HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

David Njoku Retracts Trade Request

August 1st, 2020 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Njoku is again committed to playing for the Browns. The fourth-year tight end has retracted his trade request, per agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot).

The former first-round pick requested a trade almost a month ago. More recently, the ex-Miami Hurricane said he loved Cleveland but cryptically noted the NFL brings “complications.” After some meetings with Browns brass, including GM Andrew Berry, Njoku has recommitted to the team.

Njoku’s dissatisfaction was believed to predate the Browns’ decision to give Austin Hooper a then-tight end-record salary in March. Kevin Stefanski said this week he is eager to work with Njoku, who was drafted two regimes ago. Berry, however, was with the Browns when Sashi Brown selected him.

Despite a disappointing season that resulted in yet another regime change, the Browns return a deep array of skill-position options. While Njoku is on the low end of that group, the Browns picked up his fifth-year option in May. He is under contract through 2021, with manageable salaries of $1.76MM this season and $6MM next year.

The 24-year-old pass-catcher is coming off an injury-marred season. A concussion and a broken wrist sent Njoku to IR in September. He ended up catching just five passes for 41 yards in his third NFL season. He fared much better in 2018, however, hauling in 56 passes for 639 yards and four touchdowns.

Had the Browns kept John Dorsey in place as GM, Njoku may well be out of the picture. But with Berry back in Cleveland, he will have another chance and is on track to work in Stefanski’s two-tight end formations.

Cowboys To Release Kai Forbath

August 1st, 2020 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

A veteran of six NFL teams, Kai Forbath will return to free agency. The Cowboys cut their incumbent kicker, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This will clear a path for free agent addition Greg Zuerlein.

Given Zuerlein’s pedigree, it was not expected he would have to battle Forbath throughout training camp for the job. The Cowboys gave the longtime Rams kicker a three-year, $7.5MM deal.

Brett Maher‘s struggles prompted the Cowboys to change kickers last season. They added Forbath in December. Interestingly, they re-signed him in March but gave him a one-year contract worth the league minimum. The Cowboys will incur barely $130K in dead money by cutting the soon-to-be 33-year-old kicker.

Forbath has played for three teams — the Cowboys, Patriots and Jaguars — since the 2018 season. Forbath was one of several kickers the Pats used after Stephen Gostkowski‘s injury, though he only kicked in one game with New England. Forbath went 11-for-11 on field goals last season, including a 10-for-10 stretch with the Cowboys. Forbath, who made 15 of 15 field goals for the Vikings in 2016, should be on the radar for future kicking gigs.

Although he also kicked for the Vikings and Saints, the eight-year veteran is most known for his work in Washington. He began his career as Washington’s kicker in 2012 and held that job for nearly four seasons.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/20

August 1st, 2020 at 3:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams continue to move their rosters toward 80 players, which will be the maximum by the time full practices begin. Here are the latest minor moves, with the list being updated throughout the afternoon:

Baltimore Ravens

Dallas Cowboys

  • Waived: LS Joe Fortunato
  • Waived/injured: LB Azur Kamara

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: LS Rex Sunahara

New York Giants

  • Claimed off waivers (from Browns): WR Tony Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bills Host DB Akeem King On Visit

August 1st, 2020 at 2:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills are looking to add to their secondary. They hosted former Seahawks defender Akeem King on a visit late this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Under the current COVID-19-altered setup, teams are not permitted to host a free agent they are not giving serious consideration to signing. So the Bills appear to be prepared, depending on the results of King’s physical, to add a veteran to their secondary.

A 2015 seventh-round Falcons pick, King played 29 games for the Seahawks over the past two seasons. He started four of those but mostly served as a depth piece and a special-teamer. The 27-year-old DB did, however, play 25% of Seattle’s defensive snaps in 2019. King saw more time at safety last year. Pro Football Focus graded the San Jose State as a lower-middle-class player at that position in 2019, though King did not play enough snaps to qualify for full-time status.

Buffalo has one of the NFL’s best safety tandems, in Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer. King also has cornerback experience. The Bills signed Josh Norman this year to potentially operate as their other boundary starter opposite Tre’Davious White. They also added E.J. Gaines to that group, which includes younger players Taron Johnson, Levi Wallace and Siran Neal.

Jets LB C.J. Mosley To Opt Out

August 1st, 2020 at 1:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

C.J. Mosley will become the latest player to pass on the 2020 season. The Jets linebacker is opting out, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

The former Ravens first-round pick’s Jets career barely started last year, with injury setbacks limiting him to 114 snaps in two games. Now, the Pro Bowl linebacker will wait until 2021 to make an impact with his second NFL team.

While the Jets are not expected to be a serious 2020 contender, this represents another major setback. They made Mosley the NFL’s highest-paid linebacker (by far) last year, in signing him to a five-year, $85MM deal. Bobby Wagner since surpassed that pact, but by 2021, Mosley will have played two of a possible 32 games with the Jets, who have already paid him $29MM.

With Jamal Adams now a teammate of Wagner’s in Seattle, after last weekend’s blockbuster trade, the Jets have lost their two best defenders in a seven-day span.

