2020 September - Pro Football Rumors

Lions Cut RB Jonathan Williams

September 5th, 2020 at 12:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Jonathan Williams won’t make the Lions roster, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll have to hunt for yet another NFL gig. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Detroit has cut the veteran running back. However, Williams is expected to land on their practice squad.

Williams has bounced around the NFL since being selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. The Arkansas product has had stints with the Bills, Broncos, Saints, Colts, and Lions. He had the best season of his career in 2019, compiling 235 rushing yards and one touchdown on 49 carries. He also added another five catches for 59 yards. That ended up earning him a contract with Detroit, who signed him in mid-August.

However, considering his limited time in camp, it was always going to be tough for Williams to make the roster. Kerryon Johnson, D’Andre Swift, Jason Huntley, and Bo Scarbrough (along with fullback Jason Cabinda) always seemed like shoo-ins to make the final roster.

Titans To Activate OLB Vic Beasley From NFI

September 5th, 2020 at 11:58am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Vic Beasley‘s bizarre time with the Titans is taking a step in the right direction. Beasley will be activated off the non-football injury list and moved to the active roster for the team’s opening 53-man group, veteran beat writer Paul Kuharsky tweets.

Beasley signed with Tennessee on a one-year deal worth up to $12MM with $9.5MM in guarantees back in March. He then failed to report to camp on time and went radio silent, with seemingly nobody knowing where he was for a while. Eventually he resurfaced after a couple of weeks, reporting after the unexcused absence last month.

That wasn’t the end of the saga however, as he promptly failed his physical and was placed on the PUP list. He’s slowly been working his way back, and it’s unclear how much if at all he’ll be able to play in Week 1. The Titans signed him hoping he could boost their undermanned pass-rush, and didn’t do much else to address it this offseason.

The eighth overall pick of the 2015 draft, Beasley was mostly a disappointment with the Falcons. He had one great year when he had 15.5 sacks in 2016, but he notched only 18 over the past three years combined. The Titans are reportedly still going hard after Jadeveon Clowney, likely in large part due to the Beasley drama. Nevertheless, it does sound like Beasley is at least making strides.

Contract Re-Workings: Bucs, Evans, 49ers, Ford, Steelers, DeCastro, Seahawks, Moore

September 5th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

On this busy Saturday morning we’ve got a few contract re-workings to pass along. A few teams, all franchises hoping to compete for a championship this year, are freeing up some cap space, possibly to pursue some of the veterans left on the market:

Mike Evans, WR (Buccaneers): Tampa freed up $9.5MM by converting some of Evans’ salary into a signing bonus, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Bucs are loading up for their potential Tom Brady title run, having just signed Leonard Fournette earlier this week, and it’s possible they aren’t done yet. Evans is under contract through the 2023 season.
Dee Ford, DE (49ers): San Francisco also created $9.5MM in space by doing the same thing with Ford, Yates notes in the same tweet. Ford was a disappointment in his first year with the 49ers in 2019 as he battled various health issues that limited him to 11 games, and the organization reportedly shopped him before the draft. He’s signed through the 2023 season as well, although there are outs earlier. He’s also reportedly dealing with a relatively minor calf issue at the moment.
David DeCastro, OL (Steelers): Pittsburgh created $3.85MM with the signing bonus trick with DeCastro, Yates notes. The veteran guard has two years left on his five-year, $50MM pact.
David Moore, WR (Seahawks): Moore has reworked his deal to stay in Seattle, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. This one sounds like more of a pay cut in order to keep his roster spot rather than the vets above who just had salary converted to signing bonuses. Rapoport notes that Moore had been set to make $2.13MM under his RFA tender, and he presumably took less than that to make the 53. He had 17 receptions for 301 yards and two touchdowns last year.

Chiefs Release RB DeAndre Washington

September 5th, 2020 at 11:23am CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Running back DeAndre Washington won’t end up seeing the field as a Chief. Kansas City has informed him he’ll be released, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Washington signed with the team on a one-year deal back in April. The former Raider had figured to mix in behind rookie starter Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but Andy Reid is clearly comfortable with Darrel Williams and second-year pro Darwin Thompson as the backups.

Washington had previously seemed like a good bet to make the roster after Damien Williams opted out of the season due to COVID-19. He received the most significant run of his career with the Raiders last year, getting 108 carries thanks to an injury to Josh Jacobs.

He became the starter for the last two weeks, carrying the ball 40 times for 162 yards. He finished the season with 387 yards and two touchdowns, adding 36 receptions for 292 yards. The Texas Tech product should catch on soon with a team in need of a running back who can catch the ball out of the backfield.

Jets Cut CB Nate Hairston

September 5th, 2020 at 11:20am CST by Ben Levine

Nate Hairston is a free agent. ESPN’s Rich Cimini reports (via Twitter) that the Jets have cut the cornerback.

Last August, the Jets traded a conditional 2020 sixth-round pick to the Colts for the defensive back. Hairston ended up getting into 11 games (six starts) for New York, compiling 24 tackles, three passes defended, and one interception.

The 2017 fifth-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career with the Colts. He saw time in 27 games (11 starts) for Indy, compiling 65 tackles, two sacks, six passes defended, and one interception. During his Colts tenure, Hairston missed time with a concussion and a hamstring injury.

Hairston seemed like a long shot to make the 2020 Jets roster. Pierre Desir, Bless Austin, and Brian Poole are tentatively penciled in as starters, while Bryce Hall, Arthur Maulet, Quincy Wilson are projected to make the team as backups.

