2021 August - Pro Football Rumors

Vikings Waive RB Ito Smith, 2 Others

August 28th, 2021 at 4:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ito Smith‘s Vikings stay will end up being short. Five days after signing the young running back, the Vikings waived him. They also waived offensive lineman Cohl Cabral and defensive tackle Zeandae Johnson.

This marks the third time a team has cut Smith this year. The Falcons waived him in April, and the Cardinals moved on from the fourth-year back earlier this month. Smith spent barely a week in Arizona. These quick exits do not bode well for the former Atlanta rotational back to land out a meaningful role in 2021. Though, teams’ backfields often change due to injury, opening the door to street free agent ball carriers.

A fourth-round pick in 2018, Smith has averaged north of 4.3 yards per carry in each of the past two seasons. He totaled 268 rushing yards on 63 attempts last year, splitting time with Todd Gurley and Brian Hill. Of the Falcons’ top three 2020 backs, only Hill has a gig (with the Titans) presently.

Teams have until 3pm Tuesday to cut their rosters from 80 to 53 players. Many of the players waived next week will be candidates to land practice squad jobs, with the NFL greenlighting a second season of 16-man P-squads. Players waived early, however, obviously stand to have less of a chance to stick around in that regard.

Colts QB Sam Ehlinger Suffers ACL Sprain

August 28th, 2021 at 4:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Sam Ehlinger‘s promising preseason came to a halt Friday night, and the rookie quarterback will miss time due to injury. Ehlinger suffered an ACL sprain, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Although he will not require surgery, a five-week absence will be expected, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

While exams not revealing a full tear represents good news for the Colts, who have seen positive signs from their sixth-round rookie this summer, the team now has less protection in the event Carson Wentz is not ready to play in Week 1. Ehlinger and Jacob Eason were vying for Indianapolis’ backup job; Eason appears set to win that by default.

Ehlinger completed 3 of 3 passes Friday before exiting the game late in the first half with the knee issue. Eason completed 10 of 14 passes for 74 yards. The Texas product had moved up to split first-team practice reps with Eason during training camp, putting himself in position to be a September stopgap starter in the event Wentz could not go. Now, Ehlinger will be a candidate to begin the season on IR. The Colts could stash Ehlinger there and activate him when he recovers, but they would need to carry him onto their 53-man roster after Tuesday’s cutdown day to do so.

Wentz returned to practice this week and continues to progress toward a Week 1 return from foot surgery, joining Quenton Nelson in that regard. This would allow the Colts to dodge a bullet. They refrained from bringing in a veteran to fill Wentz’s post while he rehabbed, instead entrusting Eason and Ehlinger. Brett Hundley is also on Indy’s roster, but he last started a game in 2017.

49ers Waive WR Richie James

August 28th, 2021 at 3:44pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

SATURDAY: The 49ers will drop James from their roster for the time being. San Francisco waived the wide receiver with an injury designation and re-signed wideout River Cracraft to take James’ roster spot.

FRIDAY: As the preseason winds down, the 49ers have suffered a significant injury. Receiver Richie James has a knee issue that requires surgery, head coach Kyle Shanahan announced Friday.

Shanahan said the injury will keep James sidelined for at least six weeks. A hamstring injury limited James to 11 games last season, but he still managed to play a pretty big role on offense. After serving mostly as a return man during his first two years in the pros, James was thrust into a more prominent position due to San Francisco’s health issues at receiver.

He ended up finishing with 23 catches for 394 yards and a touchdown in those 11 games. Often used as a deep threat, he averaged a robust 17.1 yards per reception. His true breakout came during a Thursday Night Football game you may recall, when he had 184 yards against the Packers.

After returning 33 in 2019, James only returned six punts last year as he focused on his receiving work. The timeline presented by Shanahan means he’ll miss at least the first handful of regular season games. He’ll presumably go on IR after the cutdown to 53 so that he’ll be able to play again this season.

It’s a tough break for the Middle Tennessee product as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. He was a seventh-round pick back in 2018. James was expected to be the punt returner again in 2021, a role which now will likely fall to veteran Travis Benjamin.