The second year of Mosley’s contract will toll to 2021, now making the deal run through the 2024 season. But this leaves a major hole among a Jets linebacking corps that also has Avery Williamson returning from a season-long injury absence. The Jets placed Williamson on their active/PUP list earlier this week.

Dont’a Hightower, Nate Solder and Damien Williams are among the biggest names to opt out. Mosley is the most decorated player set to skip the season. The 2014 first-rounder has made four Pro Bowls. The Ravens wanted to re-sign the inside linebacker last year, but the Alabama product understandably did not turn down a monster Jets offer that raised the off-ball ‘backer salary ceiling by nearly $3MM. Mosley has four 100-plus-tackle seasons on his resume.

A groin injury sidelined Mosley last season. He suffered the ailment in September, attempted to come back during a Monday night in October but aggravated the malady and missed the rest of the campaign. Mosley underwent surgery in December and received a clean bill of health in June. He will have more time to ensure he’s 100% now, with the Jets set to miss out on his age-28 season after mostly missing his age-27 slate.

Considering Mosley and Williamson’s salaries, the Jets are obviously limited at this position beyond their top two talents. While the Jets were a quality run-defending team without their top defensive investment, ranking second in DVOA against ground attacks, Pro Football Focus did not have a high opinion of any of their non-Mosley linebackers. The team signed former Mosley Baltimore teammate Patrick Onwuasor; his 2020 role stands to increase now. James Burgess, Neville Hewitt and 2019 fifth-round pick Blake Cashman are also part of Gang Green’s linebacking corps. Available free agents include ex-Giant Alec Ogletree, Mark Barron and Wesley Woodyard.

Giants, Nick Gates Agree To Extension

August 1st, 2020 at 12:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have agreed to a two-year extension with offensive lineman Nick Gates, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The new deal carries a base value of $6.825MM with the potential to reach $10.325MM via incentives and bonuses.

It’s a nice pay bump for the former undrafted free agent, especially considering that he spent his would-be 2018 rookie season on IR. Last year, Gates turned in a perfect attendance card including three starts.

This year, Gates figures to reprise his role as a backup tackle. The Giants will be counting on him a little bit more than anticipated – starting tackle Nate Solder has exercised his right to opt out of the 2020 season, leaving the Giants with first-round pick Andrew Thomas and third-rounder Matt Peart as their projected starting tackles.

At Nebraska, Gates made 25 consecutive starts at left tackle. With the Giants, he’s moved between right guard and right tackle, and he’ll likely bounce between the interior and exterior line once again this year. The Giants have retooled their offensive line, but they see Gates as a keeper and, potentially, a future cog.

Jets Have No Interest In Jadeveon Clowney

August 1st, 2020 at 9:19am CST by Zachary Links

New Jets safety Bradley McDougald says he’s love to have former teammate Jadeveon Clowney join him in New Jersey. Unfortunately for the ex-Seahawks, the Jets aren’t interested in reuniting them, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 

[RELATED: McDougald Advocates For Clowney]

This isn’t the first time that the Jets have been linked to the former No. 1 overall pick. In April, Clowney indicated that he’d like to join up with Gang Green. The Jets have yet to reciprocate those warm feelings, even though they could certainly use an upgrade on the edge.

One could argue that the Jets have even bigger fish to fry than the edge rush unit, including their cornerback situation. They could have enough cap space to sign Clowney and address their other holes, but Jets ownership reportedly asked GM Joe Douglas to tamp down costs earlier this year. That mandate came before the pandemic, so there’s even less wiggle room for Douglas to work with now. The trade that brought McDougald to the Jets and shipped star Jamal Adams to the Seahawks further underscores their approach to spending.

Clowney’s asking price has dropped since the start of free agency, and it could fall a bit further as September draws near. Still, the Jets have no plans to get involved. As it stands, the Jets project to start Quinnen Williams and Henry Anderson on the bookends with Harvey Langi and Jordan Jenkins at the outside linebacker spots.

Patriots’ Marqise Lee To Opt Out

August 1st, 2020 at 9:06am CST by Zachary Links

Patriots wide receiver Marqise Lee will opt out of the 2020 season, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Lee is now the seventh Pats player to make this decision, leaving lots of holes to fill in New England. 

[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]

“We just feel like it wasn’t smart for us to go out and play this year,” said Lee, who became a first-time father earlier this year.

Lee joined the Patriots in April on a one-year deal for the veteran minimum. The 28-year-old (29 in November) was expected to support a wide receiver group led by Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, and N’Keal Harry. It was a low-risk and potentially high-reward pickup for the Patriots. Lee totaled 1,551 receiving yards between 2016-17 as the Jaguars’ top receiver. He parlayed that performance into a four-year, $38MM deal, but he was derailed by a knee injury in 2018, plus ankle and shoulder trouble last year.

The April signing of Lee allowed the Patriots to focus on other positions in the draft. They went defense with their first three picks before snagging two tight ends (Devin Asiasi and Dalton Keene) in the third round. They didn’t use any of their choices on wide receiver, and that’s good news for their incumbents. Damiere Byrd, special teams ace Matthew Slater, Jakobi Meyers, Gunner Olszewski, and Quincy Adeboyejo are among those jostling for roster spots and WR snaps.

Here’s the full rundown of the Patriots’ opt out list, via PFR’s tracker: