2019 September - Pro Football Rumors

Colts Release Spencer Ware

September 20th, 2019 at 3:08pm CST by cwcrouse

The Colts have released Spencer Ware, who was previously placed on injured reserve, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com relays, adding that Ware will be free to sign with any team next week.

Ware tore a ligament in his knee this past offseason and while the Colts placed him on the PUP list, the running back was not thrilled with that decision. “I am NOT done for [the] season,” Ware tweeted at the time (via Yahoo Sports). “When things happen you have to adjust and treat accordingly. I’m going to play THIS YEAR, so there are things that need to be done before that happens that’ll put me in the best case scenario. MINOR, MINOR, MINOR setback because of timing.”

It was reported last month, that Ware and the Colts were planning on reaching an injury settlement. Apparently, that has happened and the former Chiefs running back will attempt to play this season.

NFL Planning In-Season Veteran Combine

September 20th, 2019 at 2:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL sent a memo to its 32 franchises recently to inform them of a new scouting event. Agent Don Yee has spearheaded an event that will work as a showcase for a select group of veteran players in late September, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes.

Yee is planning a three-day, California-based event — set to be dubbed the “Pro Scrimmage” — which will showcase between 10 and 20 “elite street free agents.” All players must have already gone through their NFL draft year. NFL VP of football operations Troy Vincent has researched this concept for years as well and has supported an in-season combine of sorts, per La Canfora.

Yee and a group of directors, which includes former NFL wideout Ed McCaffrey, are in the process of identifying players for this event. The 49ers, Browns, Chargers and Rams have agreed to send representatives to the event thus far, JLC adds. It would stand to be a higher-profile version of the weekly workouts teams conduct with players, though ownership has not lent too much support for this concept.

The NFL has organized veteran combines before, with the most notable coming in March 2015. Players like Felix Jones, Brady Quinn and Adam Carriker attended. Current Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland helped use that event to relaunch his career. The event in 2017 was designed for younger players. The latest event comes as the XFL is scheduling its draft, which is set for sometime in October. The NFL’s event would surely draw interest, given the caret of higher salaries that could be dangled to players that land on the back end of NFL rosters.

Chiefs Damien Williams Ruled Out For Week 3

September 20th, 2019 at 1:59pm CST by cwcrouse

Damien Williams has been ruled out for the Chiefs‘ Week 3 contest against the Ravens, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (Twitter link). The running back suffered a knee injury during last week’s battle against the Raiders.

Kansas City is dealing with a bevy of injuries, including LT Eric Fisher and WR Tyreek Hill. LeSean McCoy is nursing an ankle injury but is expected to play.

While McCoy is expected to carry a heavier load, Darwin Thompson could see action as well. Darrell Williams, who played a role for the Chiefs last postseason is also a candidate to earn touches.

Browns Promote CB Robert Jackson From Practice Squad

September 20th, 2019 at 11:43am CST by Rory Parks

Robert Jackson, come on down. The Browns, who are dealing with injuries to several of their top corners, have promoted Jackson from the practice squad, the team announced.

Both Denzel Ward and Greedy Williams are dealing with hamstring injuries, and their availability for Cleveland’s Week 3 showdown with the Rams on Sunday night is in doubt. That could spell trouble given Los Angeles’ potentially explosive aerial attack, and while Jackson likely won’t be the guy the Browns turn to, he could play a support role and contribute on special teams if he’s activated.

Jackson, who signed with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of UNLV last May, spent six weeks of the 2018 season and the first two weeks of the 2019 campaign on the Browns’ practice squad. He appeared in all four of the team’s preseason contests this year, recording six defensive tackles and two special teams tackles. He takes the roster spot of Elijah McGuire, who was waived yesterday.

To fill Jackson’s spot on the taxi squad, the Browns brought back fellow CB Donnie Lewis.

Cardinals’ GM: “We’re Not Trading Patrick Peterson”

September 20th, 2019 at 11:22am CST by Rory Parks

Reports yesterday suggested that the Cardinals had inquired on star Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who recently requested a trade. It’s difficult to know the extent of Arizona’s interest in Ramsey, but those rumors did reignite some chatter around the Cardinals’ own stud CB, Patrick Peterson.

Peterson, who is currently serving a six-game ban for violating the league’s PED policy, requested a trade in 2018, though he walked back that request in January 2019. But in April, reports of tension between P2 and the team surfaced again, and then Peterson was hit with the suspension.

