HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Latest On Ravens, Earl Thomas

August 23rd, 2020 at 8:41am CST by Zachary Links

Aug. 23: Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports that Thomas is not expected to be back at the Ravens’ facility today (video link). As ESPN’s Ed Werder observes (via Twitter), the fact that Thomas is being asked to stay away without any public assurances about his future could be significant. Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network says the team should make a final decision today (video link).

Aug. 22: The Ravens sent Earl Thomas home on Saturday, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. This comes one day after Thomas’ practice altercation with teammate Chuck Clark, which also prompted the Ravens to send the safety packing for the afternoon. 

The Ravens are now evaluating their options, though Thomas’ deal does not afford them an easy escape hatch. The Ravens may be able to escape Thomas’ fully-guaranteed 2020 salary of $10MM if they suspend him for conduct detrimental to the team, PFT’s Mike Florio writes. Of course, Thomas would fight such a move and the Ravens would have to support their argument in arbitration. If they can’t get his 2020 salary off the books with a suspension, cutting Thomas would leave the Ravens with a $5MM cap charge this year and $10MM next year. Meanwhile, Thomas would leave $22MM richer, after just one season with the Ravens.

This isn’t the first time Thomas has found himself at odds with team management. The Pro Bowler got into a scuffle with teammate Brandon Williams after a game last season and never seemed to fully grasp the playbook. Thomas, 31, registered 49 tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, and four passes defensed in his first season with Baltimore.

Before Thomas came to Baltimore, and before things turned sour, he spent nine years in Seattle as one of the premier safeties in the NFL. His platform year was largely wiped out by a broken leg, but he still found a solid four-year, $55MM deal payday. Thomas came to Baltimore with three first-team All-Pro nods, two second-team All-Pro selections, and six Pro Bowl trips. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus regularly ranked him among the NFL’s best at his position.

Raiders Sign LB Kyle Emanuel, RB Theo Riddick

August 23rd, 2020 at 8:32am CST by Rory Parks

The Raiders have been busy this weekend. Per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, the club is signing linebacker Kyle Emanuel (Twitter link), and Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com tweets that the Raiders have signed running back Theo Riddick to a one-year pact.

Emanuel, 29, was selected by the division-rival Chargers in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, and he completed his four-year rookie pact with the team before announcing in April 2019 that he was retiring from the game. He appeared in 63 out of a possible 64 contests with the Bolts, including 33 starts, but he only topped 50% playing time once during that span. He was, however, a consistent force on special teams.

Before Emanuel stepped away, several teams were interested in his services (including the Raiders). He announced in March 2020 that he was coming out of retirement, and Pelissero says the North Dakota State product was again generating some attention on the open market. But Emanuel saw an opportunity to win in Vegas, so he put pen to paper with the Raiders.

He also likely saw an opportunity for playing time with the Silver-and-Black. The Raiders signed Nick Kwiatkoski and Cory Littleton this offseason, but Emanuel could theoretically push Nicholas Morrow and third-round rookie Tanner Muse for playing time on the weak side while showing off his ST acumen.

Riddick, who established himself as one of the league’s better receiving backs during his six-year stint with the Lions, also sat out the 2019 season, but that was due to injury, not retirement. Detroit released him last July, and the Broncos scooped him up shortly thereafter, but he suffered a shoulder fracture in the preseason that ultimately kept him sidelined for the entire campaign.

Though he has posted a mediocre 3.6 yards-per-carry average in his career, he has 285 career catches for 2,238 yards and 14 TDs. He will have a chance to reassert himself as a reliable pass catcher in Vegas behind RB1 Josh Jacobs.

Patriots Meet With Nick Folk

August 22nd, 2020 at 3:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots met with Nick Folk this weekend, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic (on Twitter). Folk could be considered as an alternative to rookie Justin Rohrwasser, who has reportedly been a bit shaky in camp. 

[RELATED: Browns Work Out Folk, Parkey]

Folk, 35, briefly put a stop to the Patriots’ revolving door of kickers last year before taking a break of his own for an appendectomy. All in all, he appeared in seven games for the Pats while connecting on all 14 of his 17 field goal tries. The Browns also met with Folk recently, plus a host of other kickers including Kai Forbath, Cody Parkey and Matthew McCrane. The Browns have a young kicker of their own in Austin Seibert, but the former Oklahoma Sooner missed five extra point tries in 2019.

In other Pats news, the club has given a slight salary bump to durable defensive lineman Lawrence Guy. They’re also exploring additional depth for that unit, including a recent workout with former Chiefs and Cardinals DL Xavier Williams.

Patriots’ Lawrence Guy Gets Pay Bump

August 22nd, 2020 at 3:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have revised Lawrence Guy‘s contract, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Patriots increased Guy’s salary by $200K while pushing his per-game roster bonuses by $700K. Meanwhile, two of his play-time incentives totaling $900K were removed. It all works out to an even swap in terms of totals, but it gives the defensive lineman some added security.

