HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFC East Notes: Williams, Cowboys, Giants

August 12th, 2019 at 9:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trent Williams continues to hold out from Redskins camp, but the team is standing firm on the trade front. Despite acquiring Donald Penn, the Redskins have told teams they have no plans to trade Williams, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Teams continue to inquire about the 10th-year left tackle’s availability, but thus far, Washington has resisted. Williams, 31, is upset with the organization because of his contract and its handling of a health scare of his. Some around the league believe the Patriots will make a play for the seven-time Pro Bowler, but nothing is moving on this front yet. This may be an attempt for Washington to drive up the price, but for now, Williams remains a Redskins employee.

As for Washington’s left tackle situation, Penn and 2018 third-rounder Geron Christian are battling for the spot, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. Ereck Flowers is back at guard but may be behind fourth-round rookie Wes Martin.

Here is the latest from the NFC East:

  • Deandre Baker will miss time for the Giants because of a knee sprain, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link). However, the first-round pick’s ACL did not sustain damage, and the Giants appear to expect him back soon. Baker will likely be asked to start in his first season, with Big Blue’s cornerback corps rather thin.
  • The Cowboys gave fourth-round pick Tony Pollard just four carries in their preseason opener, but Jerry Jones may be using that to send a message to holdout Ezekiel Elliott. “He looks confident out there. We know he’s inordinately understanding what it is he does and what he can do,” Jones said, via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. “We’ve seen him do it. We know he’s capable, if he really needs to, carry the whole load.” Pollard gained 16 yards against the 49ers. While Dak Prescott‘s negotiations have been talking points in the past two days, not much has emerged on the Elliott front. Jones said (via Jon Machota of The Athletic, on Twitter) nothing has changed regarding Dallas’ extension candidates.
  • Third-year Cowboys defensive end Taco Charlton addressed his current situation, which may not involve a full-time starting role. The 2017 first-round pick has just four career sacks and said he was not asked to rush quarterbacks as much as he did as a rookie. He mentioned discussing his NFL future with his agent recently (via Machota, subscription required). “We know my value and everything like that, so everything is good,” Charlton said. “I’m here right now working hard with this team. I will show up every day to work hard, healthy, hurt, whatever may be. Shoulder hurt, I still show up every day to work hard.” The Cowboys have DeMarcus Lawrence recovering from surgery, Robert Quinn out two games with a suspension and Randy Gregory once again banned. The defending NFC East champs will need Charlton, especially early.
  • On another NFC East defensive line, the Eagles saw their 2017 first-round pick return to 11-on-11 drills. Derek Barnett participated in team work for the first time in camp, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia notes. Barnett spent the offseason recovering from a shoulder injury that sent him to IR in October. The Eagles traded Michael Bennett and lost Chris Long to retirement, pointing to a big role for Barnett.
  • The Giants lost another wide receiver for the season. Recent addition Amba Etta-Tawo tore one of his Achilles’ tendons, per NJ.com’s Matt Lombardo. In his second camp with the Giants, the Syracuse alum has yet to play in a regular-season game. Big Blue is down Sterling Shepard and Corey Coleman and will be without Golden Tate for the season’s first four games.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/19

August 12th, 2019 at 8:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Monday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Signed: DE Thomas Costigan
  • Waived/injured: TE Andrew Vollert

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Tom Moore To Stay On Buccaneers’ Staff For 2019 Season

August 12th, 2019 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Buccaneers will have another key voice on offense this season. Bruce Arians brought in Tom Moore as an offseason consultant for his first Bucs squad, but Greg Auman of The Athletic notes (on Twitter) the veteran assistant will stay on Tampa Bay’s staff all season.

Moore and Arians have worked together for decades, their tenures overlapping with the Colts from 1998-2000 and on Arians’ Cardinals staffs. Now 80, Moore has worked as a consultant for a few teams this decade — including the Jets and Titans — but is most known to this generation of NFL fans as Peyton Manning‘s OC in Indianapolis.

Previously serving as OC for the Steelers and Lions in the 1980s and ’90s, Moore has been in coaching since the early 1960s. His first NFL job came as wide receivers coach for the bulk of Pittsburgh’s John Stallworth–Lynn Swann tenure. Moore oversaw Arians’ work in Indianapolis, with the current Bucs HC working as the Colts’ QBs coach for three seasons.

Moore presided over 13 top-10 scoring offenses, at least two at each OC stop. Arians, Moore and OC Byron Leftwich will be tasked with helping Jameis Winston revitalize his career in a contract year.

