HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Latest On Chiefs WR Sammy Watkins

February 4th, 2020 at 8:46pm CST by Ben Levine

The last we heard from Sammy Watkins, the wideout suggested that he could take a year off if the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. Well, following Kansas City’s victory, the wideout is walking back on his comments. Watkins told Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt of SiriusXM that he intends to play in 2020 (Twitter link). The receiver said that he could miss part of OTAs “for his mental health and to spend time with his young family.”

Meanwhile, the Chiefs want to retain Watkins, reports NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). However, the team may have to overcome some financial hurdles to keep him around. The veteran is set to earn a hefty $14MM next season, and he’s attached to a $21MM cap hit. With Kansas City eyeing only around $16MM in cap space, it seems inevitable that the organization will approach Watkins about a pay cut. Fortunately for the Chiefs, it sounds like the receiver is receptive to the idea.

Watkins has been a reliable target for Patrick Mahomes during his two seasons in Kansas City. While he hasn’t come close to matching his 1,000-yard performance from 2015, he’s had at least 40 receptions, 500 receiving yards, and three touchdowns in both 2018 and 2019. Watkins has been especially productive in the postseason, where he’s averaged 92.8 receiving yards in his five games with Kansas City. That includes his five-catch, 98-yard performance against the 49ers on Sunday.

The Chiefs will also have a decision to make on impending free agent Chris Jones. The defensive lineman was named a Pro Bowler this past season after compiling nine sacks, and he had a standout performance during the Super Bowl. Pelissero notes that while the Chiefs would prefer to extend the 25-year-old, they’d also consider slapping him with the franchise tag.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/4/20

February 4th, 2020 at 7:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are today’s reserve/futures deals:

Arizona Cardinals

Kansas City Chiefs

DT Carl Davis Suspended Four Games

February 4th, 2020 at 7:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Defensive tackle Carl Davis has been suspended for the first four games of the 2020 season, according to Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com. The impending free agent has been banned for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substance policy.

The 2015 third-round pick spent his first three seasons with the Ravens, compiling 30 tackles, 0.5 sacks, and three passes defended in his 28 games (12 starts). His 2016 season was derailed by a knee injury, and he was limited down the stretch of the 2017 campaign with a hamstring issue.

After being released by Baltimore prior to the 2018 season, he landed with the Browns. Despite re-signing with the squad the following offseason, he was released by Cleveland following the 2019 preseason. He ultimately appeared in three total games for the Colts and Jaguars last year, collecting a single tackle.

Davis is set to hit free agency. Considering he won’t see the field until October at the earliest, he might struggle to find his next gig.

Dolphins Sign WR Ricardo Louis To Extension

February 4th, 2020 at 5:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins re-signed wide receiver Ricardo Louis to a one-year extension to take him through the 2020 season, a source tells Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Louis missed the last two seasons due to neck and knee injuries, but he won’t turn 26 until March and the Dolphins believe in his talent. 

Louis entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Browns back in 2016. As a rookie, he hauled in 18 grabs for 205 yards. In 2017, he took another step forward with 27 catches for 357 yards.

The Dolphins signed Louis as a free agent last April, but he never got the opportunity to suit up for his new team. He’ll get a shot to stick this year, though the competition will be fierce. Already, the Dolphins’ WR room has DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant, Isaiah Ford, Albert Wilson, Gary Jennings, and Mack Hollins. On the plus side, the Dolphins recognize that they’re deeper at wide receiver than most other positions and they’re not planning on using a high pick to add another.

The Dolphins will, however, scope out a quarterback with their No. 5 overall pick. They’ve been linked to Tom Brady quite a bit in recent days, but it doesn’t sound like Tom Terrific will be taking his talents to South Beach.

49ers Add Teez Tabor, Six Others On Futures Deals

February 4th, 2020 at 4:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teez Tabor will have a chance to continue in his development with the 49ers. The team will keep the former second-round cornerback around this offseason via reserve/futures deal, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter).

