HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

CB Stephon Gilmore Reports To Patriots

July 22nd, 2021 at 5:22pm CST by Ben Levine

Stephon Gilmore continues to push for a new contract, but the standoff won’t keep him away from Foxborough. Jeff Howe of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the former Defensive Player of the Year reported to Gillette Stadium today. However, the veteran cornerback will temporarily sit on the PUP list.

We heard recently that the Patriots hadn’t made any progress on an extension with Gilmore. The cornerback previously hinted that he’d be satisfied with a simply bump in pay for the 2020 campaign, and some pundits believe the organization could find a compromise by offering Gilmore an incentive-based increase (similar to what they previously did with the likes of Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski). Gilmore is presumably waiting for an offer that contains more guaranteed money, explaining why he skipped the team’s entire offseason program, including mandatory minicamp.

Gilmore, 31 in September, is set to make just $7MM in base salary this season after a chunk of his money was advanced in 2020. In terms of average annual value ($13MM), the 2019 Defensive Player of the Year ranks as just the 13th highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. At the time of signing, his five-year, $65MM deal was plenty. Since then, the former Bills first-round pick has performed as one of the game’s premier cover men.

There’s mutual interest in a longer arrangement, since Gilmore was a first-team All-Pro in 2018 and ’19.However, questions persist about last year’s torn quad. Either way, barring an unexpected development, it sounds like the defensive back will at least spend the 2021 season with New England.

Gilmore was one of a handful of Patriots players to land on PUP today. He’ll be joined by defensive tackle Byron Cowart, linebacker Terez Hall, tight end Dalton Keene, linebacker Brandon King, wideout Devin Smith, quarterback Jarrett Stidham, and linebacker Chase Winovich.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/21

July 22nd, 2021 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Mychal Kendricks Sentenced To Three Years Probation

July 22nd, 2021 at 1:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Mychal Kendricks has been sentenced to one day in prison, three years of probation, and 300 hours of community service for his involvement in insider trading (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). This concludes a lengthy process which began all the way back in 2018.

In June of 2018, Kendricks joined the Browns on a one-year, $2.25MM deal, which seemed like a solid value pickup. What we didn’t know at the time was that Kendricks was involved in a federal investigation for insider trading. The Browns were aware of the situation, but they say they weren’t clued in on all of the details.

The linebacker never played a down for Cleveland, but he soon found a home with the Seahawks, playing in 18 games between 2018 and 2019. In ’19, he notched three sacks and eight tackles for loss. Towards the end of last year, Washington plucked him off of Pete Carroll‘s taxi squad, using him in a December game and in the team’s lone playoff contest.

With the possibility of serious prison time behind him, Kendricks could be on the verge of finding his next NFL home. Given his age (31 in September) and injury history, we expect him to fetch a low-cost, one-year deal with little in the way of guarantees.

Cowboys Place Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence On PUP

July 22nd, 2021 at 12:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have placed wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence on the Physically Unable to Perform list to begin training camp (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Cooper is still recuperating from a lingering ankle issue while Lawrence has been hampered by back problems. 

Cooper, a seventh-year veteran, was previously scratched from Cowboys minicamp. He underwent minor ankle surgery in January but the latest trouble surfaced in May. The Pro Bowl wideout has been here before — a sprain cost him time in 2017 and reemerged in early last season. To date, Cooper has not missed a game as a Cowboy. But, if his recovery drags, they’ll be leaning more on Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.

Lawrence nearly opted out last year, but ultimately went on to appear in all 16 games for the Cowboys with 6.5 sacks. Statistically, his best work came in 2017 and 2018 as he registered a combined 25 sacks. The Cowboys hope that he can quickly put his back (and shoulder) injuries behind him to resume his Pro Bowl form.

The stars will be joined on the list by kicker Greg Zuerlein (back), defensive tackle Trysten Hill (knee), newly-signed rookie defensive end Chauncey Golston (hamstring), and offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt (knee). The Cowboys will also place UDFA receiver T.J. Vasher on the non-football injury list as he works his way back from a knee injury suffered at Texas Tech.

Steelers Considered Justin Houston

July 22nd, 2021 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers were in contact with free agent edge rusher Justin Houston as recently as last week (Twitter link via Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports). However, with Melvin Ingram in the fold, the Steelers probably won’t look to add another veteran like Houston to the mix.