Patriots Release RB Lamar Miller

September 5th, 2020 at 10:56am CST by Ben Levine

Lamar Miller‘s stint with the Patriots has come to an end, at least temporarily. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that New England has cut the veteran running back.

However, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes on Twitter, the Patriots fully guaranteed $200K of Miller’s base salary. Therefore, it “wouldn’t be a surprise” to see Miller return to New England, especially if the team were to suffer an injury at running back.

Miller signed a one-year deal with the Patriots last month. It was only a year ago that the 29-year-old tore his ACL in a preseason contest while playing for the Texans. Reports at the time of the signing indicated that Miller was fully recovered, and Pelissero notes in his tweet that the veteran is “healthy.”

If that’s true, then Miller could end up being a great grab for an RB-needy team. He earned a Pro Bowl nod during his last healthy season, rushing for five scores and 973 yards on 210 carries (4.6 yards per carry) with the Texans. He also added 25 receptions for 163 receiving yards and one touchdown during that 2018 campaign.

The Patriots have a propensity for adding veteran players to see if they’ve got anything left in the tank, but Miller wasn’t necessarily expected to just stick around for camp. Rather, it was thought that he’d play a rotational role with New England. Ultimately, the team seems content to move forward with their current grouping of Damien Harris, Sony Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead.

Falcons Cut WR Laquon Treadwell

September 5th, 2020 at 10:49am CST by Ben Levine

Laquon Treadwell is hitting free agency once again. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the wideout has been cut by the Falcons.

The 2016 first-round pick out of Ole Miss never made a name for himself during his time with the Vikings. Treadwell ultimately spent four seasons in Minnesota, hauling in 65 receptions for 701 receiving yards and two scores in 53 games (16 starts). His best season came in 2018, when he set career-highs in receptions (35) and receiving yards (302).

Treadwell signed with the Falcons back in March, and there was some hope that he’d emerge as a dependable back-of-the-rotation receiver. However, the team already had Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley locked in atop the depth chart, while Russell Gage and Olamide Zaccheaus seemed like guarantees to make the squad. That meant the 25-year-old Treadwell was competing with six other wideouts for one or two spots, so it was always going to be an uphill battle for him to make the Falcons.

Still, considering his age and draft stock, it wouldn’t be shocking if Treadwell gets at least one more shot in the NFL.

Titans Release QB Trevor Siemian

September 5th, 2020 at 10:23am CST by Ben Levine

Trevor Siemian‘s stint with the Titans has already come to an end. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that the team is cutting the veteran quarterback. He might not be gone for good however, as veteran beat writer Terry McCormick tweets that the team wants him back on their practice squad. Teams can add vets to the practice squad now under the new COVID-19 inspired rules. That being said, he notes they expect to face competition for his services from other teams.

It was less than a month ago that Tennessee added Siemian to their quarterbacks room. The 28-year-old was expected to provide some experience behind starter Ryan Tannehill. Instead, the organization will apparently roll with Bengals 2018 seventh-round pick Logan Woodside as their primary backup.

The team is currently only rostering two players at the position, so there’s a chance a third (potentially veteran) quarterback could catch on. When the team auditioned Siemian back in August, the team also gave a look at DeShone Kizer, so the team already has some options in their Rolodex.

Siemian has only seen time in one game over the past two years (thanks in part to a season-ending ankle injury during the 2019 campaign). The last time he got an extended look was 2017, when he went 5-5 as a starter for the Broncos.

Latest On Jadeveon Clowney

September 5th, 2020 at 9:24am CST by Ben Levine

As Jadeveon Clowney zeroes in on his next gig, he’s let go of his agent. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the defensive end has fired agent Bus Cook.

Does this sound familiar? Last year during Labor Day Weekend, Clowney fired Cook as his agent. The two ended up reconciling, and the franchise-tagged pass rusher was later traded from the Texans to the Seahawks. It sounds like there won’t be another reunion, however, as Clowney is expected to “eventually hire” Kennard McGuire for representation.

Meanwhile, as Clowney continues his free agency tour, Florio reports that the Saints brass visited the player in Houston. An image on Instagram showed Clowney posing with head coach Sean Payton, and the message indicated that two other Saints coaches attended the meeting. For what it’s worth, Clowney subsequently “liked” that post, which was posted by a chef at a restaurant.

We learned yesterday that Clowney could end up waiting until next week to sign a contract. By waiting for the roster deadline to pass, the veteran could find that suitors are operating with more financial flexibility. The Saints and Titans currently have offers out to Clowney, setting the stage for a high-priced bidding war. The Ravens have also been mentioned as a potential suitor.

Packers Cut WR Jake Kumerow

September 5th, 2020 at 8:42am CST by Ben Levine

The Packers are moving on from “Touchdown Jesus.” NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Green Bay is cutting wideout Jake Kumerow.

This is a bit of a surprising move, and not just because Kumerow has emerged as a fan favorite. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently referred to the 28-year-old as one of his most reliable options, and Kumerow was generally expected to be one of the top four wideouts on the depth chart.

The 2015 undrafted free agent out of Wisconsin-Whitewater spent the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Bengals and Patriots. He caught on with the Packers in 2017, and after playing in five games through his first two year with the team, he took on a larger role in 2019. Kumerow ultimately finished the campaign with 12 receptions for 219 yards and one score.

With Kumerow out of the picture, the Packers will presumably be keeping the likes of Allen Lazard, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Tyler Ervin, and Equanimeous St. Brown behind top receiver Davante Adams.