2021 August - Pro Football Rumors

Texans To Sign CB Rasul Douglas

August 24th, 2021 at 4:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rasul Douglas did not last long in free agency. The veteran cornerback agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Texans on Tuesday, Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson tweets.

The Texans worked out Douglas earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This continues a busy run for the rebuilding team at the corner spot. The Texans have made two trades involving corners in the past two days, acquiring Ka’dar Hollman from the Packers and dealing John Reid to the Seahawks.

Douglas could not stick with the Raiders, with the team releasing him in order to trim its roster down to 80 players, but has four years’ experience. He will join veterans Bradley Roby, Vernon Hargreaves, Desmond King and Terrance Mitchell in Houston, which has signed numerous midlevel veterans to short-term deals under new GM Nick Caserio.

This marked the second straight summer in which Douglas failed to make a 53-man roster, with the Eagles waiving him last year. The Panthers claimed him shortly after, and the former third-round pick started 11 games for the rebuilding squad. Douglas’ vested-veteran status allowed him to bypass waivers this time around, and he was working out barely 24 hours after being informed of his Raiders release.

Pro Football Focus was moderately impressed with Douglas’ 2020 work, slotting him just outside its top 60 at cornerback. Douglas played a special teams role during the 2017 Eagles’ run to their Super Bowl title and started in the ’18 Eagles’ two playoff contests. Overall, the soon-to-be 27-year-old defender has started 29 career games since the Eagles selected him out of West Virginia.

49ers Move LB Mychal Kendricks To IR

August 24th, 2021 at 4:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mychal Kendricks‘ 49ers stay looks set to be brief. The team placed the veteran linebacker on IR Tuesday. Kendricks will no longer be eligible to suit up with San Francisco this season. The team also released cornerback B.W. Webb.

The recently signed linebacker is battling turf toe, an injury he sustained while playing in the 49ers’ second preseason game. The 49ers signed the veteran defender just last week, after he impressed during a workout. This marks another health setback for Kendricks, who suffered an ACL tear late in the 2019 season and saw his 2018 season end due to a broken leg.

Kendricks could play this season, but the 49ers would need to cut him from their IR list — which appears likely — via an injury settlement. However, the nine-year veteran’s run of bad injury breaks will limit his appeal. The 49ers had reached a unique arrangement, signing Kendricks to play for former teammate DeMeco Ryans, who is now the team’s defensive coordinator. This would be Kendricks’ age-31 season. He has played with Philadelphia, Seattle and Washington.

Webb caught on with San Francisco earlier this month as well but did not impress enough to make it past Tuesday’s second cutdown deadline. The 31-year-old veteran has not played since the 2019 season and has never played for the same team in back-to-back years. The 49ers were his 10th NFL stop.

Webb last played for the Bengals in 2019, when he started 12 games. The slot corner also worked as a primary starter in 2018, lining up as a Giants first-stringer in 13 contests.

Additionally, the 49ers released veteran edge defender Shilique Calhoun and waived wide receiver River Cracraft and offensive lineman Corbin Kaufusi.

Patriots Claim TE Kahale Warring

August 24th, 2021 at 3:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

After the Texans gave up on former third-round pick Kahale Warring, the Patriots will give the young tight end an opportunity. The Pats claimed Warring off waivers Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The Texans, who are now run by longtime Bill Belichick right-hand man Nick Caserio, cut Warring in their move down to 80 players. The former Bill O’Brien-era draftee will now report to Foxborough, where O’Brien once worked. This marks the highest offseason waiver priority the Patriots have held in decades, so it would not surprise if more waiver moves followed in the coming days.

New England’s claim comes after some tight end issues affected its roster. The Pats placed both Dalton Keene, a 2020 third-round pick, and Troy Fumagalli on IR. While the Pats devoted considerable resources to upgrading their tight end corps this offseason, signing Hunter Henry and Jonnu Smith, they are a bit thin at the position entering their third preseason game. Henry is also down with an injury, though he remains on the Pats’ active roster.

Warring did not contribute much with the Texans. The 6-foot-5 San Diego State product caught just three passes in two seasons and played in just seven games. He missed all of the 2019 season due to injury and also spent a chunk of the 2020 campaign on IR.

Warring, 24, was not all that prolific with the Aztecs, either, totaling 49 catches for 620 yards and six touchdowns over his final two seasons. Two years remain on Warring’s rookie contract.

Jets Place Vinny Curry On Reserve/NFI List

August 24th, 2021 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

More bad news for the Jets’ pass rush. They placed defensive end Vinny Curry on their reserve/non-football injury list Tuesday. This will sideline Curry for the entire 2021 season.

The veteran edge rusher underwent an undisclosed offseason surgery and did not participate during the Jets’ training camp, residing on the team’s active/NFI list. Gang Green moving the ex-Eagle to the reserve/NFI list marks more unavailability for its thinning pass rush, with the move coming after the team lost Carl Lawson for the season due to an Achilles tear.