The 49ers initially added Tabor to their practice squad early this past season and will attempt to see if the Florida alum can carve out a spot in their cornerback rotation next season. Tabor, 24, did not see action for the NFC champions and has not played since the 2018 season.

The Lions cut the ex-Gator prospect just before the regular season began. Tabor played in 22 games with Detroit, making five starts.

Here are the rest of the 49ers’ reserve/futures deals thus far:

Panthers DE Wes Horton To Retire

February 4th, 2020 at 4:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Wes Horton will be the latest long-term Carolina cog to depart the team this offseason. The seven-year Panthers contributor announced (via Instagram) he will retire.

A Panthers defensive end for most of Ron Rivera‘s tenure, Horton cited myriad injuries as one of the reasons he will leave the game at age 30. Horton played in 83 games for the Panthers since the 2013 season.

“I’ve been back and forth on my future playing football, and after coming to a conclusion, I will be stepping away from the game of football,” Horton wrote. “The little injuries I’ve accumulated over the years have finally caught up to me, and when weighing the risk, I’d rather preserve what’s left of my body.”

While Horton’s retirement will not register on the same level Luke Kuechly‘s did, his reasons are similar. Horton bounced on and off Carolina’s roster in recent years. In the past three even years, Horton operated as a full- or part-time starter. He started 15 games in 2014, 10 in 2016 and eight in 2018. The former UDFA out of USC signed with the Panthers in October 2016 and this past November. Although Horton signed with the Saints earlier in 2019, he only saw action for the Panthers in his career.

Horton will finish his career with 15.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles. He announced he will return to his high school alma mater, Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) to coach the school’s defensive line.

Derrick Henry Aiming Higher Than Ezekiel Elliott Deal

February 4th, 2020 at 3:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of three key members of the Titans’ offense set for free agency, Derrick Henry is coming off an all-time postseason performance. And he’s looking to cash in from either the Titans or another team.

Henry made it clear he would prefer to stay in Tennessee but wants a top-market contract. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Henry said Ezekiel Elliott‘s number will be his floor (video link). Elliott signed a six-year, $90MM extension with the Cowboys last year. It remains the top running back contract.

The bruising back did not say he is committed to testing the market, however. Henry would be fine with signing a major extension with the Titans before free agency opens March 18.

“I hope they prevent it from happening,” Henry said of testing the market. “I love the state of Tennessee. We’ll see what happens, though.”

The Titans want to keep their 26-year-old impact back and are willing to use their franchise tag to make that happen. But fellow UFA-to-be Ryan Tannehill is also a tag candidate. Right tackle Jack Conklin is set for free agency as well. Teams can use their franchise and transition tags this year, unless a new CBA is finalized by the time the tag window opens Feb. 25. The running back franchise and transition tags are expected to come in around $10.4MM and $8.6MM, respectively. The ability to use both in the final year of a CBA may be crucial to the Titans retaining their quarterback and running back. As of December, Tennessee had not begun Henry extension talks.

This is a big target for Henry, even after the season he compiled. While the former Heisman winner won the rushing title and spearheaded the Titans to a surprising AFC championship game run with monster performances in wins over the Patriots and Ravens, his contract-year showing dwarfs his previous three years of work. Although DeMarco Murray took much of the workload from Henry in 2016-17, the former second-round pick was ineffective for much of the 2018 season before finishing strong. He is now coming off a 1,540-yard season that included 446 playoff rushing yards — the most by a player whose team did not qualify for a Super Bowl.

However, Henry’s old-school style does not include much in the passing game. That’s been essentially a prerequisite for the backs who have signed lucrative deals over the past two years. And the early returns from the new running back pay rate have not been promising. Excepting Elliott, the eight-figure-per-year deals for Todd Gurley, David Johnson and Le’Veon Bell have not rewarded teams. It will be difficult for Henry to top Elliott’s $15MM-per-year pact, but Henry does bring immense value to the Titans’ offense.

