2019 September - Pro Football Rumors

Jets Work Out Shane Ray, Nate Orchard

September 25th, 2019 at 4:45pm CST by Rory Parks

In their quest to bolster their pass rush, the Jets worked out a pair of recognizable edge defenders today. Per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Gang Green brought in Shane Ray and Nate Orchard for visits (Twitter link).

Interestingly, both players worked out for the Bears last Tuesday, but obviously neither signed with Chicago. Ray, a former first-round pick of the Broncos, was among the Ravens’ final cuts before the regular season got underway. After posting 12 sacks in his first two seasons, Ray missed large portions of the next two years due to injury and is looking to show that he can still be an effective QB hunter.

Orchard, meanwhile, looked as if he would make the Dolphins’ roster after a strong preseason, but Miami surprisingly cut him prior to the first game of the 2019 campaign. He also worked out for the Lions after the Dolphins sent him packing.

In addition to Ray and Orchard, the Jets took a look at defensive ends Jamal Davis, Kasim Edebali, and Markus Jones, as well as OLB Chuck Harris.

Broncos’ Bryce Callahan Out At Least 4 More Weeks

September 25th, 2019 at 1:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Bad news for the Broncos, as they’ll continue to be without cornerback Bryce Callahan for the foreseeable future. Callahan is undergoing a “non-surgical procedure on his troublesome left foot,” a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News.

Klis reports that the procedure will sideline Callahan for at least the next four weeks. The expected timetable is 4-6 weeks, tweets Troy Renck of Denver ABC 7. The Broncos signed Callahan to a three-year deal worth $21MM with $10MM guaranteed back in March, and he’s yet to appear in a game for them. Callahan broke his foot toward the end of last season, and was recovering well until he re-aggravated it in training camp when another player stepped on it.

The team still isn’t placing him on injured reserve, signaling they expect to have him back within that timetable. If they had placed him on IR at the beginning of the season, his current timetable would’ve lined up nicely with the first eight games he would’ve had to miss. Callahan had a big season with the Bears last year, and he followed his defensive coordinator in Chicago Vic Fangio to the Broncos.

Callahan is going to start when healthy, and Denver’s secondary needs him. Isaac Yiadom had been starting at corner but was struggling mightily, and he got pulled for De’Vante Bausby last week against the Packers. Klis writes that the team is expected to give Bausby, an AAF standout, his second-career NFL start this Sunday against the Jaguars.

Raiders Release Ryan Grant

September 25th, 2019 at 12:54pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Ryan Grant‘s time in Oakland is over. The Raiders are releasing the veteran receiver, according to a tweet from Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. In a follow-up tweet, Bair notes the team is promoting linebacker Justin Phillips from the practice squad to take his place on the roster.

It’s been a tumultuous past couple of seasons for Grant, who was originally drafted by the Redskins in the fifth-round back in 2014. He made a name for himself in Washington and was a favorite of head coach Jay Gruden, racking up 573 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. The strong season landed him a four-year, $29MM deal from the Ravens with a whopping $14.5MM in guaranteed money in free agency. The amount Baltimore gave him attracted a lot of criticism, and the next day they failed his physical and voided the deal.

Grant ended up signing a one-year, $5MM deal with the Colts, and spent last year in Indy. He didn’t play a huge role, catching 35 passes for 334 yards. He signed with Oakland this offseason, and he had nine targets in the team’s first two games. He quickly fell out of favor and was a healthy scratch this past week, so the writing was on the wall.

With promising rookie Hunter Renfrow in the slot, there wasn’t much of a need for Grant’s services anymore. Fortunately for Grant as a vested veteran his salary became guaranteed Week 1, so he’ll collect $1MM from Oakland. He should be able to latch on with a team in need of receiving help at some point. Phillips is an undrafted rookie from Oklahoma State.

Texans Place Senio Kelemete On IR

September 25th, 2019 at 12:25pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Texans’ offensive line just took a blow. Houston is placing guard Senio Kelemete on injured reserve, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). In a corresponding roster move the team has promoted linebacker Tyrell Adams from the practice squad to the active roster, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

A fifth-round pick back in 2012, Kelemete has been with the Texans since 2018. He spent a handful of seasons with the Saints as a part-time starter before signing a three-year deal with Houston last offseason. He was the team’s primary left guard last year, starting 14 games. He started their opener against the Saints in Week 1, but picked up a wrist injury. He practiced last week, so this is a bit of a surprise.

Kelemete will now have to miss at least the next eight games before he is eligible to return. Rookie first-round pick Tytus Howard filled in at left guard in Week 2, then flipped to right tackle. Rookie second-round pick Max Scharping started at left guard this past week, and appears to have that job secured moving forward. Adams is a journeyman who has bounced around a ton of teams’ practice squads and offseason rosters since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He’ll be depth only.

Saints To Sign Stephone Anthony

September 25th, 2019 at 12:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are set to sign linebacker Stephone Anthony, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He’ll take the roster spot of fellow ‘backer Kaden Elliss, who has been placed on injured reserve, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.

Anthony was a first-round pick of the Saints in 2015, but he didn’t live up to expectations. During the 2017 season, the club shipped him off to the Dolphins, who declined his fifth-year option and allowed him to walk after the 2018 season. This offseason, he signed deals with the Falcons and Jets, who both released him in August.