[RELATED: Steelers Sign Melvin Ingram]

Houston, one of the most fearsome pass rushers in the league during his heyday with the Chiefs, is coming off of a two-year stint with the Colts. He’s no longer a First Team All-Pro talent, but he was still productive in Indy, averaging 9.5 sacks per year over his two Colts campaigns. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics assigned him middling grades in both run and pass D, but the 32-year-old would be an asset to most any pass rushing corps.

That list would have included the Steelers, who could have slotted him opposite of two-time All-Pro T.J. Watt. Instead, they chose Ingram, who offers a much stronger resume than the likes of Quincy Roche, youngster Alex Highsmith, and Cassius Marsh.

Houston should be able to land a deal, though the other clubs previously tied to him have also found DE help elsewhere. The Colts snagged Michigan’s Kwity Paye in the first round while the Ravens landed Penn State’s Odafe Oweh. On the other hand, the Ravens might be willing to give Houston a low-cost, one-year deal now that they’re without Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue.

Jets Sign Second-Round WR Elijah Moore

July 21st, 2021 at 10:15pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets are one step closer to officially signing their entire draft class. The team announced this evening that they’ve signed second-round receiver Elijah Moore.

Per ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter, the four-year deal is fully guaranteed through the first three seasons of the pact. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the deal is worth a total of $8.94MM, and ESPN’s Rich Cimini tweets that the deal includes a $3.86MM signing bonus.

Moore had a standout career at Ole Miss, and he had his best collegiate season during the 2020 campaign. The receiver finished with 1,257 yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, earning him first-team All-SEC honors and a consensus All-American nod. Thanks to that performance, the Jets made Moore the second pick of the second round (No. 34 overall).

Despite the presence of free agent addition Corey Davis, 2020 second rounder Denzel Mims, and 2020 receiving leader Jamison Crowder, Moore should have an opportunity to contribute immediately. He’ll initially slot in as the fourth wideout behind that aforementioned trio, although the likes of Keelan Cole or Vyncint Smith could push for snaps with strong preseasons.

With this signing, the Jets only have one unsigned draft pick: second-overall pick Zach Wilson.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/21

July 21st, 2021 at 9:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

New England Patriots

New York Giants

San Francisco 49ers

Steelers LB Devin Bush Expected To Be Cleared For Training Camp

July 21st, 2021 at 7:41pm CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers lost one middle linebacker today, but the team got good news on another. According to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter), linebacker Devin Bush is recovering nicely from his torn ACL and is expected “to be cleared to fully practice right away.”

[RELATED: Steelers LB Vince Williams Announces Retirement]

The former first-round pick tore his ACL in October, limiting him to only five games last season. He had appeared in every Steelers defensive snap up to that point of the season, collecting 26 tackles and one sack. That performance followed a rookie campaign where Bush collected 109 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, and four fumble recoveries, leading to him earning PFWA All-Rookie Team honors.

Bush made a cameo at OTAs, and the hope was that he’d be fully healthy by Week 1. It sounds like he’ll be fully healthy much earlier than that, allowing the 23-year-old to truly prepare for the upcoming campaign. Bush will regain his starting gig in 2021, and he’ll presumably start alongside Robert Spillane.

The Steelers learned earlier today that veteran linebacker Vince Williams was calling it a career. The 31-year-old was expected to play a significant role behind both Bush and Spillane.

49ers Sign Third-Round RB Trey Sermon

July 21st, 2021 at 6:18pm CST by Ben Levine

The 49ers have signed a key member of their draft class. The team announced today that they’ve signed third-round running back Trey Sermon to his rookie contract. Per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter), the four-year deal is worth $4.87MM.

Sermon spent his first three years of college at Oklahoma, including a breakout 2018 campaign where he finished with 1,128 yards from scrimmage and 13 touchdowns. He had a fraction of the carries in 2019, leading to his transfer to Ohio State as a graduate student. During his lone season with the Buckeyes in 2020, Sermon ran for 870 yards and four scores on 116 carries.

The running back improved his draft stock with a standout postseason performance. He had an incredible game against Northwestern during the Big Ten Championship, setting a single-game school record with 331 rushing yards. He added another 254 yards from scrimmage in the Sugar Bowl, but he was knocked out of the National Championship after getting injured on the first play.

The 49ers ended up selecting the 22-year-old with the No. 88 pick in this year’s draft. An injury to Jeff Wilson could open some temporary playing time for the rookie, although he’ll likely find himself behind at least veterans Wayne Gallman and Raheem Mostert to start the season.

With the signing, the 49ers only have two unsigned draft picks: quarterback Trey Lance (1.3) and cornerback Ambry Thomas (3.102).

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