoy has no timeline for a possible return, meaning he’s certainly a candidate to miss regular season time. Trade acquisition Case Keenum looks like the favorite to start for the Redskins, with 2019 first-round pick Dwayne Haskins likely to act as Keenum’s backup, at least to open the year.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

NFC East

  • The Cowboys have a quandary on their hands: how to pay Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, and Amari Cooper? Prescott, for his part, is reportedly targeting Russell Wilson‘s $35MM yearly salary, but none of Dallas’ trifecta has set a deadline for negotiations with the club’s front office. Vice president of player personnel Will McClay admits fitting all three on the Cowboys’ books could prove difficult, but says the club is in a good position. “It makes it challenging, but it’s a good challenge because we follow the recipe that we’ve used to get these young players,” McClay told Jon Machota of The Athletic. “Now we have to figure out if we can pay them because they are good enough. It’s just to keep that thing going and trying to find young talent.”
  • After getting handed a four-game suspension for taking what he claims were fertility drugs, Giants wideout Golden Tate is considering a lawsuit against the doctor who originally prescribed the drugs, as Williams writes in a separate piece. Tate, who self-reported his violation after realizing the active ingredient in the medication was on the NFL’s banned substance list, will lose salary and signing bonus, while his 2020 guarantees are also expected to void. The veteran pass-catcher appealed his ban but was formally denied earlier this week.
  • Tate will be forced to give back some of his salary and signing bonus as a result of his suspension, and the annual average of his contract will be reduced commensurately. While that reduction could theoretically affect the compensatory pick the Eagles will receive in exchange for losing Tate as a free agent, Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice explains while Philadelphia is unlikely to be altered.

Packers LB Oren Burks Won’t Require Surgery

August 14th, 2019 at 8:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Good news in Green Bay. Packers linebacker Oren Burks won’t require surgery after suffering a pectoral injury last weekend and could potentially return during the 2019 season, according to Tom Silverstein and Ryan Wood of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Burks originally thought he’d be forced to undergo an operation after injuring his pectoral during Green Bay’s first preseason game, but a second opinion revealed the issue is less serious than the initial diagnosis suggested. However, Burks did hyperextend his pectoral muscle, meaning he’s now waiting for a soft tissue injury to heal.

“I’m really hoping that Oren’s thing is going to be short term,” Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “We’ll get him back here quicker than I think, but right now, I’d just kind of like to get through this next game and kind of see where we’re at, see where Oren’s at.”

Gutenkunst didn’t provide a timeline for Burks’ recovery, but did indicate Green Bay won’t look into signing a free agent replacement. Instead, the Packers are giving undrafted rookie free agent Curtis Bolton a chance to replace Burks as the club’s weakside linebacker.

Burks, a third-round pick in 2018, appeared in 14 games during his rookie season but spent most of his time on special teams. He was expected to take over as a starting linebacker for the Packers this year, but as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com recently noted, that “starting” job could essentially be a part-time role given defensive coordinator Mike Pettine‘s for “big nickel” and dime looks that employ a third or fourth defensive back at the expense of a linebacker.

Biggest Roster Weakness: AFC East

August 14th, 2019 at 7:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 2019 regular season is right around the corner, but every NFL team still has at least one position on its roster that could use improvement. And there’s still plenty of time to address those areas of need! Free agents are readily available on the open market, while preseason trades provide another avenue of player procurement. 19 NFL trades were executed between August 1st and September 1st of 2018, and that number could increase this year.

Let’s take a look at the weakest positional group — and a potential solution — for each NFL club, starting with the AFC East:

Buffalo Bills

  • Weakness: No. 2 cornerback. 2018 undrafted free agent Levi Wallace was a success story during his rookie campaign, grading out as Pro Football Focus‘ fourth overall cornerback. That ranking comes with a small sample size caveat, however, as Wallace played only 218 coverage snaps, 112th among all NFL corners. Buffalo’s No. 2 cornerback job behind Tre’Davious White is reportedly Wallace’s to lose, according to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic, but the Bills could be well-served to add depth.
  • Solution: Hope Wallace continues to produce, or sign Coty Sensabaugh. If the Bills want to bring in a veteran corner, Sensabaugh is probably the best available option on the market. In 10 starts for the Steelers in 2018, the 30-year-old defensive back ranked ninth among qualified corners in yards allowed per pass and 26th with a 56% success rate (meaning he was effective at stopping opposing wide receivers short of the sticks), per Football Outsiders’ charting data. Sensabaugh met with the Saints earlier this year but should come cheap.

