2020 August - Pro Football Rumors

Cardinals’ Marcus Gilbert Opts Out

August 4th, 2020 at 3:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Add Marcus Gilbert to the growing list of opt outs. The Cardinals tackle has decided against playing in 2020, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

The Cardinals acquired Gilbert from the Steelers via trade in 2019, with the intention of installing him as their starting right tackle. Unfortunately, a knee injury forced Gilbert to injured reserve in early September. Gilbert has yet to play a down for the Cardinals, and his next opportunity to suit up won’t come until 2021. The veteran lineman appeared in just 12 total games from 2017-18 and he hasn’t played a full 16-game slate since 2015.

With Gilbert off the roster, the Cardinals could turn to Justin Murray or third-round rookie Josh Jones as their new first-string RT. Whoever wins that competition will play opposite of D.J. Humphries on the front line.

As of this writing, Gilbert is the 52nd player to opt out. NFL players have until Thursday afternoon to make the call, after which point the decision is irrevocable.

Dolphins’ Allen Hurns Opts Out

August 4th, 2020 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins wide receiver Allen Hurns announced that he will opt out of the 2020 season (Twitter link). Hurns is the first Dolphins player to make the call, but he’s far from the first NFL player to do so.

[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]

Hurns joined the Dolphins last summer and quickly earned an extension. In November, the Dolphins inked him to a two-year, $8MM deal with $3.27MM in guaranteed cash. Hurns was set to build off of his 32 grabs for 416 yards and two touchdowns, but that’ll have to wait until next year.

The remainder of Hurns’ deal will toll, meaning that he’ll be under club control through the 2022 season. Meanwhile, the Dolphins will move forward with Preston Williams, Isaiah Ford, Jakeem Grant, Gary Jennings, and Mack Hollins vying for time behind DeVante Parker and Albert Wilson.

The decision deadline has been set for Thursday afternoon. Already, roughly 50 NFL players have decided against playing.

49ers Meet With Ziggy Ansah, Dion Jordan

August 4th, 2020 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers are taking a close look at two of their rival’s former defensive ends. Ziggy Ansah and Dion Jordan will meet with SF brass on Tuesday afternoon, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

Ansah and Jadeveon Clowney were supposed to be an edge rushing nightmare for the Seahawks last year, but things didn’t work out as planned. Clowney managed just three sacks and Ansah posted only 2.5 sacks in eleven games. Still, the potential is there – Ansah registered 12 sacks in 2017 for the Lions, and he would be a serious threat if he could regain his old form. Now another year removed from shoulder surgery, he profiles as a potential low-risk/high-reward pickup.

Jordan signed with the Raiders in November after serving a 10-game suspension for a PED violation, Playing in a rotational role, the former No. 3 overall pick earned positive reviews from Jon Gruden and, at one point, seemed ticketed to join the club in Las Vegas. Instead, he could stay in the Bay Area.

Ansah and Jordan delivered mixed results for the Seahawks, but they could provide potent support behind Niners stars Arik Armstead and Nick Bosa.

Bills To Cut Spencer Long

August 4th, 2020 at 11:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills are cutting offensive lineman Spencer Long, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. With the release, the Bills will drop the final two years on his original three-year deal.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise. The Bills exercised their 2020 option on Long’s deal back in March and he could have been a fill-in for Jon Feliciano at right guard. Instead, they’ll save $2.4MM by dropping him and carry $700K in dead money.

Long saw time in 14 games for the Bills last year. Before that, Long made a total of 44 starts for the [Washington Football Team] and the Jets between 2014 and 2018. With the ability to play multiple spots on the interior line, it stands to reason that he’ll find work before the start of the season.

In the meantime, the Bills will deploy new pickup Brian Winters in Long’s place. Winters, another ex-Jet, served as the Jets’ starting right guard from 2013-2019.