Although the three-time First Team All-Pro said in July that he’d like to be a Cardinal for life, Arizona’s reported interest in Ramsey led to some speculation as to whether the Cards would part with Peterson. However, Arizona GM Steve Keim said during a radio appearance Friday morning that Peterson is not going anywhere.

“We’re not trading Pat and that’s something we’ve been very consistent with,” Keim said (via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). “You always ask yourself, does a move make us better or worse? To lose someone like Pat Peterson would make us worse.”

Due to tampering considerations, Keim would not address the Ramsey situation. However, he said that the team’s decision to restructure Chandler Jones‘ contract had nothing to do with an impending move, as some believed. The club’s cap space had shrunk to less than $1MM, and the restructure was just about creating flexibility.

Injury Notes: 9/20/19

September 20th, 2019 at 10:53am CST by Rory Parks

Here are the latest significant injury-related notes from around the league:

Marshall Newhouse, whom the Patriots signed last week, will serve as the club’s starting left tackle until Isaiah Wynn returns, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com (via Twitter).
As expected, Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson will not play in Week 3, but the club is still optimistic about the availability of Alshon Jeffery and Dallas Goedert, as Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94WIP.com tweets.
Buccaneers LB Devin White will not play this weekend, per Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link).
Giants wide receiver Sterling Shepard is out of the concussion protocol and will play in Week 3 per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (via PFT). Rookie QB Daniel Jones will be making his first start, so Shepard’s presence will be especially helpful.
The Seahawks are getting closer to full strength, as both WR David Moore and defensive end Ezekiel Ansah are expected to play in Week 3, per Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk. We had already heard that Ansah was likely to make his Seattle debut this weekend, but Moore’s return is earlier than expected, even after we learned at the end of August that he would avoid IR.
Top Jets defenders C.J. Mosley and Quinnen Williams are not expected to play this week, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. The Week 3 outlook is also bleak for WR Demaryius Thomas and LB Jordan Jenkins.
Tyler Kroft‘s Bills debut may be put on hold for awhile longer. Kroft was a full participant in Wednesday’s practice, but as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes, Buffalo HC Sean McDermott told reporters that Kroft injured his ankle in Thursday’s practice and will undergo further evaluation.

Jaguars Owner Shad Khan Willing To Give Jalen Ramsey Record-Breaking Deal

September 20th, 2019 at 9:23am CST by Zachary Links

Tensions have been boiling between the Jaguars and Jalen Ramsey for quite some time. The cornerback wants out, but owner Shad Khan doesn’t necessarily want to let him get away, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports.

The assumption has been that Jacksonville’s game against Tennessee last night would be Ramsey’s last in a Jaguars uniform. After all, Ramsey, who is due for a massive contract in the near future, requested a trade earlier this week, and virtually all of the league’s other 31 teams have expressed at least some degree of interest. Plus, the Jags have received multiple trade offers that include a first-round draft choice heading to Jacksonville, though it doesn’t sound as if a rival club has dangled two first-rounders, which is what the Jaguars are reportedly seeking.

But Khan apparently wants to continue building around Ramsey, one of the league’s best corners, and he’s willing to pony up record-breaking cash to do it. Presently, Miami’s Xavien Howard is at the top of the cornerback market in terms of total contract value ($75.25MM) and AAV ($15.05MM), while Washington’s Josh Norman is the pacesetter in terms of fully-guaranteed money ($36.5MM). Given his youth and track record, Ramsey should easily clear those numbers.

However, Ramsey is dissatisfied with at least one member of the club’s front office, and while we don’t know for sure, it’s reasonable to guess that he and executive VP Tom Coughlin don’t have the warmest of relationships. Perhaps a contract that far exceeds those of other top corners will be the salve that keeps Ramsey in Jacksonville for the long haul (unless another team does offer two first-round draft picks for him, which would be very difficult for Khan to turn down).

Ramsey refused to talk about his trade demand after last night’s win.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Accuser: Antonio Brown Sent “Intimidating” Text Messages

September 20th, 2019 at 8:50am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown won’t be facing criminal charges for two of the three sexual assault he’s being accused of, but he could still be in jeopardy with the NFL and the legal system. The latest accusation from Brown’s second accuser, if proven to be true, could easily take the Patriots star off of the field.

Brown’s accuser claims she received threatening text messages from the wide receiver on Wednesday, as Robert Klemko of The MMQB writes. In turn, her lawyer notified the NFL of the matter on Thursday night and included screenshots of the text in his letter to the league office.