Jaguars To Hire Trent Baalke

February 4th, 2020 at 2:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trent Baalke will resurface in Jacksonville. More than three years after the 49ers fired him from the GM post he held for much of the 2010s, Baalke will join the Jaguars as their director of player personnel, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The Jaguars are replacing Chris Polian with Baalke, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Polian had been with the Jags since Dave Caldwell came aboard as GM in 2013. This will be Baalke’s first role with a non-49ers team in 16 years.

Baalke, 55, worked his way up the ladder in San Francisco, going from regional scout to GM. His tenure produced notable clashes with Jim Harbaugh and ended with the 49ers becoming the first team to have back-to-back one-and-done HCs in nearly 40 years, but Baalke did team with Harbaugh to lift the 49ers to their most consistently strong stretch since the 1990s. The 49ers trekked to three straight NFC championship games from 2011-13 and came close to winning Super Bowl XLVII.

In 2017, Baalke joined the league office as a football operations consultant. This represents a key opportunity for the former 49ers, Jets and Redskins staffer. Baalke began his career with the Jets in the late 1990s before being a Redskins scout for four seasons in the early 2000s.

Polian was once linked to the 49ers’ GM job in 2017. That job went to John Lynch, who has played a key role in resurrecting a franchise that had endured a steep freefall in Baalke’s final years. Baalke hires Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly went a combined 7-25 between the 2015-16 seasons. A second-generation NFLer, Chris Polian had served under father Bill Polian in Indianapolis during the latter’s tenure there. Chris Polian re-emerged in Jacksonville and rose from pro personnel director to player personnel director during his lengthy tenure.

This hire comes shortly after Shad Khan surprised some by announcing Caldwell and Doug Marrone would return for another season, despite the Jags having fallen far since the 2017 AFC title game. Caldwell figures to enter the 2020 season on the hot set, but Baalke will attempt to help this regime right the ship.

Dolphins Rumors: Draft, Howard, WR

February 4th, 2020 at 1:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins have lots and lots of holes to fill this offseason, but they’re more or less set at wide receiver, a league source tells Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Currently, the Dolphins have DeVante Parker, Preston Williams, Allen Hurns, Jakeem Grant, Isaiah Ford, and Albert Wilson on the WR depth chart, though they’ll likely ask Wilson to restructure his deal, Jackson writes. There’s others in the mix, too, including Gary Jennings – who didn’t really get a chance to show his stuff in Miami thanks to a season-ending injury – and former Eagle Mack Hollins. Given their depth at the position, Jackson doesn’t see the Dolphins using a Day 1 or 2 pick on a receiver.

Some have wondered about the team’s need at WR after Williams suffered an ACL tear in November. However, Williams says he’ll be good to go for the 2020 season, giving him an opportunity to build off of his strong eight-game showing. Before his early exit, Williams caught 32 passes for 428 yards and three touchdowns. Grant will also be ready to roll for OTAs, so they have plenty of options from which to choose.

Here’s more from Miami:

  • Cornerback, meanwhile, is a higher priority. Jackson hears that the Dolphins are intent on addressing the position in free agency and/or the first two days of the draft. The Dolphins still plan to move forward with Xavien Howard, but they are looking to find him a suitable partner that can step up if Howard is suspended for his late December arrest. Rising NFL sophomore Nik Needham could be part of the solution, but he’s still green. The Dolphins believe that they can use their ample cap room and draft stockpile to fortify, and improve, at corner.
  • Frank Gore will turn 37 in May, but he’s not ready to give up football. After wrapping up his one-year deal with the Bills, the veteran recently said that he wouldn’t mind returning to the Dolphins as a free agent this offseason. Since entering the league in 2005, Gore has amassed more than 15,000 rushing yards with 79 touchdowns on the ground and 18 more scores through the air. Last year, he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in Buffalo, but continued to show his durability as he appeared in all 16 games.
  • Speaking of 37-year-olds, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has confirmed that he’ll return in 2020. The Dolphins are happy to have him back and plan to pair him with a young QB to be groomed for the future.
Load More Posts