[RELATED: Patriots Try Out DT Xavier Williams]

Guy, 30, joined the Pats in 2017 a four-year, $19MM deal. Since then, he’s been a staple on New England’s D-Line. Guy hasn’t missed a game in each of the last three seasons, and he’s starting in all but two of those games. Last year, he set a new career high with 61 total tackles, including three sacks. Before he joined the Patriots, Guy was a featured regular in the Ravens’ defensive end rotation. And, before that, he was something of a journeyman.

The Pats have taken care of the hard-nose lineman in the past. In each of the last two years, they’ve paid out more than $750K in signing bonuses to make up for the playing time incentives that he narrowly missed.

Cowboys Rework Tyron Smith’s Contract

August 22nd, 2020 at 3:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys converted $8.9MM Tyron Smith‘s base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). With that, the Cowboys have freed up at least $6.675MM in cap space for 2020. It’s not immediately clear whether a void year has also been added to the tackle’s deal, but if that’s the case, they’ll have upwards of $7.1MM in additional room. 

[RELATED: Cowboys Release Gerald McCoy]

Smith, 29, is under club control through 2023 thanks to the eight-year, $97.6MM extension he inked with the Cowboys in 2014. Since then, he’s made similar concessions to help the Cowboys navigate their numbers crunch.

Smith made six straight Pro Bowls from 2014 through 2019 and was named as a first- or second-team All-Pro in four of those campaigns. Unfortunately, injuries have been a roadblock in recent years. He has not played in a full season since 2015 – a mix of knee, back, groin, and hip issues have limited him to just 13 regular season contests in each of the last four years.

The extra space could give the Cowboys some extra ammunition to help replace Gerald McCoy. After McCoy tore his quadriceps, the Cowboys tore up his three-year, $18MM deal. The Cowboys have support thanks to the additions of Dontari Poe, Aldon Smith, and Everson Griffen, but more interior help couldn’t hurt.

Jaguars’ Josh Mauro Draws PED Suspension

August 21st, 2020 at 6:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars have experienced an unusual stretch on their defensive line. They lost a player to retirement (Aaron Lynch), saw another step away from football for the time being (Rodney Gunter) and on Friday lost a recent signing to a lengthy suspension.

The NFL suspended Josh Mauro five games for a violation of its performance-enhancing drug policy, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. While the public is learning about Mauro’s ban today, DiRocco notes the Jaguars were aware of the impending penalty when they signed him last week.

Mauro has played six seasons — for the Cardinals, Giants and Raiders — and has logged 37 starts in that time. Last season, the Raiders used him as a seven-game starter. The run-stopping D-lineman was set to compete for a supporting-cast role in Jacksonville. But the Jags’ defensive line looks quite different now than it did going into camp. And the team could well be on the verge of trading its highest-profile pass rusher, though Yannick Ngakoue remains a Jaguar — albeit one not at camp.

However, the Jags still have longtime nose tackle Abry Jones and have used first-round picks on defensive linemen — Taven Bryan, Josh Allen and K’Lavon Chaisson — in each of the past three drafts. But their depth has taken a hit this month.

NFL Workout Updates: 8/21/20

August 21st, 2020 at 5:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are the notable workouts teams conducted recently:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Vikings Host S George Iloka

August 21st, 2020 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bengals 2012 draftees are resurfacing on NFL radars Friday. In addition to Dre Kirkpatrick booking a Cardinals visit, George Iloka also met with a familiar team.

The Vikings brought in the veteran safety for a visit, per NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). Iloka played for Mike Zimmer for two seasons in Cincinnati (2012-13) and was a Viking in 2018. That marked Iloka’s most recent game action. He sat out the 2019 season.

Now 30, the former Bengals fifth-round pick follows Jahleel Addae in visiting the Vikings, who did not end up signing Addae. Iloka played in 16 games with the Vikings two years ago, starting three. Anthony Harris used 2018 as a breakout slate, becoming a full-time starter alongside Harrison Smith that year. An Iloka role in Minnesota this time around would certainly feature him as a backup to Smith and Harris. The Vikings lost Jayron Kearse in free agency and feature a much younger secondary than they have in recent years.

Iloka was a five-year Bengals starter, beginning that run with 16 starts under Zimmer in 2013. He made three starts for the Vikes in 2018. He has 79 starts’ worth of experience but has been out of the league since his previous one-year Vikings contract expired.

Washington To Sign G Joshua Garnett, Waive TE Thaddeus Moss

August 21st, 2020 at 4:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joshua Garnett‘s Washington visit turned into a contract offer. The team will sign the former 49ers first-round pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Washington will add Garnett and fellow offensive lineman David Steinmetz. One of the space-clearing roster moves: waiving tight end Thaddeus Moss with an injury designation.

Garnett has not lived up to his first-round billing and has played in just 22 games over the past four seasons. The Stanford product missed the 2017 and ’19 seasons. The 49ers gave him 11 starts as a rookie in 2016 but only used him as a depth piece in 2018. Considering the once-coveted guard’s career trajectory, that will probably be the role he vies for in Washington.

Washington will be able to move Moss to its IR list, should the second-generation pass-catcher go unclaimed on waivers. The son of Randy Moss, Thaddeus showed promise at LSU but went undrafted. He represented a possible weapon for a Washington team housing perhaps the league’s leanest tight end group.

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