Colts Claim TE Kahale Warring

August 28th, 2021 at 3:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Kahale Warring will head back to the AFC South and be with a third team in less than a week. After the Patriots waived the young tight end, the Colts submitted a successful claim for him, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

A Texans third-round pick in 2019, Warring landed on the waiver wire after Houston cut him Monday. New England came through with a claim but jettisoned the San Diego State product soon after. The Colts attempted to claim Warring initially, and after losing out to the Pats’ waiver priority, they were awarded the third-year pass catcher this time around.

The early returns on Warring are not good. Injuries have limited the former prospect to just seven games in two seasons, and his resume includes three receptions in that span. Warring missed all of his rookie season due to injury. Warring is still just 24 and has seen a few teams show interest this week. The Saints also tried to claim Warring earlier this week. It is not yet known if New Orleans submitted a second claim like Indianapolis did. The Colts had the better waiver priority, due to finishing the 2020 season with a worse record.

Indianapolis has Jack Doyle and Mo Alie-Cox as its top two tight ends, with the team also having used a fourth-round pick on Kylen Granson this year. Warring could profile as a practice squad developmental candidate, but that would mean the Colts passing him through waivers next week.

Panthers Cut K Joey Slye, 6 Others

August 28th, 2021 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers are beginning to move their roster toward the 53-man limit. Shortly after the trade for Ryan Santoso, the team cut its incumbent kicker — Joey Slye — and six other players.

In addition to Carolina waiving Slye, the team cut safety Doug Middleton, tackle Martez Ivey, wide receiver Ishmael Hyman, linebacker Paddy Fisher and linebacker Jonathan Celestin. The Panthers waived running back Darius Clark with an injury designation. Of this crop, only Middleton is a vested veteran who can avoid the waiver wire.

As evidenced by Matt Rhule trying 65- and 67-yard yard field goals against the Saints and Chiefs last season, Slye has one of the strongest legs in the NFL. His placement on the wire may affect another team’s kicking situation. The wire is currently determined by 2020 record, so the Jaguars and Jets will have the first crack at the young kicker.

Slye, 25, kicked for the Panthers for the past two seasons. He replaced Graham Gano in Carolina. Gano is now with the Giants, who ended up delivering the Panthers Slye’s replacement in Santoso. Slye did miss seven field goals last season, though two of them came from beyond 65 yards. The Virginia Tech product also missed seven tries (25-for-32) in 2019, when he took over for an injured Gano.

A five-year veteran, Middleton played in 10 games with the Jaguars last season as a backup. The Panthers’ roster currently sits at 71 players.

Dolphins Frontrunners For Deshaun Watson?

August 28th, 2021 at 1:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite no clarity having emerged on the Deshaun Watson legal front, trade buzz has resurfaced. Long connected to a possible run at the Texans quarterback, the Dolphins may well have circled back to pursuing him.

The Dolphins are believed to be the favorites to acquire the embattled passer, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports (on Twitter). The Texans do appear to be negotiating, per Robinson, who adds the Broncos, Eagles and Panthers have expressed interest. However, the no-trade clause that allows Watson to block a deal to an undesirable destination has impacted the talks and moved Miami to the front (Twitter link).

Although Watson’s value has veered into a strange place, with the 22 civil suits and a Houston PD investigation clouding the Pro Bowler’s football career, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes that a trade may well take place in the coming days. Watson no longer appears to be in the Texans’ plans. He is not atop their depth chart and has not practiced with the team in a notable capacity this year.

While the Panthers re-emerged as a player in these talks, they may not be as interested as the Dolphins. Carolina is not believed to be a serious Watson suitor at this point, according to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones and The Athletic’s Joe Person (Twitter links). The Panthers were perhaps the most interested in Watson earlier this year, but the off-field issues changed the organization’s thinking on this front. Carolina is rolling with Sam Darnold for the time being, though the team almost certainly would have moved on Watson sooner if the legal issues did not crop up.