The Jets signed Curry in late March, giving him a one-year, $1.3MM deal that includes $1.1MM fully guaranteed. Curry has 32.5 career sacks in nine NFL seasons. The 33-year-old defensive end has spent all but one season with the Eagles but signed with the Jets to be a role player in Robert Saleh‘s new scheme. The Jets’ edge-rushing group is now even lighter on experience, and the team is looking into trades.

Beyond ex-49er Ronald Blair, who has not played since midway through the 2019 season due to injury, New York is down to the likes of John Frank lin-Myers (two career starts; five career sacks) and struggling third-round pick Jabari Zuniga (zero, zero) on the edge. Kyle Phillips (seven, 1.5) is on the team’s active/PUP list. The team will almost certainly add an edge rusher or two in the coming days.

Just ahead of the deadline for teams to pare their rosters from 85 to 80 players, the Jets also waived four — wide receivers Josh Malone and Manasseh Bailey, tackle Tristen Hoge and linebacker Edmond Robinson.

Dolphins To Cut OT Jermaine Eluemunor

August 24th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Dolphins will cap Jermaine Eluemunor‘s Miami stay at less than three months. After signing the veteran tackle in June, the team opted to cut him on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Miami is also placing wide receiver Lynn Bowden on IR, per Pelissero (on Twitter).

Eluemunor, who spent the past two seasons with the Patriots, was vying for a backup tackle gig in Miami. The Dolphins have done some shuffling on their offensive line, but they will move on without the four-year veteran ahead of the deadline for teams to cut their rosters down to 80 players.

This move comes days after the team acquired third-year tackle Greg Little from the Panthers. The Dolphins have now parted ways with multiple veteran O-linemen since the start of training camp. They placed D.J. Fluker on IR and reached an injury settlement to jettison the guard.

Eluemunor started eight games for the Pats last season, filling in for a team that again was down Isaiah Wynn for a stretch and one that lost Marcus Cannon to an opt-out choice. Pro Football Focus graded Eluemunor as a middle-of-the-road tackle, slotting him 47th at the position in 419 snaps. Eluemunor visited the Broncos earlier this year, but Denver opted to sign Bobby Massie and Cameron Fleming to fill its Ja’Wuan James-created void at right tackle.

The Dolphins acquired Bowden from the Raiders last summer, marking a strange NFL path for the 2020 third-round pick. Bowden contributed in a few Fins games, catching 28 passes for 211 yards for a receiver-deficient team. Miami expanded its wideout group this year, signing Will Fuller and drafting Jaylen Waddle in Round 1. Albert Wilson‘s return gave the Dolphins more depth, and Bowden was battling for a roster spot.

While the Dolphins could keep Bowden on IR all season and develop him, players who land on IR at this time of the year are often subsequently released from teams’ injury lists via injury-settlement payments. It is unclear if the Dolphins play to remove Bowden from IR via that transaction, but Tuesday’s move ensures he cannot play for the team in 2021.

The Dolphins also waived wideouts Robert Foster and Isaiah Ford, cutting the former with an injury designation.

Seahawks To Sign Luke Willson, Release Pierre Desir

August 24th, 2021 at 2:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The John Reid trade did not mark the only cornerback transaction for the Seahawks on Tuesday afternoon. They are releasing Pierre Desir, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

Desir’s surprising release will clear a roster spot for Luke Willson, whom Rapoport adds will return to the Seahawks. Willson, 31, made a return visit to Seattle on Monday. The veteran tight end has twice headed elsewhere, but he will once again return to the Pacific Northwest and aim to contribute as a role player.

The Seahawks originally drafted Willson in the 2013 fifth round. He signed with the Lions in 2018 and spent time with the Raiders in the summer of 2019, earning some Hard Knocks screen time with the latter, but ended up back in Seattle for the ’19 season. After a short stint with the Ravens last year, Willson re-signed with the Seahawks in December. They will now add him to a group that is again dealing with a notable injury.

Colby Parkinson is rehabbing from a second foot fracture. Willson will team with Will Dissly and free agency addition Gerald Everett, though the veteran should not be expected to play a big part in Seattle’s passing game. Willson has not surpassed 200 receiving yards in a season since 2016.

Desir’s departure is somewhat strange for a team that is not exactly oozing high-end cornerback talent. Though, it does continue a trend for the soon-to-be 31-year-old defender. The Colts cut Desir in March 2020, and the Jets ended up cutting him during the season.

Desir, who caught on with the Ravens last year, has been with five teams — including two Seahawks stints, the previous one coming from 2016-17 — but has enjoyed quality stretches. He worked as a full-time starter in 2018 and ’19 with the Colts, who extended him in 2019. The former Division II standout will look for a new home ahead of what would be his eighth NFL season.

Jaguars Place Travis Etienne On IR

August 24th, 2021 at 2:33pm CST by Zachary Links

2:33pm: Etienne’s injury Monday night will knock him out for the season. The Jaguars placed the Clemson product on injured reserve. While the NFL is again allowing players to return from IR after three weeks, that only applies after the season begins. Due to landing on IR now, Etienne cannot play for the Jags until 2022. This certainly marks a brutal blow for a player who was on the 2020 first-round radar but opted to return for his senior season.