49ers’ D.J. Reed Out For Season

August 4th, 2020 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

D.J. Reed won’t have to wrestle his opt out decision between now and Thursday. Unfortunately, his torn pectoral muscle has made the call for him. The Niners have waived Reed with a non-football injury designation, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). Assuming Reed clears waivers, which he is almost certain to do, he will revert to San Francisco’s reserve/NFI list and will miss the season.

Reed, 23, has appeared in 31 games for the Niners over the last two seasons. His playing time dipped in 2019, but, at minimum, he was set to serve as a versatile reserve in the secondary and a valuable special teams player.

Kwon Alexander suffered a torn pectoral muscle last year and miraculously returned to practice two months later. That’s not the typical timetable, of course, so it’s not a surprise to hear that Reed is done for the season. 49ers GM John Lynch considered keeping Reed on the roster, but it wasn’t feasible for the team to tie up a spot for several months.

By parking Reed for the year, the Niners will clear a roster spot for tight end Jordan Reed, who agreed to join the club on Monday. As Maiocco reports, the club also waived CB Chris Edwards.

Seahawks Interested In Antonio Brown, Josh Gordon

August 4th, 2020 at 9:15am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks are monitoring Antonio Brown‘s situation and they’re “very open” to re-signing Josh Gordon, head coach Pete Carroll says (via Geoffrey C. Arnold of The Oregonian). Brown was recently hit with an eight-game suspension from the NFL, meaning that he wouldn’t be able to play until November. Gordon, meanwhile, is waiting for word on his bid for reinstatement.

The Seahawks are set to go into the season with Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, Phillip Dorsett, and David Moore as their top receivers. From a pure talent perspective, Gordon or Brown would provide Russell Wilson with some serious offensive firepower.

“What I’d say to you is what we always say because it’s what we always do and who we are,” Carroll said, in reference to Brown. “[Seahawks GM] John [Schneider] is competing at every turn. There’s never been a process, unless we just missed it, that we weren’t involved with to understand what the chances were of helping our club. He’s all over it. He understands what’s going on right now, as much as you can. It’s a very complex situation. We just need to see where it fits somewhere down the road. That’s all I got for you.”

Brown, 32, comes with some very obvious complications. He could also face even more NFL discipline. His eight-game ban covered only some of his personal conduct policy violations; the league could consider another suspension for an alleged sexual assault.

Carroll seemed to indicate that a Gordon reunion was more likely to happen. Of course, the Seahawks will have to wait for Roger Goodell‘s verdict before making a move.

“It’s not in our hands,” Carroll said. “Josh did a really good job with us last year. He fit in really well. He was part of this team by the way we opened and embraced his coming to us but also by the way he adapted. So we are very open to that thought, and we’ll see what happens. I don’t know. I can’t tell you what’s going to happen on that.”

NFL Opt Out Window Closes On Thursday

August 4th, 2020 at 8:58am CST by Zachary Links

After weeks of back-and-forth, the side agreement between the NFL and the NFLPA has been executed. After the deal was signed, players were told that they’ll have until 4pm ET/3pm CT on Thursday to opt out (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).

[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]

The two sides first agreed to terms on July 24th, but it took ten days for the lawyers to update the recently-signed CBA. The opt out deadline was supposed to be scheduled for seven days after the final execution of the deal. Now, they’ve got two days.

Already, upwards of 45 players have passed on the 2020 season. That number could grow even larger in the next couple of days – deadlines spur action, and many of the league’s linemen can be categorized as “high-risk” due to their body mass. Nearly every other position has been represented as well. C.J. Mosley, Dont’a Hightower, Nate Solder and Damien Williams are among the players who will skip the season. Free agent Pro Bowler Larry Warford also decided to sit out in 2020. The Patriots have been hit the hardest – eight of their players have opted out, including Hightower, safety Patrick Chung, right tackle Marcus Cannon, and wide receiver Marqise Lee.

With COVID-19 threatening the health and availability of players throughout the year, the two parties agreed to a special provision that will allow teams to activate a player off the practice squad up to 90 minutes before kickoff (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Meanwhile, any player who refuses a COVID-19 test will be fined $50K.