He hadn’t received any known interest since then, but luckily for him his former team suffered a rash of injuries at linebacker. As Rapoport pointed out in his tweet, Anthony is also reuniting with special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who was his special teams coordinator during his time in Miami.

Ellis is dealing with a knee injury, and starting linebacker Alex Anzalone had already been placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury. Ellis is a seventh-round rookie for Idaho who had only been a depth piece prior to his injury. Anthony started all 16 games as a rookie in 2015, but he started only three the next year and never made a start in Miami as he played mostly on special teams.

Rams Sign Jachai Polite To Practice Squad

September 25th, 2019 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Rams have signed linebacker Jachai Polite to the practice squad, per a club announcement. This marks the third deal of Polite’s career, even though he was a 2019 third-round pick of the Jets.

The Jets shocked the world when they cut Polite this summer, but he has done little to prove his critics in New York wrong. He went unclaimed on waivers and did not land a 53-man roster deal after his release. Instead, he hooked on with the Seahawks’ taxi squad and lasted all of three weeks. Now, he’ll try his hand with another NFC West club.

If all goes well for Polite, he could have an opportunity to face one of his former clubs when the Rams play the Seahawks on Oct. 3. In the meantime, the players on the Rams’ 46-man active roster will be tasked with the Bucs this weekend.

Dolphins Place Danny Isadora On IR

September 25th, 2019 at 11:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins will place starting right guard Danny Isidora on injured reserve, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Isadora needs surgery on his injured foot, so it’s unlikely that he’ll return anytime soon.

Technically, Isadora is eligible to return as soon as Week 11, per league rules, but his recovery will probably take upwards of two months. On top of that, the Dolphins are unlikely to be in the playoff mix this year, so it would make little sense for the Fins to rush the lineman back out on the field.

The Dolphins acquired Isadora from the Vikings just before this year’s final cutdown. He started in the Fins’ first three games, but that spot will now belong to Evan Boehm, who was also a last-minute trade pickup before the start of the year.

The 0-3 Dolphins will attempt to get into the win column on Sunday when they face the Chargers.

Patriots To Sign Cody Kessler

September 25th, 2019 at 11:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have a new quarterback. On Wednesday, the Pats agreed to sign Cody Kessler, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The former Jaguars, Eagles, and Browns passer has 12 career starts to his credit and, now, he’ll learn from one of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time. At this moment, fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham serves as Tom Brady‘s QB2, though he tossed a pass into the hands of Jets safety Jamal Adams on Sunday for a pick six.

Kessler was most recently with the Eagles, but he was dropped from the flock when the club opted to roll with Josh McCown and Nate Sudfeld as Carson Wentz‘s support team. In his five games/four starts for the Jaguars last year, he completed 64.9% of his passes with two touchdowns against two interceptions.

Jaguars’ Jalen Ramsey Won’t Practice On Wednesday

September 25th, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Zachary Links

Jalen Ramsey might be in the building today, but he won’t be on the field. The star cornerback will not be participating in practice, per the Jags’ daily practice rundown.

Ramsey says he’s suffering from a number of ailments, including lower back pain, hamstring trouble, and a recent bout of the flu that has kept him from practicing this week. Ramsey did play on Thursday night against the Titans, but it’s looking more and more unlikely that he’ll join the Jaguars on Sunday for their game against the Broncos.

The backdrop to Ramsey’s availability for this week’s game against the Broncos is the trade request he made recently. The Jaguars have been resistant to dealing Ramsey and there were reports last weekend that the corner would find a way to sit out of practice this week in hopes of pushing the team to push him off the roster.

Given all of that, reports about Ramsey’s illness and injuries have been met with doubt by many around the football world. In an effort to silence the doubting Thomases, Ramsey’s agent, David Mulugheta, insists that Ramsey’s ailments are legitimate. Mulugheta says that Ramsey told the team in the fourth quarter of last week’s victory over Tennessee that his back and ankle were bothering him, and he met with the team doctor and trainer after the game. He met with them again the following day to discuss his back, ankle, and hamstring, and on Monday, he received more treatment on his back and hamstring (Twitter links via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

Whatever the case on those fronts, it seems Ramsey’s continued presence on the Jacksonville roster doesn’t mean he’ll be on the field for them this week.

Jay Ajayi Nearing NFL Return?

September 25th, 2019 at 9:33am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent running back Jay Ajayi could be game-ready as soon as next week, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Ajayi lost the bulk of his 2018 season to an ACL tear, but is apparently feeling spry enough to get back on the field.

Before his injury-shortened 2018, Ajayi turned in a pair of fine campaigns. In 2016, he earned his first career Pro Bowl nod as he averaged 4.9 yards per carry for the Dolphins. In 2017, a mid-season trade sent him to the Eagles, where he averaged 5.8 yards per tote off of 70 tries and captured his first ever Super Bowl ring.

In theory, Ajayi could be a solution for the Giants, who are in need of reinforcements after losing star Saquon Barkley to a high-ankle sprain. The Chiefs, not long ago, also profiled as a fit for Ajayi, though the re-emergence of LeSean McCoy probably has them covered in the wake of Damien Williams‘ injury.

The advanced metrics indicate that Ajayi is among the league’s better running backs when healthy so he could provide a major midseason boost to any club in need of ground game help.