HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Jaguars Rejected Offer Of Two First-Rounders For Jalen Ramsey?

September 29th, 2019 at 9:22am CST by Rory Parks

The Jaguars have reportedly set the asking price for disgruntled star cornerback Jalen Ramsey at two first-round draft picks (at least), and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that one team was willing to pony up that kind of draft capital. However, it seems the offer came from a legitimate Super Bowl contender, as JLC says the Jaguars believed those picks would come too close to the bottom of the first round to make the deal worthwhile.

The reported Ramsey suitor is unnamed, but Michael Lombardi of The Athletic says the Eagles, whose lack of secondary depth has been on full display this season, will continue trying to pry Ramsey away from the Jaguars.

We heard yesterday that Ramsey may suit up for Jags again, though he recently reiterated his trade demand and still does not look like he will be in Jacksonville for much longer. Indeed, Ramsey has continued to tell those close to him that he has no desire to sign an extension with the Jags, and many rival GMs believe the situation is beyond salvageable. Both the team and Ramsey have drawn scrutiny for how they have handled the matter, and one high-ranking exec from another team said he expects Ramsey to keep creating drama until he gets his way.

Another league source said Jaguars owner Shad Khan would be loathe to “reward” Ramsey by giving in to his trade demand, but at a certain point, Ramsey will become more trouble than he’s worth (if he hasn’t crossed that line already). Luckily for Khan, numerous teams remain interested in the volatile defender.

Ramsey is officially questionable for Jacksonville’s game against the Broncos today due to a back injury, and ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports that Ramsey is going to “listen to his body” before deciding whether he’s able to play (Twitter link).

Latest on Dwayne Haskins, Redskins’ Coaching Staff

September 29th, 2019 at 8:29am CST by Rory Parks

There was some chatter Saturday suggesting that Redskins head coach Jay Gruden could be coaching for his job against the Giants this afternoon, but Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports that no Washington coaches were informed by team execs or ownership that they will be fired if they lose against New York today (Twitter link). That may or may not mean anything, but since Gruden’s seat gets hotter by the day, these types of reports are worth monitoring.

However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports confirms that the relationship between the coaching staff and the front office, headed by team president Bruce Allen, has become untenable. And differences in opinion over roster construction are just the beginning. Per La Canfora, the organization wants Gruden to part ways with defensive coordinator Greg Manusky, but Gruden refuses to consider any changes to his staff.

But it seems inevitable that Gruden, at least, will be looking for a new job in 2020. Manusky will likely be gone too, but La Canfora says team brass is high on first-year OC Kevin O’Connell, so he may stick around. If Gruden were to fired be mid-season, offensive line coach Bill Callahan may serve as the team’s interim HC. Gruden, meanwhile, may join his brother Jon’s staff with the Raiders.

As we have been hearing, another source of contention between the Redskins’ coaching staff and front office/ownership is rookie QB Dwayne Haskins. La Canfora writes in a separate piece that many members of the coaching staff — including Gruden — and people close to Haskins believe that it would be best for the Ohio State product to redshirt his entire rookie year, especially given the state of Washington’s O-line and the club’s general dearth of offensive talent. But owner Dan Snyder may be inclined to throw Haskins into the fire sooner rather than later, while Gruden views playing Haskins as a last resort. Although Gruden’s fate with the Redskins is likely sealed, the disagreement between him and Snyder over Haskins may hasten his departure.

As for today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Case Keenum will get the start, and Haskins will be his backup. Colt McCoy, who recently returned to practice, will be inactive, though the Redskins did consider dressing all three signal-callers. Despite Gruden’s reservations about playing Haskins, Rapoport hears that if Keenum should struggle against the Giants’ defense, Gruden may feel compelled to send in his rookie signal-caller (video link).

Antonio Brown Likely To Win Grievance Against Patriots?

September 28th, 2019 at 9:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

While Antonio Brown is looking at an uphill battle if he wants to play football again in 2019, it does seem like he at least has a good chance to recoup some of the money he lost in his various releases.

