HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Colts Cut Eddy Pineiro

August 24th, 2021 at 9:13am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have cut kicker Eddy Pineiro (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). That leaves Rodrigo Blankenship as Indy’s top leg moving forward and puts a decent kicker on the waiver wire just before the start of the season. 

Pineiro was perfect throughout the preseason but the Colts have decided to go in another direction. Pineiro joined the Colts back in May and seemed to have a real chance of unseating Blankenship. The UDFA out of Georgia was shaky throughout 2020, going just 1-of-3 from 50+ yards. Blankenship was supposed to be an accuracy kicker, but he also had a few critical misses from close range. To his credit, he did go 43 of 45 on extra point tries.

Pineiro appeared in all 16 of the Bears’ 2019 games, going 23-of-28 on field goals (82.1%) and 27-of-29 XPs. He’s perhaps best known for the trade that sent him from the Raiders to the Bears, furnishing Las Vegas with an extra seventh-round draft choice.

The rest of the league will have 24 hours to claim Pineiro. If he goes unclaimed, he’ll be free to sign with any club.

Falcons To Sign QB Josh Rosen

August 23rd, 2021 at 11:05pm CST by Sam Robinson

Shortly after the Falcons lost A.J. McCarron to a season-ending ACL tear, they have agreed to terms with Josh Rosen. The recently cut 49ers quarterback will head to Atlanta, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Schultz (on Twitter).

This will mark Rosen’s fifth team since 2018. The former Cardinals top-10 pick was in Miami by 2019 and spent the 2020 season in Tampa and San Francisco. The 49ers, however, made Rosen one of their first training camp cuts this year. The UCLA product cleared waivers shortly before McCarron’s injury, opening the door for this marriage of convenience.

Rosen has not played since the 2019 season, having spent the 2020 campaign on the Bucs’ practice squad and as a 49ers backup. The Falcons, however, have seen their QB room become light on experience behind Matt Ryan. Following longtime backup Matt Schaub‘s retirement, the Falcons signed McCarron. His ACL tear left rookie UDFA Feleipe Franks as Atlanta’s lone quarterback behind Ryan on the depth chart.

The fourth quarterback selected in 2018’s five-QB first round, Rosen has drawn some bad cards to start his career. He struggled on an overmatched Cardinals offense in 2018, and the franchise’s Kliff Kingsbury hire led to Rosen being traded to the Dolphins during the 2019 draft. Starting a rebuild, the Dolphins plugged in Rosen for three starts. Ryan Fitzpatrick held onto that job for most of the season. Rosen did not move up to the Bucs’ active roster during his time on what turned out to be a Super Bowl-winning team.

Overall, Rosen has not shown much to justify that original 10th overall draft position. The 24-year-old QB has completed just 55% of his passes (on 5.7 yards per attempt) and has thrown 12 touchdown passes compared to 19 interceptions. Rosen will attempt to learn a fifth offense, but Ryan has been one of the most durable players of his generation. The 14th-year Falcons passer has missed just three games in his career.

AFC East Rumors: Patriots, Jets, Phillips

August 23rd, 2021 at 11:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots‘ quarterback battle will tilt toward Mac Jones this week, by default. Cam Newton will not be permitted to practice with the team until Thursday. A COVID-19 issue will force the veteran quarterback to work virtually, according to the Patriots, who have called this a misunderstanding that stemmed from Newton traveling to a team-approved medical appointment outside Foxborough. Newton has not tested positive for the coronavirus, per the team, but an issue with his testing cadence caused this hiccup. Like Kirk Cousins and Lamar Jackson this month, Newton’s unvaccinated status has complicated matters for his team. Only unvaccinated players are tested daily; vaccinated players also are exempt from five-day isolation periods. One of the practices Newton will miss will be a joint workout with the Giants.