Brown, she says, texted her and three other people to encourage the other parties to dig into the woman’s past. In response, the accuser’s lawyer petitioned the NFL to take action against Brown for “intimidating and threatening” her client in what she views as a “violation of the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.”

Brown’s lawyer, Darren Heitner, was one of the people in the group text. He did not respond to the messages in the group chat and declined to comment when asked about the messages by Klemko.

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says the NFL is meeting with the accuer’s lawyer’s today (Twitter link). As of this writing, Brown is slated to take the field for the Patriots on Sunday afternoon when they face the Jets, but that could change in a matter of hours. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says AB has been caught with a smoking gun and suggests that the NFL and the Patriots should take swift and severe action against him.

In his meeting with the media today, Pats HC Bill Belichick said the team was “looking into” the latest incident but would not offer further comment. When he was asked again about Brown, Belichick cut the press conference short by walking off the podium.

Latest On Dolphins’ Trades, Strategy

September 19th, 2019 at 9:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to moving on from numerous veterans this offseason, the Dolphins have now traded two players who were seemingly building blocks in Laremy Tunsil and Minkah Fitzpatrick. These moves appear to have tripped the NFL’s alarm.

The Tunsil trade involved numerous Texans offers, with Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reporting the steps the AFC teams took to finalizing the trade that sent the left tackle to Houston. The Texans’ offers went from Jadeveon Clowney-for-Tunsil, straight up, to Clowney and a first-rounder for Tunsil to first- and second-rounders for Tunsil. The Dolphins managed to drive the price to two first-rounders and a second-round selection and requested tackle Julie’n Davenport in return, Salguero notes.

Upon seeing the Texans’ deal-closing offer on a board in Chris Grier‘s office, Tunsil told the Dolphins GM, “I would trade me for that too,” Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald adds (via Twitter).

In reshuffling their power structure after last season, the Dolphins were not planning to jettison Tunsil, Fitzpatrick, Kiko Alonso or T.J. McDonald. (The Dolphins dealt Alonso to the Saints and released McDonald.) Brian Flores‘ coaching staff clashed with Alonso, Salguero adds, and asked him to play multiple roles — including edge defender. The Dolphins demoted the highly paid linebacker before trading him.

Fitzpatrick is a Steeler, being dealt after a trade request. The second-year defensive back was not on board with the versatile role the Dolphins asked him to play, and Salguero adds the team never found a sufficient comfort level that would allow Fitzpatrick to settle in at one spot. Both Grier and owner Stephen Ross attempted to help Fitzpatrick and Miami’s coaching staff find common ground.

“Myself, Brian, and Steve (Ross) — we had multiple conversations with him, saying we wanted him here and viewed him as a core piece and wanted him here,” Grier said. “The kid just felt it was time for him to move, and we told him what the value was. We told teams we had multiple offers, and we felt that the Pittsburgh one was the one best for the organization.”

Fitzpatrick’s rookie deal was worth $16.447MM over four years. Similar to the deal in which the Dolphins acquired Josh Rosen, the Steelers are only on the hook for Fitzpatrick’s base salaries. Pittsburgh has the 2018 No. 11 overall pick under contract through 2021 for $5.48MM, Field Yates of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter).

The Dolphins now hold three 2020 first-round picks. A building suspicion in NFL circles centers on the prospect this Dolphins rebuild may be a stealth effort for Trevor Lawrence in 2021, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. But Salguero adds one of Miami’s three 2020 first-rounders will be used to draft a quarterback — regardless of how Rosen performs in what now may be an extended audition. The Cardinals in 2018-19 and Baltimore Colts in 1982-83 were the most recent franchises to draft first-round passers in consecutive years, so as of now it looks like this oft-labeled tanking strategy is built around Justin Herbert or Tua Tagovailoa (should he enter the 2020 draft).

Colts Stash Chad Kelly On Practice Squad

September 19th, 2019 at 9:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts were able to move Chad Kelly through waivers, and the third-year quarterback will stay with the team.

No one claimed Kelly on waivers, and the Colts signed him to their practice squad Thursday. The Colts waived Kelly on Wednesday, rather than activate him from his suspension, and had hoped to keep him on their 10-man taxi squad.

Indianapolis’ roster houses only two quarterbacks, Jacoby Brissett and Brian Hoyer, and Kelly will have a chance to continue to develop with the team he’s been with for a few months. Due to an October 2018 arrest, which led to his Broncos departure, the 25-year-old passer was suspended for the season’s first two weeks.

To make room for Kelly, the Colts released tackle Tyree St. Louis from their practice squad.