Emmanuel Sanders Also Underwent Offseason Ankle Surgery

August 12th, 2019 at 6:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

It turns out Emmanuel Sanders needed two surgeries this offseason. The veteran Broncos wideout is nearly ready to play again after his Achilles operation, and on Monday he revealed to 9News’ Miks Klis he underwent a procedure to repair his other ankle.

Sanders underwent surgeries to repair his left Achilles’ tendon and right ankle, the latter procedure to fix a troublesome injury that occurred in October 2017. Sanders missed four games that season with a high ankle sprain but did not opt for a 2018 surgery. While he was on pace for another 1,000-yard season before his December 2018 Achilles injury, the 32-year-old pass catcher said he played through ankle pain throughout. Sanders had surgery this year while he was going through Achilles rehab, undergoing Achilles surgery in December and the ankle procedure a month later, Klis notes.

“My (right) ankle gave me problems all last year,’’ Sanders said. “I came to camp last year thinking, “How the hell am I going to get through this season?’ I feel like that was kind of the reason I tore my Achilles.”

Sanders is expected to return to game action in the Broncos’ third preseason contest, which is set for August 19 against the 49ers. He participated in 11-on-11 drills Monday.

The Broncos are counting on the 10th-year receiver to again be a key playmaker for at least one more season. They did not make any major investments at this position this year, adding only sixth-round pick Juwann Winfree to a group that includes Sanders and three second-year players. Sanders has been a Broncos starter for five seasons and is entering the final year of his contract.

Colts Receiving Trade Calls

August 12th, 2019 at 6:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Ballard‘s rebuild of the Colts led to a surprising 2018 playoff berth and has produced one of the better-looking 2019 rosters. The Colts are receiving notable trade interest from teams, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Specifying the wide receiver, cornerback and offensive line spots, Pelissero notes the Colts are receiving calls from teams as the preseason trade market forms. Indianapolis isn’t necessarily shopping anyone, but Ballard’s roster has generated buzz.

Chester Rogers is a name that could potentially be available. He joined the Colts under the Ryan Grigson–Chuck Pagano regime and entered camp as a player fighting for a roster spot. The Colts have restocked their auxiliary wideout group, with Devin Funchess, third-round pick Parris Campbell and a healthy Deon Cain (Round 6, 2018) now set to complement T.Y. Hilton. Rogers and Zach Pascal are among those vying for the team’s punt returner role. The Colts also have intriguing talent Mo Alie-Cox behind their Eric Ebron–Jack Doyle duo.

The Colts join the Patriots and Saints as teams whose corner depth has been the subject of trade rumors. Their corner group does not look too much different from their 2018 cadre. The Colts re-signed Pierre Desir and extended slot man Kenny Moore. Quincy Wilson (Round 2, 2017) enters his third season. Second-rounder Rock Ya-Sin joins this group, however, and looks like a strong bet for frequent playing time. The Colts drafted another corner, Marvell Tell III, in the fifth round. Nate Hairston, an 11-start performer after joining the team as a 2017 fifth-rounder, remains on the team as well.

Having their starting line set, the Colts do have two 2016 Day 2 picks — Joe Haeg and Le’Raven Clark — entering contract years as backups. This roster may prompt teams to make offers rather than take chances with players the Colts send to the waiver wire in September.

Saints Sign T Chris Clark

August 12th, 2019 at 5:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Clark will make his way to a third NFC South team. The former Buccaneers UDFA and 2018 Panthers starter signed with the Saints on Monday.

Also known for his stints as a Broncos and Texans starter/swing tackle, the 33-year-old blocker is a New Orleans native. He stands to compete for one of the Saints’ jobs behind starters Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk. Clark joins Marshall Newhouse and Michael Ola as veteran tackle options for New Orleanns.

Clark said (via NOLA.com’s Amie Just) he declined three other offers, including one from the Bucs, but agreed to come in for a Saints workout. This marks the second straight late-summer signing for Clark, who landed in Carolina after Week 1 of last season. He ended up starting 13 games and playing more than 77% of the Panthers’ offensive snaps.

Signed as a swing man in multiple places, Clark found his way into both Denver and Houston’s starting lineups in full-time capacities. Injuries to Ryan Clady, Derek Newton and Duane Brown kept Clark a frequent Broncos and Texans starter between 2013-17. Overall, the former UDFA has made 66 starts since 2011.

Packers Also Pursued Kaare Vedvik

August 12th, 2019 at 4:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

It appears three NFC North teams discussed a Kaare Vedvik trade with the Ravens. While the Vikings ended up winning the pursuit, and the Bears were an obvious candidate to acquire a kicker, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets the Packers were also in the mix.