Were the Dolphins to pull the trigger on such a deal, they would certainly draw ire from a portion of their fanbase — due to the numerous allegations of sexual assault and misconduct that surfaced this year — and it would represent a massive organizational pivot. The team was linked to Tua Tagovailoa ahead of the 2019 draft, when it passed on that year’s crop of QBs, and used the No. 5 overall pick on 2020 on the Alabama product. Tagovailoa did not prove to be a quick study as a rookie, though he was coming off a severe hip injury. Punting on the young southpaw so early would surprise, but the Dolphins were believed to be interested in Watson prior to the off-field trouble surfacing earlier this year. Prior to the lawsuits, Miami had prepared a big offer.

A Watson trade would not necessarily end Tagovailoa’s time in Miami, per ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Beasley, but it would seem the second-year passer would need to head elsewhere to continue his career if the more established QB is Florida-bound (Twitter link).

Compensation in a trade will obviously be a significant issue. The Texans have sought a package of three first-round picks and change, with second-rounders and/or proven players also believed to be desired by the rebuilding squad. It will be difficult to imagine a team giving up all that for Watson at this time, but thus far, the Texans have stood firm on their asking price — particularly in a deal involving an AFC team. The NFL refusing to place Watson on the commissioner’s exempt list has put the Texans in a tough spot, but unloading Watson now would be selling low — in the event the team cannot pry three first-rounders and change in a deal.

Ravens Trade OL Greg Mancz To Dolphins

August 28th, 2021 at 12:50pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens have made their second trade of the week. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Baltimore has traded offensive lineman Greg Mancz to the Dolphins for a late-round draft pick. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley clarifies (on Twitter) that Mancz and a seventh-round pick (acquired from the Patriots earlier this week) will head to Miami, with the Dolphins sending the Ravens a sixth-round pick.

Mancz, a former undrafted free agent, spent six years with the Texans, starting 13 of his 28 games. However, the veteran struggled to get on the field during his final two seasons in Houston, combining for only 13 games played. This included a 2020 campaign when he saw time in only four games, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.

The 29-year-old joined the Ravens practice squad late last season, and he inked a reserve/futures contract with the team in January. However, as the preseason went on, most pundits dropped the veteran from their roster predictions.

Now, Mancz will have a chance to stick around Miami. The veteran could be useful thanks to his versatility; he’s lined up at center, guard, and right tackle throughout his career. The Dolphins’ offensive line appears to be just about set, but the team could be looking for some reinforcement after second-round rookie Liam Eichenberg suffered an injury during this week’s practice. Adam Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com speculates that today’s move could also cost veteran Matt Skura his roster spot. The veteran center already found himself behind Michael Deiter on the depth chart, and cutting the 28-year-old could save Miami $1.4MM against the cap.

Jaguars Sign WR Devin Smith

August 28th, 2021 at 10:20am CST by Ben Levine

Devin Smith has earned himself another NFL gig. The veteran wide receiver signed with the Jaguars today, per ESPN’s Michael DiRocco (via Twitter). The team also signed offensive lineman Jermaine Eluemunor.

Smith was a standout playing for current Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer while the two were at Ohio State, and that performance made Smith a second-round pick by the Jets in 2015. The wideout proved to be a disappointment, as he collected only 10 receptions for 135 yards and one touchdown in 14 games (three starts) through two years with the team. To be fair, a torn ACL derailed his rookie campaign, and another ACL tear in 2017 forced him to miss the entire season. The receiver was ultimately waived by the team in 2018 and ended up sitting out that entire season, as well.

He got another chance in 2019 with the Cowboys, finishing with five receptions for 113 yards and one touchdown in four games (two starts). He was released by Dallas prior to last season, and he spent most of the 2020 campaign on the Texans and Patriots practice squad. New England held on to him for much of the 2021 offseason before ultimately cutting him last month.

In Jacksonville, Smith will have an uphill battle to make the roster. The Jaguars have DJ Chark, Laviska Shenault Jr., and Marvin Jones leading their depth chart, with notable names like Phillip Dorsett, Jamal Agnew, Laquon Treadwell, and Pharoh Cooper listed as backups.

Eluemunor, a 2017 fifth-round pick out of Texas A&M, spent two seasons with the Ravens before getting traded to the Patriots in 2019. The lineman spent two seasons in New England, appearing in 22 games with eight starts. He signed with the Dolphins earlier this offseason but was cut by the team earlier this week.

