2020 April - Pro Football Rumors

Raiders’ Asking Price For Gabe Jackson Is “Not High”

April 23rd, 2020 at 6:24pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Raiders guard Gabe Jackson has been mentioned in trade rumors since at least March, and Oakland continues to shop him in the lead up to the draft. The Raiders’ asking price for Jackson is “not high,” tweets Michael Silver of NFL.com.

Jackson, 28, has three years left on his contract with base salaries of roughly $9.3MM in each season. Oakland wouldn’t incur any dead money by releasing him, but the club is clearly aiming to recoup some sort of draft capital instead of simply cutting Jackson.

A second-round pick in the 2014 draft, Jackson has been a full-time starter since joining the Raiders. Injuries have caught up to him in recent years, however, and he’s missed eight games over the past two seasons. Last season, Pro Football Focus graded Jackson as just the league’s 40th-best guard.

It’s unclear just how little the Raiders are willing to accept in exchange for Jackson, but given his injury history and upcoming salaries, it shouldn’t be surprising if they’re only able to get a Day 3 pick, if anything.

Bengals Have Sent Jerseys To Joe Burrow

April 23rd, 2020 at 6:17pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Just in case it couldn’t get any more official, the Bengals are going to be taking LSU quarterback Joe Burrow first overall. Moments after we heard for the final time that they wouldn’t be trading the pick, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeted that Cincinnati owner Mike Brown has sent jerseys to the Burrow family.

They’re #9 Bengals jerseys, and Schefter adds that will officially be the number he wears in the NFL. Burrow donned the same number in college. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner will be tasked with turning around the 2-14 Bengals, and commissioner Roger Goodell will be announcing his name just over an hour from now.

The Dolphins apparently tried hard to get the Bengals to trade the pick, but their attempts at a Godfather offer ultimately proved futile. The draft is of course happening remotely and Burrow unfortunately won’t be able to celebrate in person, but at least the family will be able to rock some Bengals/Burrow gear in their living room.

Bengals Will Not Trade No. 1 Pick

April 23rd, 2020 at 5:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bengals will officially not trade the No. 1 overall pick, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

All throughout the predraft process, Cincinnati hasn’t expressed any willingness to move off the first selection, but that hasn’t stopped other teams from trying. The Dolphins, specifically, have reportedly even tried to acquire the No. 3 pick with the intent of packaging it with the fifth overall selection in exchange for No. 1. But even an offer that attractive hasn’t swayed the Bengals.

It’s hard to fault Miami for trying, of course, as the club had embarked on a 2019 tanking campaign in order to land a top quarterback. Cincinnati is widely expected to draft LSU signal-caller Joe Burrow with the No. 1 selection.

Ravens Tried To Trade For DeAndre Hopkins

April 23rd, 2020 at 5:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens were among the teams that attempted to trade for wideout DeAndre Hopkins before the Texans dealt him to the Cardinals last month, according to Michael Silver of NFL.com (Twitter link).

Ultimately, Houston sent Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick to Arizona in exchange for running back David Johnson, a 2020 second-rounder, and a 2021 fourth-rounder, a price that Baltimore was apparently unwilling to meet. The Ravens, who didn’t sign any free agent wide receivers in March, are currently set to return Marquise Brown, Willie Snead, and Miles Boykin as their top-three wideouts in 2020.

Of course, the fact that Baltimore was interested in acquiring Hopkins means the club could be eyeing a wide receiver early in the 2020 draft. Baltimore holds the 28th overall selection plus two second-round picks, and could use one of those slots on a pass-catcher in what is considered a historically deep class.

Texans Discussing Trade Into First Round

April 23rd, 2020 at 5:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Texans and head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien haven’t been afraid to make deals this offseason, and they might not be done just yet. Houston, whose first pick currently sits at No. 40 overall, has called teams with an eye towards moving back into the first round, as Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets.

Frankly, it’s difficult to believe the Texans have the draft capital required to make any sort of significant move up the board. Previous trades have left their reserve of 2020 and 2021 picks relatively barren. This year, Houston has only two selections (Nos. 40 and 90) within the top-100 picks. In 2021, the club doesn’t have a first- or second-round pick.

Of course, the Texans could attempt other variations of trade proposals. Houston could consider reaching even further into the future and start trading 2022 selections, for example, or send a veteran player along in a potential deal. O’Brien, to be sure, has complete control in Houston and hasn’t been afraid to make all-in trades in the very recent past.

Doctor Says Tua Tagovailoa’s X-Rays Are “Pristine”

April 23rd, 2020 at 4:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The doctor who oversaw Tua Tagovailoa‘s medical recheck earlier this month says his X-rays looked “pristine” (Twitter link via Stefania Bell of ESPN.com). It’s not uncommon to hear glowing recommendations from doctors and surgeons around this time of year, but Dr. Byrd served as an independent evaluator and the recheck was facilitated by the league office.

Byrd also told Bell that the Alabama star “looks as good as” anyone he’s ever seen five months removed from a major injury. The Titans doc has seen his fair share of injuries over the years, so that’s a strong statement.

This all jibes with what we’ve heard over the past few weeks, thanks in part to some amplification from the QB’s camp. On the whole, teams seem to be pretty comfortable with Tagovailoa’s current medical situation, despite the history with his hip, wrist, and ankle sprains. In the long run, questions still persist about his ability to withstand the rigors of the NFL and the big hits that come along with the pro game.