The “consensus” of five different league sources is that the Patriots will eventually have to pay Brown the $9MM signing bonus they chose to withhold from him, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. It doesn’t sound like they’ll have to fork over the cash anytime soon though, as Robinson’s sources expect Patriots owner Robert Kraft will have to pay out “deep into the 2020 calendar, after an exhaustive arbitration grievance.”

One source took a particularly strong stance, saying “[New England] fighting to keep that signing bonus now is either a gross misunderstanding of [the CBA’s] rules on voiding signing bonuses or it’s just out of spite. I can’t believe they don’t understand the signing bonus voids in the CBA. There’s just no way. This is just spitefulness. They’re fighting [Brown] completely out of the anger and embarrassment in ownership.”

It seems like Brown is likely to get back $9MM from New England, and he isn’t going to stop there. We heard just yesterday that Brown was looking to pursue a grievance against the Raiders, although he might have a more difficult time getting money back from Oakland due to his repeated antics during his time as a Raider. The Patriots didn’t cut Brown after sexual assault allegations became public and allowed him to play in their Week 2 win over the Dolphins, which will make it hard for them to argue they released Brown because of information they weren’t aware of.

Although the star receiver has threatened retirement and has gone back and forth on Twitter about whether or not he wants to continue playing, his agent insists that he does and that teams are interested pending the league’s investigation into the assault allegations. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear any new developments on the grievance.

NFL Workout Updates: 9/28/19

September 28th, 2019 at 8:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Only one lone workout to report tonight on an otherwise quiet Saturday evening:

Detroit Lions

  • P Sean Smith

The Lions have had the same punter, Sam Martin, for the past seven seasons now. He’s always been solid but not spectacular and there’s indication he’s dealing with an injury, so it’s possible the Lions are just updating their emergency list. Smith is an undrafted rookie from Dayton, who briefly spent some time with the Ravens this offseason.

Chargers Reduced Melvin Gordon’s Fines

September 28th, 2019 at 6:26pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Melvin Gordon is officially back with the Chargers. Not only has he reported to the team and ended his holdout, but he’s been activated and appears set to suit up and play in Week 4 against the Dolphins. However, contrary to earlier reports, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Gordon will only play in an emergency, which means Chargers fans may need to wait until next week to see him in action.

Gordon recently addressed the media for the first time, and revealed some interesting information. For starters, Gordon said that Los Angeles cut his fines in half to help entice him to report, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Gordon didn’t seem to be too peeved that he still had to pay some fines, and struck a conciliatory tone. “It comes with consequences siting out,” Gordon said. “To think the fines would be completely washed away, I knew if I got in this situation, it wouldn’t be. You do something against the rules, you pay the consequences.”

In a separate tweet, Williams notes that Gordon said he is retaining his same agent Fletcher Smith and Damarius Bilbo despite the tumultuous times. Gordon also revealed that his agents didn’t play any role in his holdout, and that they wanted him to report. “I was the reason I didn’t come in,” Gordon said. “They wanted me to come in, and I was like, ‘No.’”

The Chargers have limped to a 1-2 record, although the backfield hasn’t really been the problem so far. Head coach Anthony Lynn has said that Gordon will resume his normal featured role when he’s back in game-shape, and that current starter Austin Ekeler will go back to being the change-of-pace back.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/28/19

September 28th, 2019 at 5:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Saturday’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Detroit Lions

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Tom Kennedy

Minnesota Vikings

  • Promoted from practice squad: WR Davion Davis
  • Waived: CB Nate Meadors

Ravens Host LB L.J. Fort On Visit

September 28th, 2019 at 4:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

L.J. Fort may not be returning to the Eagles once their cornerback situation stabilizes. Released on Friday to accommodate an Eagles corner move, Fort has surfaced in the mid-Atlantic region.