Eagles Release QB Nick Mullens

August 28th, 2021 at 10:07am CST by Ben Levine

Following their acquisition of Gardner Minshew, the Eagles have cut a quarterback. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team has released Nick Mullens.

Mullens had spent the first four seasons of his career with the 49ers, seeing time in 19 games (16 starts). While San Francisco only went 5-11 in those 16 starts, Mullens still put up respectable numbers, completing 64.5-percent of his passes for 4,714 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 22 interceptions. That included a 2020 campaign where the 26-year-old tossed 12 touchdowns while guiding the 49ers to a 2-6 record in eight starts.

Mullens inked a one-year deal with the Eagles back in June, and he was expected to serve as a third quarterback behind Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco. However, the organization pivoted a bit this morning, acquiring Minshew from the Jaguars. As a result, Mullens earned his walking papers, making him a free agent.

Considering the quarterback’s starting experience, there’s a good chance Mullens finds another gig as a backup. In fact, several reporters (including Brian Costello of the New York Post and Ralph Vacchiano of SNY) speculate that Mullens could be an option for the Jets. Besides his connection to current head coach (and former 49ers defensive coordinator) Robert Saleh, Mullens is also familiar with current Jets offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur, who had spent the previous four years serving as San Francisco’s passing game coordinator. Plus, as Vacchiano tweets, the Jets got a recent up-close look at Mullens; the team participated in joint practices with the Eagles this week, and Mullens completed 10 of his 14 pass attempts in last night’s preseason contest.

Jaguars Trade QB Gardner Minshew To Eagles

August 28th, 2021 at 9:18am CST by Ben Levine

Minshew Mania is heading to Philly. The Jaguars are trading quarterback Gardner Minshew to the Eagles, reports NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). Jacksonville will receive a conditional sixth-round pick. That sixth-round pick could turn into a fifth-round pick if Minshew plays in at least 50-percent of his team’s snaps in three individual games, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

With the Jaguars landing the first-overall pick and can’t-miss prospect Trevor Lawrence, Minshew found himself in the rumor mill for much of the offseason. The organization naturally wanted to see what they had in Lawrence before making a hasty decision on their other signal caller, but the writing was on the wall when coach Urban Meyer announced Lawrence as the Week 1 starter. While Minshew would have been a reliable contingency plan in the event of an injury to Lawrence, the Jaguars were apparently looking to cash in on their number-two quarterback as soon as possible. Today’s move means C.J. Beathard will slide in as Lawrence’s definitive backup.

While Minshew probably would have been that definitive backup quarterback in Jacksonville, he’ll now find himself third on the depth chart in Philly. According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter), today’s trade has done nothing to shake up the Eagles depth chart, as starter Jalen Hurts and backup Joe Flacco have solid holds on their jobs. So, as Rapoport notes on Twitter, the Eagles are acquiring Minshew as a reclamation project/developmental piece, with the reporter noting that the front office loves to “collect and develop talent at the most important position.” In fact, the team considered using a late-round pick on a developmental quarterback during the 2021 draft (per Rapoport); instead, they used a 2022 late-round pick on a 25-year-old with 23 games of experience.

Considering his production, Minshew could find himself eventually climbing the depth chart in Philadelphia. The team committed more than $3MM to Flacco, so it’s most likely that the team carries three quarterbacks for much of the season. Minshew has cap number of $898K in 2021 and $1.01MM in 2022, providing the Eagles with a low-cost option as they try to get clarity on their quarterbacks situation in 2021.

Minshew transformed from a little-known, 2019 sixth-round pick into a sensation during his rookie campaign. Filling it for Nick Foles, Minshew ended up starting 12 of his 14 games, completing 60.6-percent of his passes for 3,271 yards, 21 touchdowns, and only six interceptions. He also guided the Jaguars to a 6-6 record during his 12 starts. The Jaguars took a clear step back in 2020, but Minshew still put up solid numbers. While Jacksonville went only 1-7 in Minshew’s eight starts, the quarterback still completed 66.1-percent of his passes for 2,259 yards, 16 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. He’s also shown some versatility outside of the passing game, collecting 497 rushing yards on 96 career carries.