Miami Dolphins

  • Weakness: Right side of the offensive line. Essentially any position along the Dolphins’ offensive line could stand to be improved, save for left tackle where former first-rounder Laremy Tunsil is entrenched. But right guard and right tackle are the true problem areas, with some combination of Jesse Davis, Jordan Mills, and Will Holden projected to take starting roles. Miami will have a tough time evaluating the long-term future of quarterback Josh Rosen if he’s getting destroyed on every play (see Cardinals, Arizona – 2018).
  • Solution: Sign Brandon Fusco or Jermey Parnell. Now 30 years old, Fusco missed the final nine games of the 2018 campaign with an ankle injury, but he’d been relatively healthy in the three seasons prior and appeared in 46 of a possible 48 contests. Parnell, meanwhile, is a prototypical road-grading right tackle who would give the Dolphins a veteran presence. While the Jaguars and Parnell ran behind right tackle at a league-low 4.6% clip last season, they generated 5.22 adjusted line yards when doing so, the third-highest figure in the NFL, per Football Outsiders.

New England Patriots

  • Weakness: Tight end. Losing arguably the greatest tight end of all time will hurt, won’t it? After Rob Gronkowski decided to hang up his cleats, the Patriots have used half-measures to attempt to mitigate his loss. New England signed veterans Ben Watson and Lance Kendricks to one-year deals, but Watson is suspended for the first four games of the 2019 campaign and Kendricks has only topped 40 receptions twice in his eight-year career. Fellow free agent addition Matt LaCosse doesn’t have much of a track record and is currently hindered by a high-ankle sprain, and trade acquisition Eric Saubert is primarily a blocker and special-teamer.
  • Solution: Trade a conditional fourth-round pick for Cameron Brate. New Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians will likely use a good deal of “11” personnel — one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers — during his first season in Tampa Bay, lessening the need for Brate behind starting tight end O.J. Howard. Brate, who would instantly become the top tight end on the Patriots’ roster, is due a fully guaranteed salary of $7MM in 2019. After this season, however, New England would hold options on Brate in each of the next four years. From 2016-17, Brate averaged 53 receptions, 625 yards, and seven touchdowns per season with the Bucs.

New York Jets

  • Weakness: Edge rusher. After ranking in the bottom-half of the league in both sacks and pressure rate in 2019, the Jets attempted to bolster their pass-rushing unit by signing Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr. New York originally agreed to a deal that would have paid Barr more than $14MM annually, but the former first-round pick backed out of the deal in order to remain in Minnesota. Aside from spending a third-round pick on lottery ticket Jachai Polite, the Jets haven’t done anything to address their pass rush, leaving Brandon Copeland and Jordan Jenkins as the club’s top options on the edge.
  • Solution: Trade a late-round pick for Shane Ray (Ravens) or Haason Reddick (Cardinals). Ray is in danger of not making Baltimore’s 53-man roster, so the Jets could potentially get him for next to nothing. The 23rd overall selection in the 2015 draft, Ray posted his best campaign during his sophomore season, registering eight sacks and finishing as a top-40 edge defender with 45 pressures, but hasn’t been able to stay healthy recently. Reddick is playing under his third coordinator in three years and doesn’t have any ties to Arizona’s current coaching staff.

Andrew Luck’s Week 1 Availability “Really In Question”

August 14th, 2019 at 6:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Colts head coach Frank Reich prefers to make a decision on his Week 1 starting quarterback following his club’s third preseason game, and it may not be Andrew Luck who’s under center. Unless Luck makes a “miraculous recovery,” backup Jacoby Brissett us likely to start for Indianapolis in its season opener, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Additionally, Garafolo reports the Colts “finally” feel as though they have a handle on the exact nature of Luck’s injury. Rather than just a calf or just an ankle issue, it seems as though Luck is dealing with an ailment that’s been caused by “accumulation over time.” What exactly that means for his recovery is unclear, but Indianapolis is now confident it can help its star quarterback heal.

Luck originally underwent an MRI on his calf in March that revealed a strain, but began to experience ankle trouble in May. Another test Monday revealed Luck could be dealing with some sort of high-ankle issue, though it’s not evident if he’s been diagnosed with a dreaded high-ankle sprain. At the moment, it doesn’t appear Luck is experiencing any Achilles trouble.

Luck won’t play during the preseason, and his absence will give Brissett even more time to prepare for the regular season. Brissett, of course, was the Colts’ full-time starter in 2017 when Luck st out the year with a shoulder injury. In 15 starts, Brissett completed 58.8% of his passes for 3,098 yards, 13 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Among the 29 quarterbacks with at least 300 attempts that season, Brissett finished 22nd in adjusted net yards per attempt.