Until Monday, Jones had lined up with the Pats’ second-team offense, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes. This week certainly represents an opportunity for the first-round pick to gain ground. Both Newton and Jones played well in New England’s second preseason game, and OC Josh McDaniels said the 32-year-old incumbent remains the starter. The Pats have not named a Week 1 starter, however. Here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • Rather than give Jamal Adams a top-market contract, the Jets moved on via a blockbuster trade. It turns out, they were involved in a similar negotiation barely a year ago. Adams wanted to be the Jets’ highest-paid player and sought the $17.5MM-per-year figure — which would have surpassed C.J. Mosley‘s $17MM AAV — that he ended up getting from the Seahawks, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes. With the Broncos having yet to move Justin Simmons past the $15MM-AAV barrier, Adams’ ask was even farther beyond the safety salary range in 2020. Adams landing his Seattle extension last week, however, stands to benefit Marcus Maye in 2022. The Jets and Maye were not close on terms at July’s franchise tag deadline, pushing Adams’ former sidekick toward free agency next year.
  • Morgan Moses has not locked up the Jets’ right tackle job just yet, with Cimini adding that incumbent George Fant has pushed the longtime Washington starter. Fant has split first-team reps with Moses, with the team listing each as a starter on its depth chart. Fant started 14 Jets games at right tackle last year; Moses started every Washington game for the past six years at the position. Despite Moses’ superior resume, Fant is attached to a $9.1MM-per-year deal while Moses signed a one-year, $3.6MM pact after his Washington release. This is an interesting issue for the Jets to have, given their struggles up front over the past few years.
  • Bills defensive tackle Harrison Phillips seems to have both avoided a serious injury and run into a potentially problematic issue. The fourth-year D-lineman left Buffalo’s second preseason game with an injury NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport classified as not serious (Twitter link). Sean McDermott, however, said the injury is to the same knee that required ACL surgery in 2019. It does not look like Phillips is in danger of missing too much time, per McDermott, but this will be an issue for the Bills to monitor ahead of the rotational lineman’s contract year.
  • The Patriots attempted to interview Packers executive Chad Brinker this offseason, but Albert Breer of SI.com notes Green Bay blocked the move. The Pats wanted to meet with Brinker about a job helping manage their salary cap. Brinker would have rejoined ex-Packers exec Eliot Wolf in New England. Instead, the Packers promoted him.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/23/21

August 23rd, 2021 at 9:28pm CST by Zachary Links

We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here. Teams have until 4pm ET/3pm CT Tuesday to reach the 80-man roster limit.

Arizona Cardinals

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts 

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Signed: OT Jonathan Hubbard
  • Released from IR via injury settlement: Sam Renner

Tennessee Titans

Bills Place G Forrest Lamp On IR

August 23rd, 2021 at 9:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the second of this year’s cutdown days approaches, the Bills made multiple additions. However, they also placed guard Forrest Lamp on IR. Lamp will not be able to suit up for the Bills this season.

A calf injury prevented Lamp from practicing much during Buffalo’s training camp, and the team will move him to IR to save a roster spot. The former Chargers second-round pick could play this season, but only if he and the Bills reach an injury settlement that takes him off the team’s IR list. The NFL’s newly flexible IR rule, which allows players to return to active rosters after three weeks, only applies after the season starts.

Injuries have dogged Lamp for most of his pro career. He missed all of his 2017 rookie season with an ACL tear, and he missed the second half of the 2019 season due to a broken ankle. Overall, the former higher-end offensive line prospect has been limited to 25 games as a pro. However, 16 of those came last season.

The Bolts used Lamp as a 16-game starter but did not re-sign him, leading the Western Kentucky product to Buffalo. The Bills guaranteed $350K of Lamp’s one-year, $1.1MM contract.

In other Bills transactions Monday, they signed running back Kerrith Whyte and cornerback Tim Harris and waived wide receiver Duke Williams with an injury designation. Teams have until 3pm Tuesday to pare their rosters to 80 players.

Texans To Waive CB John Reid

August 23rd, 2021 at 8:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second straight day, the Texans will make a recent midround draft choice an early cut. They are waiving second-year cornerback John Reid, according to Sports Talk 790’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).

The Texans drafted Reid in the 2020 fourth round and used him as a starter in a game last season. Of course, considerable changes have taken place in Houston since. Many of the franchise’s Bill O’Brien-era draft picks are no longer on the roster. Three years remain on Reid’s contract, should another team use a waiver claim on last year’s No. 141 overall pick.

[RELATED: Packers Trade CB Ka’Dar Hollman To Texans]

Reid’s departure comes a day after the Texans informed former third-round tight end Kahale Warring he did not make it through their second round of cuts. Teams have until 3pm CT Tuesday to slash their rosters from 85 to 80.

A Penn State product, Reid played in 13 Texans games last season and made 13 tackles. Houston used Reid on 145 defensive snaps during his rookie year. New GM Nick Caserio did not draft any corners this year but did add Desmond King, Terrance Mitchell and Tavierre Thomas this offseason, creating a more crowded mix for the team’s holdovers to navigate. Monday’s Hollman acquisition further increased the Texans’ numbers here, and Reid wound up on the wrong side of the roster crunch.

Breshad Perriman On Lions’ Roster Bubble

August 23rd, 2021 at 7:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions made Breshad Perriman and Tyrell Williams the veteran components of their post-Kenny Golladay/Marvin Jones receiving corps. But only Williams appears certain to be part of Detroit’s 2021 squad.

Perriman has moved onto the Lions’ roster bubble, Justin Rogers of the Detroit News notes. The former first-round pick has dealt with a hip injury during camp, but even when available, the journeyman wide receiver has not impressed.

“There just hasn’t been enough out there,” Dan Campbell said of Perriman’s injury-limited camp, via Rogers. “He had the hip injury and then he comes back, he was solid the other night for the plays that he had, but yet he had an OPI, which he knows better than. … I think he’ll be better coming off of this hip. But I think that room right now is still up for grabs. I think there is a heavy competition going on in that room right now.”

The rebuilding team has one of the NFL’s thinnest receiving crews, so it would be surprising if Perriman did not survive the final cuts. The Lions guaranteed the veteran deep threat $2MM as part of his one-year, $2.25MM agreement. The 28-year-old pass catcher also has played for new Lions receivers coach Antwaan Randle El previously (with the Buccaneers in 2019).

Perriman has played for four teams in the past four years, moving from Baltimore to Cleveland to Tampa to New York. With the Jets in 2020, the 6-foot-2 wideout caught 30 passes for 505 yards and three touchdowns.

Williams and fourth-round rookie Amon-Ra St. Brown appear to be the only locks to make the team, per Rogers, with the latter on track to be the Lions’ primary slot receiver. Second-year wideout Quintez Cephus and veteran Kalif Raymond are vying to start opposite Perriman, which was designed to be Perriman’s role. The Lions also have ex-Packer Geronimo Allison and former UDFA Victor Bolden on their roster, and Campbell said ex-UDFA Tom Kennedy has made a push to make the team after a strong preseason thus far.

Raiders Tried To Reacquire Khalil Mack From Bears

August 23rd, 2021 at 7:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

Lacking an impact pass rusher since trading Khalil Mack to the Bears in 2018, the Raiders signed Yannick Ngakoue to bolster their defensive end corps in March. However, before that agreement came to pass, the team hatched a rather unusual plan.

Just before signing Ngakoue, the Raiders contacted the Bears about reacquiring Mack, Vic Tafur of The Athletic reports (subscription required). Both the Bears and Raiders made cap-related moves this spring, each shedding some starters for financial reasons. The Raiders wondered if the Bears, who would soon shop Kyle Fuller before making him a cap casualty, would send Mack back to them amid their cap crunch.

In what still had to be a fascinating phone call on the Bears’ end, they told the Raiders they were not interested in trading Mack, Tafur adds. Mack, now 30, is going into his fourth season with Chicago. The Bears’ top pass-rushing cogs — Mack, Robert Quinn, Akiem Hicks — are all north of 30 now. But the team was not interested in what would have been one of the more interesting trades in modern NFL history, given the nature of Mack’s Oakland exit three summers ago.

The Raiders’ decisions to extend Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson in the summer of 2017 while making Mack wait — a common practice made possible by the fifth-year option being included in first-rounders’ deals — irked Mack, per Tafur. And the Raiders devoting funds to lower-profile free agents during Jon Gruden‘s first months back in power bothered the pass rusher to the point he broke off contact with the team. The Raiders signed a host of midlevel free agents that March — from Jordy Nelson to Rashaan Melvin to Tahir Whitehead — and Mark Davis said in 2018 Mack refused to talk to Gruden and then-GM Reggie McKenzie going forward.

Davis cited Carr’s contract when addressing whether the Raiders could afford Mack, and Gruden noted that year the Raiders’ extension offer to Mack was not close to the six-year, $141MM contract he signed with the Bears post-trade. The Raiders received two first-round picks, a 2020 third and a 2019 sixth for Mack. They drafted Josh Jacobs and Damon Arnette with the first-rounders, while the Bears took Cole Kmet with the 2020 second-rounder they collected in the September 2018 blockbuster.

Mack, who is 3-for-3 in Pro Bowls with the Bears, is signed through the 2024 season. Pro Football Focus graded Mack as the No. 1 edge defender in 2020, despite his lower sack (nine) and QB-hit (13) totals. The Bears did end up using Mack’s contract to create cap space, restructuring it around the same time the Raiders phoned. Moving Mack before the 2023 offseason would bring forth significant dead-money charges for the Bears. On the Raiders’ end, they gave Ngakoue a two-year, $26MM deal. He will pair with Maxx Crosby and former No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell, who has not lived up to that draft slot to this point.

Ravens Release T Andre Smith, S Jordan Richards

August 23rd, 2021 at 6:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two experienced players comprised part of the Ravens’ second wave of cuts Monday. The team released both tackle Andre Smith and safety Jordan Richards. Baltimore also waived wide receiver Michael Dereus. Teams have until 3pm CT Tuesday to trim their rosters from 85 to 80 players.

Smith had been with the Ravens since before their 2019 postseason began. Baltimore signed the former top-10 pick in January 2020 and re-signed him shortly after that season ended. However, Smith opted out of the 2020 season. The 34-year-old blocker is back in free agency, which has been a familiar place for him in the latter part of his career.

Smith’s initial Bengals run ended after the 2015 season. The team, however, did bring Smith back in 2017 and 2018 — following single- and half-season stints with the Vikings and Cardinals, respectively — and used him as a five-game starter in 2019. Cincinnati’s most recent Smith partnership ended with a November 2019 release.

The veteran tackle has started 98 career games, but the Ravens have 2020 third-round pick Tyre Phillips behind starters Ronnie Stanley and Alejandro Villanueva. Baltimore also rosters Ja’Wuan James, though he is not expected to be healthy for months after tearing his Achilles this offseason.

A six-year veteran, Richards played in all 18 Ravens games last season. His primary contributions came on special teams; the Ravens used Richards on 79% of their special teams plays. Richards, 28, re-signed with the Ravens in January. He initially caught on with Baltimore midway through the 2019 season, after his second Patriots stint ended.

Cardinals Activate J.J. Watt From PUP List

August 23rd, 2021 at 5:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

J.J. Watt is now firmly on track for the Cardinals’ season opener. The team activated its high-profile free agency addition from the active/PUP list Monday. Watt had missed all of Arizona’s training camp due to a hamstring injury.

The Cardinals gave Watt a two-year, $28MM deal, beating out several other teams, and are hoping to pair the five-time All-Pro with Chandler Jones. Watt’s injury and Jones’ contract-related disenchantment have not made this an especially smooth camp for Cards pass rushers, but the duo is as of now en route to begin the season in Arizona’s lineup.

Watt missed most of the 2016 and ’17 seasons due to injury and saw a torn pectoral muscle sideline him for a lengthy stretch in 2019, but the future Hall of Fame pass rusher did play 16-game slates in 2018 and in 2020. This hamstring injury, which occurred during a conditioning test at the outset of camp, did not represent a great sign for Watt’s durability going into a 17-game season. But the Cardinals have exercised caution with the 32-year-old defensive end. His missing Week 1 due to this injury did not appear to be on the table.

Arizona also activated linebacker Dennis Gardeck from its PUP list. Gardeck suffered an ACL tear last season. The Cardinals still re-signed the former UDFA in April and hope to redeploy him for a fourth season. Gardeck has been one of the Cards’ top special-teamers, playing more than 70% of Arizona’s special teams snaps in each of his three seasons.

Load More Posts