HEADLINES

Month: January 2025

Broncos To Sign Blake Bortles

September 22nd, 2020 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

That was fast. Just moments after we learned of Blake Bortles‘ visit with the Broncos, the quarterback agreed to sign with Denver (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Everything is in place for a one-year deal, pending COVID protocols. 

[RELATED: Broncos’ Courtland Sutton Tears ACL]

This marks Bortles’ third stop in the NFL, following stints with the Jaguars and Rams. Now, Bortles will join the Broncos to give them support under center as Drew Lock heals up. Lock is expected to miss three-to-five weeks with a severe strain of his rotator cuff.

The 28-year-old enjoyed his best season in 2015 when he threw for 4,428 yards with 35 touchdowns against 18 interceptions. In 2017, he was under center for the Jaguars’ deep playoff run, though he was unable to keep their lead in the second half of the AFC title game against the Patriots.

The Broncos have yet to formally move Lock to injured reserve, but they already have available spots following injuries to Courtland Sutton and defensive end Dre’Mont Jones. Sutton, unfortunately, is done for the year with an ACL tear.

Broncos To Meet With Blake Bortles

September 22nd, 2020 at 8:46am CST by Zachary Links

Former Jaguars and Rams quarterback Blake Bortles will meet with the Broncos on Tuesday afternoon, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former No. 3 overall pick started for five seasons as a pro, but threw just two passes in 2019.

So far, Bortles hasn’t come close to living up to his draft status. Since Bortles entered the league with the Jaguars, roughly 20 quarterbacks have attempted at least 2,000 passes: among those signal-callers, Bortles ranks dead last in adjusted net yards per attempt, quarterback rating, and interception rate, and is second-to-last in touchdown rate.

Despite all of his flaws, the Jaguars handed Bortles a three-year, $54MM deal in 2018 with $26.5MM guaranteed. Oddly enough, he was the first 2014 first-round pick to receive an extension –ahead of stars like wide receiver Odell Beckham, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, and linebacker Khalil Mack. One year later, they pushed him out the door for Nick Foles, leading him to L.A.

The Broncos are in need of some help under center after losing Drew Lock for three to five weeks with a strained rotator cuff. For now, Jeff Driskel is slated to serve as the fill-in, but he’ll need a signal caller to backstop him. Depending on how the meeting goes, Bortles could be their Plan B.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/21/20

September 21st, 2020 at 6:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Houston Texans

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Tennessee Titans

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/20

September 21st, 2020 at 6:01pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Las Vegas Raiders

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

RB Devonta Freeman Visits Giants

September 21st, 2020 at 5:25pm CST by Ben Levine

Following Saquon Barkley‘s season-ending injury, the Giants are in the market for a running back. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter) that veteran Devonta Freeman visited the team today.

The Giants will be hard pressed to replace Barkley’s production, and the organization is apparently looking for someone to either supplant or join Dion Lewis and Wayne Gallman on the depth chart. That could potentially be Freeman, who still finds himself unsigned after being released by the Falcons back in March.

It’s been a while since the 28-year-old has flashed his Pro Bowl talent. Injuries limited Freeman to only two games in 2018, and he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry in 14 games last season. That underwhelming performance led to him being ranked 41st among 43 running backs in success rate, per Football Outsiders.

Still, despite the lack of on-field productivity, plenty of teams have reached out to Freeman. The veteran reportedly rejected a one-year, $3MM deal from the Seahawks during the offseason, and he’s met with both the Jaguars and Eagles since the start of September. Both of those latter teams could theoretically offer Freeman some sort of role, so it’s clear the running back isn’t solely looking for an opportunity. Rather, if the Giants want to sign him, it sounds like they’ll have to satisfy his financial demands.

Seahawks LB Bruce Irvin Has Torn ACL, Will Miss Rest Of Season

September 21st, 2020 at 5:05pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

5:00pm: NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport has confirmed the news (via Twitter). Irvin has a torn ACL and will miss the rest of the season.

1:20pm: Unfortunately it looks like Bruce Irvin‘s 2020 return to Seattle will last only two games. The Seahawks fear the veteran outside linebacker has a torn ACL, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

More tests are needed to confirm but since field tests for ACLs are extremely accurate, it’s all but certain. It’s a tough blow for a Seahawks team that has looked great with a pair of victories through the first two weeks. The pass-rush was already one of the few question marks remaining with this team, so this is the last thing they needed.

Irvin came back to Seattle on a one-year deal worth $5.5 million back in March. He spent last year in Carolina, where he racked up 8.5 sacks in 13 games. A first-round pick of the Seahawks back in 2012, Irvin spent the first four years of his career with the team.

He was a huge part of some of their legendary defenses, winning Super Bowl XLVIII with them. Despite producing at a fairly high level the Seahawks declined his fifth-year option, and he signed a four-year $37MM deal with the Raiders.

Cut after 2.5 seasons, he landed with the Falcons for the second half of 2018 before signing with the Panthers. He’ll turn 33 in November and will be coming off an ACL tear when he hits free agency, so he’ll likely struggle to find much guaranteed money next spring.

49ers RB Tevin Coleman To Miss Several Weeks

September 21st, 2020 at 5:03pm CST by Ben Levine

It keeps getting worse for the 49ers. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that 49ers running back Tevin Coleman will miss several weeks with a knee injury. The veteran suffered the injury during his team’s win over the Jets yesterday.