If not for the injuries, it’s possible that Tagovailoa would be in the running for tonight’s No. 1 overall pick. Instead, Joe Burrow appears locked in as the first name to be called.

Buccaneers Want To Keep O.J. Howard

April 23rd, 2020 at 4:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Buccaneers trading for Rob Gronkowski, O.J. Howard trade rumors have emerged. But Jason Licht is attempting to quiet them.

The Bucs GM said Thursday he wants to have both Gronk and Howard on the 2020 team, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

“We’re excited about having O.J. Howard play with Rob Gronkowski,” Licht said. “Why wouldn’t you want to have many weapons at that position? We have an excellent tight end group right now.”

This group includes Cameron Brate, who is signed to a $6.8MM-per-year deal. Howard’s rookie contract runs through 2020, though the Bucs can extend it to 2021 via the fifth-year option. Gronkowski is under contract for one more season and, having just unretired, obviously should be treated as a year-to-year player at this point.

A another report pointed to the Bucs indeed being interested in moving their 2017 first-round pick. Another indicated the Bucs were discussing a Howard deal with the tight end-needy Redskins — a swap that would have brought Trent Williams to Tampa — at least a month ago. Howard was also in trade rumors before the 2019 deadline, having not fit into Bruce Arians‘ offense as well as he had Dirk Koetter‘s.

It would be surprising if Tampa Bay kept all three tight ends, but the team would have one of the great tight end stables in NFL history if it chose to do so. Gronkowski has not exactly been a beacon of health during his career, so the Bucs keeping Brate and Howard would make sense from an insurance standpoint. But the two holdovers may not be especially happy with their roles during the games Gronk plays.

Latest On Dolphins’ QB Plans

April 23rd, 2020 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

No team has been linked to more draft routes than the Dolphins, who hold three first-round picks and have been eyeing the 2020 draft’s quarterbacks for over a year. They have been busy on draft day thus far, being connected to the No. 3 and No. 1 picks.

Rumored to be negotiating a deal with the Lions to move up from No. 5 to No. 3, the Dolphins would take a tackle if they can complete that deal. However, part 2 of that swap may include a quarterback. The Dolphins have discussed the merits of taking a tackle with the first of their three first-round picks and then Jordan Love later in Round 1, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald reports.

While Thursday started with an increased chance the Dolphins and Lions would swap picks, Jaguars interest in the No. 3 selection emerged this afternoon. Of course, the Lions could also be hoping this entices the Dolphins to increase their offer for the pick.

Love has garnered internal support inside Dolphins headquarters (and in various Miami staffers’ in-home war rooms) for months. Before the NFL nixed pre-draft visits, the Dolphins brought the Utah State prospect in for one.

Viewed as closer to a boom-or-bust prospect, Love landed on draft radars with a dominant 2018 season but led Division I-FBS with 17 interceptions last season. Eschewing a possible Tua Tagovailoa pick at No. 3 in hopes of either drafting Love at No. 18 or moving up from 18 to draft him would be a risk. But the Dolphins have been scouting quarterbacks for many months.

Tagovailoa remains the quarterback they’ve been most connected to, with the Justin Herbert buzz having died down. We’ll find out soon enough if the Dolphins plan to execute this daring strategy.

Titans Looking To Trade Out Of No. 29

April 23rd, 2020 at 4:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans are making calls to trade out – and down from – the No. 29 pick, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The Titans are looking for offensive line help, but they might be getting the feeling that their preferred targets won’t be there at the back end of the first round.

The top four tackles in this year’s class will almost certainly be off the board by the Titans’ turn. The next tier, according to most insiders, starts with Boise State’s Ezra Cleveland. He, too, could be off the board, with interest from the Vikings, Jaguars, and Browns. The Titans reportedly like Louisiana’s Robert Hunt as well, but they might prefer to pad their picks instead of waiting to find out.

The front office has reportedly been doing their homework on offensive lineman throughout the offseason. Their need for extra depth was accentuated when they lost Jack Conklin hours into free agency.

It makes sense for the Titans to move back and pick up some extra assets, as the organization is sitting with seven draft picks. However, three of those picks are in the seventh round.

Raiders “Really Like” WR CeeDee Lamb

April 23rd, 2020 at 4:08pm CST by Ben Levine

Could CeeDee Lamb be heading to Las Vegas? ESPN’s Josina Anderson reports (via Twitter) that the Raiders “really like” the Oklahoma wide receiver.

Lamb told Anderson that he had a difficult time reading into the Raiders’ interest in him during pre-draft interviews.

“Coach Gruden & Mayock were as serious as possible,” Lamb said. “I mean Gruden is a jokester, that’s my dog…but he and I have great vision in open space to the movement in front of me. That’s what helps me. My reaction time is very fast. That’s guaranteed.”

Still, Anderson’s source “reaffirms” the organization’s interest in the wideout, and the reporter heard similar rumblings last week. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard the Raiders connected to a receiver prospect; yesterday, we heard that the organization was interested in Henry Ruggs.

Lamb, a consensus All-American in 2019, should be one of the first (if not the first) receiver off the board in tonight’s first round. The 6-foot-2, 191-pound wideout finished last season with 62 receptions for 1,327 yards and 14 touchdowns. That was Lamb’s second-straight season with at least 1,000 yards and 10+ touchdowns.

The Raiders are currently sitting with a pair of first-rounders in No. 12 and No. 19.