Latest On Vikings’ Kicking Situation

August 14th, 2019 at 6:22pm CST by Rory Parks

There is still not much clarity on the Vikings’ kicking situation, as Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune observes. Minnesota, of course, traded a fifth-round pick for Kaare Vedvik on Sunday, which suggests that he is a near lock to make the team. However, kicker Dan Bailey and punter Matt Wile remain on the roster, and head coach Mike Zimmer hasn’t tipped his hand just yet.

As was reported when the Vikings acquired Vedvik, the team could deploy him as both a punter and kicker. Zimmer said, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com, “[y]eah, if he’s good enough, I wouldn’t have a problem with that. But I don’t know. Again, I think everything is a possibility at this point.”

All three players are expected to see action in Minnesota’s second preseason contest on Sunday. Bailey has responded well to the increased pressure from Vedvik, as he nailed all seven of his attempts in Tuesday’s practice, including a 54-yarder. That was the first time he had been perfect in drills since training camp opened.

Wile, the team’s ordinary holder, cannot serve in that capacity for the time being, as he sliced his left thumb during last week’s preseason opener. But Goessling suggests that Wile’s progress as a holder could ultimately determine whether he makes the 53-man roster.

Again, it seems unlikely that Vedvik will be cut, but Bailey’s and Wile’s fates are still very much up in the air.

Kenyan Drake Likely Done For Preseason

August 14th, 2019 at 5:44pm CST by Rory Parks

Dolphins top running back Kenyan Drake is likely to miss the remainder of the team’s preseason slate, and his availability for Week 1 is in question as well, as Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes. Drake suffered a foot injury in Tuesday’s practice.

Of course, Miami is in the early stages of a complete rebuild, so losing Drake for any regular season action won’t exactly impact the club’s postseason chances. But Drake is eligible for free agency in 2020, so he doesn’t want his platform year to be marred by injury, and the Dolphins would like to see what the talented 25-year-old can do when given a full workload.

The Alabama product has averaged a terrific 4.7 yards per carry across 286 career totes in his three professional seasons, and he’s also been a significant contributor in the passing game. Advanced metrics are high on his ability, and he could earn a nice payday in 2020, either from the Dolphins or another RB-needy team.

Luckily, Drake’s injury does not seem to be overly serious. Head coach Brian Flores said, “[t]he opener is down the road. He’s got a little injury. He’s just going to take it day to day. He’s got a great attitude about it. I think he’ll be OK.”

In Drake’s absence, Kalen Ballage and Mark Walton will see more action. Miami also has several seventh-round rookies on the roster.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/19

August 14th, 2019 at 5:01pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s minor moves, which will be updated throughout the night:

Cincinnati Bengals

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Giants Re-Sign TE Scott Simonson

August 14th, 2019 at 4:40pm CST by Rory Parks

How can a team re-sign someone who’s still on the roster? The Giants sort of answered that question today, as they re-signed veteran tight end Scott Simonson, though Simonson was ostensibly under contract with Big Blue already.

Simonson appeared on the league’s transaction wire Wednesday afternoon, leading a number of beat writers to report that he had been cut. But according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com, Simonson’s previous contract didn’t “register” for the current league year, so he appeared on the wire not because the Giants cut him, but because they re-signed him (Twitter link). Raanan speculates (via Twitter) that there was simply an error in filing the previous contract.

Simonson was a quality blocking TE for the Giants last season, so his “release” was something of a surprise. He remains in the fold, though, and Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com believes New York will carry four TEs, including Simonson (Twitter link). It seems that UDFA C.J. Conrad is the favorite to be the fourth tight end on the roster.

Simonson, who has also suited up for the Raiders and Panthers in his career, has never been much of a receiving threat. He posted nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown for New York in 2018, all of which represented professional high-water marks. But it seems as if his blocking ability will earn him a second season in the Big Apple.

Falcons Claim QB/WR Danny Etling

August 14th, 2019 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Danny Etling did not clear waivers after his Patriots departure. The Falcons made a successful claim and will bring in the quarterback-turned-wide receiver, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

It is possible, with the Falcons losing quarterback Kurt Benkert for the season, Etling will be given a chance to show his passing skills again. He profiles as a potential developmental player behind Matt Ryan and Matt Schaub.

This could well break up the Falcons’ three-Matt quarterback room. Atlanta reacquired Matt Simms shortly after Benkert’s Hall of Fame Game injury. Simms, however, is not a developmental arm. He is now 30 and last threw a regular-season pass in 2014. Etling has never played in a regular-season game, either, but as a 2018 seventh-round pick, the Purdue/LSU product profiles as a long-game prospect.

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