Saints Sign WR Bennie Fowler

August 3rd, 2020 at 6:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Bennie Fowler has found a new home. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that the veteran wideout has signed with the Saints.

The Michigan State product spent the first four seasons of his career with the Broncos, and while he averaged 15 games per season between 2015 and 2017, he didn’t put up big numbers. His best season came in 2017, when he hauled in 29 receptions for 350 receiving yards and three scores.

The 29-year-old has bounced around the NFL a bit since that time. He signed with the Bears prior to the 2018 campaign, but he was cut at the end of the preseason. His subsequent stint with the Patriots lasted less than a week, but Fowler eventually found a new home with the Giants. In two-ish seasons with New York, the wideout averaged 19.5 receptions and 196 receiving yards per years.

Fowler is now joining one of the NFL’s top offenses in New Orleans. While the top of the Saints depth chart is highlighted by Michael Thomas and newcomer Emmanuel Sanders, Fowler could emerge from a grouping that includes the likes of Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris, Austin Carr, and Lil’Jordan Humphrey.

Bills Sign OL Brian Winters

August 3rd, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by Ben Levine

It didn’t take long for Brian Winters to find a new gig. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the veteran offensive lineman has signed with the Bills. He’ll receive a one-year deal worth $3MM, including $2MM guaranteed.

Winters joins Buffalo after getting surprisingly cut by the rival Jets yesterday. The veteran had been the Jets’ starting right guard since 2013, but it was clear that Greg Van Roten had the inside track at the starting job. In an act of good faith, the Jets let go of Winters so he could find a starting gig elsewhere (as ESPN’s Rich Cimini passed along yesterday). Of course, the move also cleared more than $7MM on the Jets’ books.

Winters will have a good chance to start in Buffalo, especially following news that Jon Feliciano has been sidelined with a pectoral tear. Winters was limited to only nine games last season after suffering a shoulder injury, but he averaged 14.5 games per season between 2015 and 2018. While Buffalo could turn to the likes of Spencer Long or Daryl Williams to fill in for Feliciano, Winters’ experience and dependability will likely earn him the bulk of playing time.

Feliciano suffered a torn pectoral muscle and underwent surgery Friday, the team announced. Feliciano started in all 17 Bills games for the Bills last season. The former fourth-round pick will be a free agent in 2021.

Rapoport notes that Winters had a number of suitors, but the Bills moved quickly to sign the 29-year-old.

Titans Sign First-Round OL Isaiah Wilson

August 3rd, 2020 at 4:47pm CST by Ben Levine

The final unsigned first-rounder has officially inked his deal. The Titans have signed Isaiah Wilson to his rookie contract, according to Jim Wyatt of the team website.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the rookie offensive tackle received a four-year, $11.57MM contract with a $5.974MM signing bonus. As Rapoport observes, picks No. 25-32 all ended up getting paid more guaranteed money than previous rookies drafted in that range, with each of those 2020 rooks earning at least 90% fully guaranteed deals.

Before he was selected with the 29th overall pick in this past year’s draft, Wilson was a standout at Georgia. The 6-foot-6, 350-pound lineman earned All-SEC second team honors in 2019 after starting 10 of his 11 games. He was previously named to the Football Writers Association of America freshman All-America Team.

In Tennessee, Wilson is expected to fill the hole left by Jack Conklin, who left for the Browns in free agency. The rookie will likely compete with Dennis Kelly for the starting right tackle spot, and he’s already looking forward to blocking for the likes of Ryan Tannehill and Derrick Henry.

“I am sure I am going to learn a lot of great things from Derrick Henry about run blocking, about where he expects his holes to be as a back who has been in the league for years,” Wilson told Wyatt. “Ryan Tannehill can definitely teach me certain things about protection and things of that nature. I definitely plan on learning from those guys and bettering my game off of those guys and polishing up what I do and try and be the best player for the team.”