Green Bay is set for a 13th Mason Crosby season, but Vedvik has multiple roles. The Packers have used four punters in the past four seasons, with a different one — Tim Masthay, Jake Schum, Justin Vogel, J.K. Scott — spending a full season in that role. A 2018 fifth-round pick, Scott remains in place as the Packers’ punter. It would have obviously been curious to see the Packers trade a Day 3 choice for another punter.

Crosby, though, has one season (at $4.85MM) remaining on his contract. The career-long Packer made 30 of 37 field goal tries last season; four of those misses came on a rough day in Detroit. The soon-to-be 35-year-old kicker made 5 of 7 of his 50-plus-yard attempts in 2018.

The Vikings sent a fifth-round pick to the Ravens for Vedvik, a Norwegian-born specialist who kicked and punted at Marshall. Vedvik’s time as the Thundering Herd’s punter lasted longer than his stay as their kicker, and John Harbaugh used him in both capacities in the Ravens’ preseason opener last week. It remains unclear how the Vikings will deploy Vedvik.

Latest On Cowboys, Dak Prescott

August 12th, 2019 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Numbers have emerged in the Dak Prescott negotiations, and we now have conflicting reports about the Cowboys quarterback’s demands.

On Sunday, a report surfaced indicating the fourth-year passer turned down a Cowboys proposal of $30MM annually. A day later, NFL.com’s Jane Slater reports the same (Twitter link). Where it becomes more interesting: Slater adds Prescott is pushing for $40MM annually.

While no quarterback comes especially close to that benchmark, Prescott would be an interesting candidate to be the league’s first $40MM-AAV player. The 2016 offensive rookie of the year, however, has not requested such a contract, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). Whether the parameters include total value or new money, Florio categorized the report of this demand as “all-caps false.”

Prescott recently did not sound receptive to the kind of Cowboys-friendly deal that Jerry and Stephen Jones have posited, citing the new CBA potentially bringing gambling-generated money into the equation. But he may not be seeking landscape-altering cash. It’s expected he will become the highest-paid player in Cowboys history, but PFT’s Charean Williams notes the Cowboys are not expected to make him the NFL’s salary kingpin.

Not all $30MM-AAV deals are created equal, obviously, so it is premature to judge Prescott for potentially turning down such an offer. But these talks, and Ezekiel Elliott‘s, have reportedly frustrated the Cowboys. The team has made it known it does not wish to set any positional markets, which seems like it will be a bigger issue on the Elliott front. But with numbers now being thrown around, this process appears to be accelerating.

Antonio Brown Backing Off Retirement Talk?

August 12th, 2019 at 4:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Twice this year, Antonio Brown has invoked the possibility of early retirement. The most recent instance was in regards to the odd helmet controversy, but with an arbitrator ruling against Brown on Monday, the Raiders receiver appeared to back off this threat.

Brown posted (via Twitter) he plans on returning to the Raiders for what will be his 10th NFL season. He will be doing so wearing a new helmet, but it does not look like that was the deal-breaker Brown initially indicated. It is now “very unlikely” Brown will appeal the arbitrator’s decision, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

“While I disagree with the arbitrator’s decision, I’m working on getting back to full health and looking forward to rejoining my teammates on the field,” Brown tweeted.

The Raiders, who traded third- and fifth-round picks to the Steelers to acquire the mercurial superstar, backed Brown over the weekend. Jon Gruden voiced support for the 31-year-old talent’s helmet matter and categorized Brown’s foot injury — reportedly stemming from a cryogenic chamber mishap — as being “a total accident.”

Brown has not participated in a full Raiders training camp practice yet, but it certainly looks like the team will not have to worry about its high-profile trade acquisition leaving the game early.

Arbitrator Rules Against Antonio Brown

August 12th, 2019 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The arbitrator in the Antonio Brown case has ruled against the wide receiver, according to Mike Jones of USA Today (on Twitter). This was the expected outcome – Brown’s desired helmet is too old to be re-certified and the league will not allow players to don helmets that are not sanctioned by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE).

The NOCSAE standard was jointly approved by the NFL and NFL Players Association, so Brown had little chance of getting his way on the issue. Reportedly, Brown has threatened to retire if the league would not let him wear his preferred headgear. In one sense, the ball is now in Brown’s court.

Brown finished last season with 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns for the Steelers. That campaign marked his sixth straight season with at least 1,200 receiving yards and 100 receptions.

Still, his continuous clashing with Steelers officials brought their union to an end. The Raiders were happy to acquire Brown for very little in terms of draft compensation, but it’s now fair to wonder if they’ll ever get to see their new star suit up.

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