The 49ers training staff has presumably been working overtime this season, and the injuries have made their way to the running back room. Raheem Mostert is dealing with a MCL strain that will likely sideline him this weekend against the Giants, and with Coleman out, the team will likely have to turn to the likes of Jeff Wilson, Jerick McKinnon, and JaMycal Hasty to lead their running game.

Coleman, 27, joined the 49ers last offseason after spending the first four seasons of his career in Atlanta. The veteran was solid in his 14 games (11 starts), compiling 544 yards and six scores on 137 carries. He also hauled in 21 receptions for 180 yards and one touchdown. The emergence of Mostert relegated Coleman to more of a backup role, although he still has 18 carries (albeit for only 30 yards) through his team’s first two games this season.

With injuries up and down the roster, it sounds like the 49ers did receive a bit of good news today. As Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com passes along, the 49ers are optimistic that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo won’t miss any time due to his high-ankle sprain.

49ers Agree To Deal With DE Ziggy Ansah

September 21st, 2020 at 2:46pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We heard earlier this morning that Ziggy Ansah was flying to meet with the 49ers with a signing likely in the cards, and now it appears official. San Francisco is finalizing a one-year deal with the veteran pass-rusher, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Kyle Shanahan later confirmed the agreement at his Monday press conference. The pact will be worth $3MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

This is the culmination of a couple rounds of flirting between the two sides, as Ansah has already met with the team multiple times recently. Fowler notes that the signing will take place as soon as Ansah clears the COVID-19 protocols. It’s a nice low-risk upside flyer for a team suddenly in need of edge help in the wake of Nick Bosa‘s injury.

Bosa, of course, went down with an ACL tear on Sunday, leaving a gaping hole along the 49ers’ defensive line. The defensive front was the engine behind last year’s Super Bowl run, and after Bosa’s injury and the trade of DeForest Buckner, the unit has now been severely depleted.

The fifth overall pick of the 2013 draft by the Lions, Ansah initially had a lot of success in Detroit. In 2015 he had 14.5 sacks, earning a second-team All-Pro selection. He had 12 more sacks in 2017 which caused the Lions to franchise-tag him, but injuries derailed his last couple of seasons.

He had a shoulder issue he could seemingly never quite get over, and had only 2.5 sacks in 11 games with Seattle last year. 31 now, Ansah is reportedly fully healthy and should have something left in the tank physically. It’ll be interesting to see how defensive coordinator Robert Saleh uses him moving forward.

Vikings LB Anthony Barr Done For The Season

September 21st, 2020 at 2:12pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

More tough news for the Vikings, as head coach Mike Zimmer announced Monday the team will be placing veteran linebacker Anthony Barr on injured reserve. He’s got a torn pec.

It’s the last thing this Minnesota team, which has looked awful through two games, needed. Since it’s a torn pec, Barr will be done for the season. The ninth overall pick of the 2014 draft, Barr has been with the Vikings his whole career. He’s one of the leaders of the defense, and made the Pro Bowl four straight seasons from 2015-18. In his absence, rookie fourth-round pick from Oregon Troy Dye will be counted on to play a more prominent role.

Luckily for Barr, he just locked himself into a huge contract last offseason. In March of 2019 it was reported he was leaving to sign a deal with the Jets, only for the UCLA product to change his mind at the last second and return to Minnesota on a five-year, $67.5MM contract.

Last season he had 79 tackles, 1.5 sacks, four passes defended, and an interception in 14 games. Minnesota’s usually stout defense has struggled mightily so far, and it’s not hard to see why with all the departures. Star pass-rusher Danielle Hunter is on injured reserve, and key defensive contributors like defensive tackle Linval Joseph, defensive end Everson Griffen, and cornerback Trae Waynes all left in free agency.

It’s looking like it could be a long year for Zimmer’s unit, and they’ll be significantly shorthanded for their pivotal Week 3 meeting with the Titans. Barr, who will turn 29 in March, is signed through the 2023 season.

OT Jared Veldheer Retires

September 21st, 2020 at 1:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Jared Veldheer has decided to hang up his cleats. The veteran offensive tackle has chosen to retire after previously looking like he was about to sign with the Cowboys, a source told Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

Veldheer worked out for the team in Dallas last week, had begun their COVID-19 protocols, and Archer writes that he was expected to sign. The Cowboys had a $2.5MM contract prepared that was just awaiting Veldheer’s signature when he called it off, Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

Veldheer changing his mind isn’t exactly anything new, as he originally retired shortly after signing with the Patriots last year. He then asked to be released from the reserve/retired list last November, and ended up getting claimed by the Packers.He announced in March that he intended to keep playing 2020, but didn’t draw much reported interest until this Cowboys meeting.

Dallas is dealing with injuries to Tyron Smith, La’el Collins, and Cameron Erving, so they were looking for some veteran tackle help.A third-round pick of the Raiders back in 2010, Veldheer carved out a nice career for himself.

Assuming he’s done for good this time, the Michigan product will finish with 113 starts under his belt. Most recently he started 12 games for Denver at right tackle in 2018, and 13 for Arizona the year before.

Load More Posts