2020 August - Pro Football Rumors

Jets To Release Brian Winters

August 3rd, 2020 at 7:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets will release guard Brian Winters, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. By cutting Winters, the Jets will save $7.2MM against the cap with no dead money left over.

Winters has served as the Jets’ starting right guard since 2013, but the front office was not quite sold on him. Instead, new addition Greg Van Roten figures to take his place on the team’s revamped offensive line.

Winters, 29, was the lone holdover from the Nick Mangold–D’Brickashaw Ferguson era of the Jets’ front five, and the only O-lineman left from last year’s Week 1 starting lineup. This year’s starting lineup will feature first-round pick Mekhi Becton, left guard Alex Lewis, center Connor McGovern, Van Roten at right guard, and George Fant/Chuma Edoga at right tackle.

Winters survived three Jets regimes, starting in 79 games since he was selected in the third-round of the 2013 draft. Last year, a shoulder injury limited him to just nine games, but he’s healthy and ready to go for the upcoming season.

Bills Sign DB Akeem King, DT Niles Scott

August 2nd, 2020 at 3:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have signed defensive back Akeem King, per a club announcement. King will help bolster the team’s cornerback depth following E.J. Gaines‘ decision to opt out of the 2020 season.

[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]

King has spent the last two seasons with the Seahawks. Last year, he suited up in 13 games, including three starts, plus a fair amount of time on special teams. With good size and bulk for the cornerback position, King could be called upon to guard larger tight ends. If he makes the roster – and it seems likely that he will, given the loss of Gaines – he’ll slot somewhere alongside Tre’Davious White, Josh Norman, Taron Johnson, and Levi Wallace on the CB depth chart.

In addition to King, the Bills have also signed defensive tackle Niles Scott. Scott suited up in six games for the Bengals in 2018 but was off the field last year due to a foot injury.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/20

August 2nd, 2020 at 3:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Released: P Ryan Allen, C Austin Capps, OT Scottie Dill, TE Caleb Repp, LB Jordan Williams

Baltimore Ravens

Released: DT Daylon Mack, P Dom Maggio

New York Giants

Released: RB Jon Hilliman, LB Chris Peace, S Rashaan Gaulden and CB Shakial Taylor, QB Case Cookus, FB George Aston, LB Oluwole Betiku, LB Dana Levine

New Orleans Saints

Released: WR Krishawn Hogan, CB Deatrick Nichols, RB Ricky Ortiz

Pittsburgh Steelers

Released: QB J.T. Barrett, RB Ralph Webb, WR Quadree Henderson, OL Christian Montano, LB Christian Kuntz, LB Dewayne Hendrix, S Tyree Kinnel, DE Josiah Coatney

Lions Geronimo Allison Opts Out

August 2nd, 2020 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Lions wide receiver Geronimo Allison is opting out of the 2020 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). As shown in PFR’s tracker, Allison is the second Lions player to exercise his right to skip the season, following defensive tackle John Atkins.

Allison joined the Lions in March on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. He showed promise with the Packers – particularly in the first quarter of 2018 when he recorded 19 catches for 289 yards and a touchdown. Last year, he was expected to take on a larger role. Instead, the 6’3″, 202-pound target struggled in the slot. He finished out with 34 catches for just 287 yards and two scores, despite playing in all 16 games.

With the Lions, he was expected to support Danny Amendola, Kenny Golladay, and Marvin Jones. Now, the Lions will need some outside help, especially since Golladay is on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Placement on the list does not necessarily mean that Golladay tested positive for the coronavirus, but he may have come into contact someone who has tested positive. Either way, he won’t be able to return until he clears the league’s testing protocol.

The full rundown of the league’s 30+ opt out players can be found on PFR’s 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker.

Patriots’ Matt LaCosse Opts Out

August 2nd, 2020 at 3:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Matt LaCosse has decided not to play in 2020, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. With that, the tight end becomes the eighth Patriots player to opt out.

LaCosse was supposed to provide veteran help at the position while guiding Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene in their rookie seasons. Instead, the Pats are left with the third-rounders, plus Ryan Izzo and a handful of other options at tight end. LaCosse’s contract will toll into 2021, when he’ll be set to return and earn $1MM in base salary.

The Patriots are now heading into the season without inside linebacker Dont’a Hightower, safety Patrick Chung, right tackle Marcus Cannon, and new wide receiver Marqise Lee. Running back Brandon Bolden, fullback Danny Vitale, offensive lineman Najee Toran, and LaCosse round out the eight opt-outs, and the list could grow larger from here. The official deadline is still TBD, but it’s at least a few days away.

After joining the Patriots last year, LaCosse recorded 13 catches for 131 yards and one touchdown. For his career, LaCosse has notched 40 grabs for 403 yards and two scores for the Pats, Giants, and Broncos.

Colts Place T.Y. Hilton On NFI List; Release 7 Players

August 2nd, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced a slew of roster moves on Sunday. The most notable of the bunch: Wide receiver T.Y. Hilton has been moved to the active/non-football injury list. .

Hilton suffered a mild hamstring injury while working out on his own earlier this summer, as Mike Wells of ESPN.com tweets. Per the rules of the Active/NFI list, Hilton can return to the roster at any point. The real decision for these players comes at the final roster cutdown date. A player on the NFI list does not count towards the 53-man roster max, but he also cannot play in the first eight games of the season. Given that this is a mild hamstring pull, Hilton probably will not be on the NFI list to start the season.

Meanwhile, the Colts have released running back Darius Jackson. Wide receiver Rodney Adams, defensive end Jegs Jegede, tackle Cedrick Lang, cornerback Picasso Nelson., tackle Travis Vornkahl, and linebacker Brandon Wellington were waived. Because Jackson was released outright, he’ll be free to hook on with any club immediately. The other six players will be subject to the waiver wire – if they are not claimed within the 24-hour window, they will be full-fledged free agents.

There’s one year left on Hilton’s deal, set to count for $14.5MM against the salary cap. Colts GM Chris Ballard, ideally, would like to nudge that number down with a reworked deal. We haven’t heard much on that front lately, but an extension still seems possible. That deal, Hilton says, will be his last in the NFL, regardless of length.

Latest On Texans, Deshaun Watson

August 2nd, 2020 at 10:46am CST by Zachary Links

Predictably, Deshaun Watson‘s desire to stay with the Texans has not wavered. However, there’s nothing imminent in extension talks between the team and the star quarterback.

“I’m here,” Watson said. “I love the organization. I love the McNairs. I love the city. I love the fan base. I’m a Houston Texan. I’m locked in on being a Texan.”

The fourth-year pro is said to be seeking a short-term deal, one that would allow him to cash in again while he’s still in his prime. The Texans, meanwhile, would like him to be “locked in” for a longer period. Obviously, it’s much more complicated than that. Between the economic climate and the $503MM contract recently inked by Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes, there’s a bit of a bridge to gap.

Watson’s camp won’t seek to top Mahomes’ deal, but the ceiling has been raised, and that should bode well for Watson. For now, Watson is set to make just $1.177MM in base salary for 2020. Ultimately, the 24-year-old (25 in September) should top Russell Wilson‘s $35MM AAV – the league-leader before Mahomes inked his mega-deal.

The Texans don’t necessarily have to rush things. In April, they made the slam dunk decision to pick up Watson’s fifth-year option, which will pay upwards of $17MM in 2021. That’s still a bargain basement rate, roughly half of what the MVP contender could command.

Over the past two years, Watson has made 31 starts, connecting on 67.8% of his passes. In that span, he’s averaged 4,008 passing yards and 26 touchdowns against 10.5 interceptions. He’s also continued to be productive on the ground, rushing for 12 touchdowns between 2018 and 2019.

Jaguars Sign Adam Gotsis

August 2nd, 2020 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have signed Adam Gotsis, per a club announcement. The defensive end spent the last four years with the Broncos and spent much of the offseason rehabbing from ACL surgery.

Gotsis just recently got clearance to start running and had to wait a while before he could take an in-person exam with team doctors. Still, he was confident that a deal would come together before the start of the season.

“I’m thinking in a hopeful way that come July, August some teams are like, ‘Well shoot, we need to bring in a D-lineman that can pick up a playbook and has played a lot of snaps and is a smart guy that can just pick up the system in a week,’” Gotsis said in June. “Whereas some of these rookies, in OTAs and stuff is where they really get the chance to get their feet wet with a lot of the NFL vets and then all of a sudden it’s training camp, and they really haven’t had any time working against pro guys. In a way, I think it might be an advantage to me as well in that I can come back healthy and rehabbed.”

Gotsis made 12 starts in 2018 and registered three sacks, but he looked out of place in Vic Fangio‘s defense last year. Then, the ACL tear shut him down for the final stretch of the season. With 28 career starts under his belt, he’ll look to reassert himself as a rotational player in Jacksonville. If he makes the final cut, he’ll spell Josh Allen and (theoretically) Yannick Ngakoue as a reserve. It remains to be seen whether he’ll be ready to go for Week 1.

Bills’ E.J. Gaines Opts Out Of 2020 Season

August 2nd, 2020 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

E.J. Gaines has opted out of the 2020 season, according to Bills GM Brandon Beane (Twitter link via Kim Jones of NFL.com). Gaines was set to play on his third Buffalo contract after rejoining the team in March. Now, the cornerback will have to wait until 2021 to make his return.

Gaines first hooked on with the Bills in 2017 and showed serious promise. He finished out as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 12 ranked cornerback and placed ninth in Football Outsiders’ success rate, despite being limited to just eleven games. He moved on to the Bills and, once again, he was bitten by the injury bug, seeing time in just six games in 2018. Gaines went back to Buffalo in 2019, only to reach an injury settlement with the team in August. Gaines has been in the league since 2014, but he’s appeared in just 43 games across four seasons.

This year, the 28-year-old was set to backstop Josh Norman and Tre’Davious White. Now, the Bills could use another CB, hence their recent meeting with former Seahawks defensive back Akeem King.

Upwards of 30 players have chosen to opt out of the 2020 season, as shown in PFR’s tracker. Meanwhile, the deadline date remains TBD.

NFL To Move Up Opt-Out Deadline?

August 1st, 2020 at 4:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has still not finalized a deadline for players to opt out for 2020. However, the sides may be moving in a direction that will force players to make a decision quickly.

While the league and the NFLPA were believed to be on track to have a revised CBA done by Friday, nothing is finalized as of Saturday afternoon. Players are on track to have a week following this agreement to decide on opting out. They may not have that long, though, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting the deadline is now expected to be Tuesday or Wednesday.

This is an interesting development; it would move the deadline up by at least three days. This would apply more pressure on players to make major decisions. Instead of having that week from the latest agreement to decide, they will only have a few days to determine if they will play during the COVID-19-impacted season.

Thus far, 37 players have opted out. 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 he will not sign with a team this year. If the deadline is moved up, a flood of action could take place in the next few days.

Unlike Major League Baseball, which just saw Brewers star center fielder Lorenzo Cain opt out a week into the season, the NFL will force its players to decide on playing in 2020 before full practices take place. Teams are set to begin their strength and conditioning-based acclimation periods Monday. Practices are not slated to begin until Aug. 12, with full practices not on tap until the 16th.