Jacksonville has the depth to withstand this blow, but after surprisingly selecting Etienne in Round 1, the team is now down a key asset that stood to help Trevor Lawrence. Etienne and Lawrence starred together at the ACC powerhouse for the past three years. Etienne’s four-year, $12.898MM rookie contract is fully guaranteed.

1:31pm: Jaguars first-round running back Travis Etienne has been diagnosed with a serious Lisfranc injury that will sideline him for several months (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). Doctors will monitor his progress from here, but the injury is a potential season ender.

The injury forced him out of Monday night’s preseason loss to the Saints. At minimum, doctors say Etienne will be out for 12 weeks following surgery. Considered a top prospect in the 2020 class, the Clemson product surprised many by returning for his senior season. His yards-per-carry figure dropped from 7.8 to 5.4, which probably helped the Jaguars secure him at No. 25 overall.

Despite the dropoff, the Jags were excited to add him given his upside, 1,600-yard seasons (2x), and 70 career rushing TDs. Even though he was outshined by Alabama’s Najee Harris last year, he’s a solid prospect in his own right. Some scouts say that Etienne even improved in certain parts of the game, like receiving and pass blocking.

Fortunately, the Jaguars are still well equipped at RB with rising star James Robinson and veteran Carlos Hyde leading the way. They also plan to deploy him him at WR occasionally when he returns, but they’ve got D.J. Chark, Marvin Jones, and Laviska Shenault to hold down the fort in the interim.

Seahawks To Acquire Texans CB John Reid

August 24th, 2021 at 2:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rather than cutting John Reid, the Texans found an 11th-hour taker for the second-year cornerback. The Seahawks are acquiring Reid, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The Texans had planned to merely waive the 2020 draftee ahead of the 3pm CT deadline for teams to trim their rosters to 80 players, but they will now obtain something in return.

Seattle will send Houston a conditional seventh-round pick in the 2023 draft. This marks the second straight day the Texans have made a trade involving both a cornerback and a seventh-round pick. Houston sent a 2022 seventh to Green Bay for Ka’Dar Hollman on Monday — a move that helped pave Reid’s way out of town.

The Penn State product, however, generated interest and will have a chance to stick with the Seahawks. Reid played in 13 Texans games last season and made 13 tackles. Houston used Reid on 145 defensive snaps during his rookie year. Reid checks in at just 5-foot-10, which is a bit shorter than the corners the Seahawks usually target. He did have a four-season role with the Nittany Lions, intercepting seven passes from 2015-19.

The Seahawks, who lost Shaquill Griffin in free agency, have made a few additions at this position this year. They signed Ahkello Witherspoon, brought back Damarious Randall — whom they are moving back to corner after his years-long run at safety — and drafted Tre Brown in Round 4.

Panthers Extend Robby Anderson

August 24th, 2021 at 12:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers will keep Robby Anderson around for a while. On Tuesday, the wide receiver agreed to a two-year, $29.5MM re-up (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The deal gives him $14.75M per year and more than $20MM guaranteed at signing.

This marks yet another lucrative short-term deal for Anderson, who inked a two-year, $20MM contract with the Panthers last year. Now set to enter his age-28 season, the former UDFA will have a chance to cash in all over again before his 30th birthday.

After reconnecting with old Temple pal Matt Rhule, Anderson set new career highs in receptions (95) and yards (1,096). In fact, the 95 catches were 32 more than the 6’3″ wideout ever totaled in a single season. He also had three touchdowns, a mark that he could easily top in 2021.

Anderson was always a downfield threat with the Jets, but he really put it all together in Joe Brady‘s Panthers offense. Together with D.J. Moore, the WRs combined for nearly 2,300 yards in their first season together. The Panthers are expecting more of the same going forward, though they’ll have to address Moore’s deal beyond 2022.

Panthers Cut DT Caraun Reid

August 24th, 2021 at 9:19am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have released defensive tackle Caraun Reid and defensive end Kendall Donnerson, per a club announcement. Combined with their three cuts from Monday, the Panthers are now down to the 80-man max in advance of today’s deadline.

Reid has played for seven NFL teams since coming into the league in 2014. The veteran now has a chance to accomplish a rare NFL feat. Should he make a new team’s 53-man roster, he’ll have played for six teams in the past six years.

The 29-year-old (30 in November) bounced on and off the Jaguars’ active roster in 2020. He saw time in seven games with Jacksonville last season — all as a backup. Before that, he started three games for the 2019 Cardinals and played for the Cowboys, Lions and Chargers in the three previous years. Reid also spent time with the Colts and Washington but never saw regular season action with those teams. Overall, the Princeton alum has played in 54 games and started 16.

Donnerson, a former seventh-round pick of the Packers, has also inked deals with the Raiders, Bengals, and Saints. However, he has yet to see live action.