The Ravens are hosting the now-free agent linebacker, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Fort spent much of his career with the Ravens’ top rival, having played from 2015-18 with the Steelers.

Philadelphia signed Fort to a three-year, $5.5MM deal earlier this year but saw another of its corners, Avonte Maddox, go down in a scary sequence Thursday night. The Eagles then cut Fort and signed Orlando Scandrick. The Ravens have an opening at linebacker, having placed Otaro Alaka on IR earlier Saturday.

Fort did not play any defensive snaps for the Eagles but did see special teams action in all four games. The former UDFA graded well with the Steelers in 2018. The 29-year-old off-ball ‘backer also played for the Browns and Bengals earlier in his career. He could be on the verge of being the rare NFLer to complete a division cycle.

Bears Release T/TE Bradley Sowell

September 28th, 2019 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Akiem Hicks‘ availability for Week 4 is very much in doubt. The Bears promoted defensive lineman Jonathan Harris from their practice squad.

To make room on their 53-man roster for Robertson, however, the Bears released Bradley Sowell. The team had moved him from tackle to tight end this offseason. Sowell has been with the Bears since the 2017 season, having played in 34 regular-season games in that span.

Hicks left Monday night’s game with a knee injury and may now be on the wrong side of questionable to face the Vikings on Sunday. Harris was part of Chicago’s UDFA class but did not make the team out of training camp. The Bears stashed him on their practice squad.

It’s certainly possible Sowell could be brought back to the roster once Hicks is healthy. The Bears made this move last week, releasing Sowell and then re-signing him. Sowell, who played 11 snaps this season, is in his age-30 campaign. He’s been used strictly as a backup with the Bears but was a former regular starter with the Cardinals and Seahawks.

Redskins Notes: Gruden, Snyder, Allen

September 28th, 2019 at 3:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Entering their third NFC East game this season, the Redskins are 0-3 and may be close to a regime change. Jay Gruden entered this season atop Las Vegas “first coach fired” lists, raising the stakes of Washington’s game against the Giants. Case Keenum is in line to start again, but Mike Jones of USA Today notes Dan Snyder would “love” to see Dwayne Haskins make his debut. Gruden and his staff do not yet view the rookie quarterback as ready to play. This marks the latest disagreement between the staff and ownership on Haskins.

Snyder pushed for the Redskins to draft Haskins at No. 15 overall, while Gruden wanted the team to address one of its other key needs with the pick, Jones adds. A report circulated in April that Snyder and team president Bruce Allen preferred Haskins while others in the building backed a Daniel Jones pick — though, that turned out to be moot since the Giants stunned most draft observers by nabbing Jones at No. 6 — but it appears the sixth-year Redskins coach would have been fine not taking a quarterback at all.

Here is the latest from Washington:

  • This was not the first disagreement Gruden had with Redskins higher-ups regarding signal-callers. Gruden wanted Kirk Cousins to be retained, but Allen was not on board, Jones notes. Allen and Cousins had a notable falling out, from his “Kurt” references to the ongoing contract negotiations not meeting the former Washington passer’s expectations. These issues have prompted some around the league to question whether the Redskins will ever build a perennial contender while Snyder and Allen are running things, per Jones.
  • Gruden is the NFL’s lone active coach with at least five seasons’ experience to not post a 10-win season with his franchise. He’s also the only one to fail to guide his team to a playoff win. With the again-injury-stricken Redskins coming off a double-digit loss on national television, Les Carpenter of the Washington Post notes Gruden may be coaching for his job against the Giants. Washington has gone 35-47 under Gruden. Since Alex Smith‘s gruesome 2018 injury, which occurred while the team was in first place in the NFC East, the Redskins are 1-8. Washington has former 49ers HC Jim Tomsula on staff, as defensive line coach, in the event an in-season promotion becomes necessary.
  • Blossoming rookie wideout Terry McLaurin appeared on Washington’s injury report late this week. He will join Brandon Scherff in being a game-time decision Sunday.
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