2021 August - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles Trade Matt Pryor To Colts

August 31st, 2021 at 10:06am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have traded guard/tackle Matt Pryor to the Colts. In exchange, the Colts will send a sixth-round round pick from the Birds while sending their own seventh-round choice back to Philly.

It’s a small upgrade for the Eagles, who were set to release Pryor before today’s 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline. The Eagles still have a ways to go with upwards of 20 players to drop in order to get to 53.

Pryor, 26, saw the most action of his career last year with 15 games and ten starts. With Pryor out of the picture, the Eagles are set (for now) to move forward with former Colts swing man Le’Raven Clark and Jack Driscoll for tackle support.

Patriots To Move Stephon Gilmore To Reserve/PUP List

August 31st, 2021 at 10:03am CST by Sam Robinson

Stephon Gilmore will not begin his season until at least October. The Patriots are moving the All-Pro cornerback to the reserve/PUP list, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

Although Gilmore has been embroiled in a contract impasse with the Pats, he also is on the mend from a quadriceps injury. This roster move will sideline the former Defensive Player of the Year for the first six weeks of the season. Gilmore cannot return to practice until these six weeks are up, either.

A partially torn quad ended Gilmore’s 2020 season after 11 games. With this injury occurring in December of last year, it stands as concerning it will affect Gilmore’s 2021 campaign. The Patriots made numerous offseason additions to bolster their offense and defense, but Gilmore certainly serves as a key component to the team returning the playoffs. The team does have young standouts J.C. Jackson and Jonathan Jones and moved free agent signing Jalen Mills back to corner. New England also acquired rookie Shaun Wade from Baltimore. But Gilmore’s absence will make their jobs more difficult.

This has been a multi-issue offseason for the standout defender. The Patriots still have Gilmore attached to his 2017 deal — a five-year, $65MM contract that has become team-friendly — and the 10th-year veteran has pushed back against playing the 2021 season on it. The sides spent months at odds on this issue, though it was not believed to be a contentious matter. Gilmore, 31 in September, reported to the team for training camp. But has yet to practice and will not end up doing so for several more weeks.

Cowboys Cut Garrett Gilbert, Ben DiNucci

August 31st, 2021 at 9:59am CST by Sam Robinson

Same as it ever was. Dak Prescott will begin his sixth season as the Cowboys’ starting quarterback, and Cooper Rush is set to be his backup. The Cowboys, however, will part ways with two other quarterbacks — Garrett Gilbert and Ben DiNucci — on roster cutdown day.

Gilbert and DiNucci played roles during Dallas’ dreadful 2020 season, which featured Prescott go down in October and Rush begin the season with Jason Garrett in New York. A year later, the Cowboys have restored their late-2010s status quo.

“I just think that he’s shown that he can run the complete offense,” Jerry Jones said of Rush. “Credit to him, he had some tough competition. Those guys didn’t cut him any slack. He’s had a lot of reps – a lot of our quarterbacks have, because of the absence of Dak.”

Rush spent three seasons with the Cowboys, from 2017-19, and will be the only non-Prescott passer on this year’s squad. The Cowboys signed Gilbert off the Browns’ practice squad shortly after Prescott went down. DiNucci arrived in Dallas as a 2020 seventh-round pick. Both quarterbacks ended up making one start apiece last season, one that featured plenty of Andy Dalton, who departed for Chicago in March.

Texans Won’t Trade Deshaun Watson Today

August 31st, 2021 at 9:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Texans are not expected to trade Deshaun Watson before today’s 4pm ET/3pm CT roster deadline, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link). Barring something unexpected, the Texans are poised to keep him into the regular season and, possibly, for the entire year.

This jibes with recent word that the Texans are willing to have Watson on the 53-man roster and inactive every week moving forward. Before the allegations, the Texans received offers including three first-round picks. Now, there are still offers with picks on the table, but clubs want those picks to be conditional based on Watson’s availability to play. For now, the Texans aren’t willing to accept such contingencies.

Watson would reportedly prefer a trade to the Dolphins but would not veto a deal that sends him to the Panthers. For now, he’s getting neither — the Texans are set to pay him $10.54MM to not play for them this season.

Lions To Cut WR Geronimo Allison

August 31st, 2021 at 9:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Geronimo Allison‘s bid to return to action after a 2020 opt-out decision is on hold. The Lions informed the veteran wide receiver he did not make their 53-man roster Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The former Packers wideout will follow fellow veteran Breshad Perriman out the door in Detroit, which is going with Tyrell Williams and a host of young receivers. The Lions also acquired third-year wideout Trinity Benson from the Broncos on Tuesday morning.

An ex-UDFA, Allison served as a four-year Green Bay contributor. In 2019, he played in 16 games and made six starts. In four Green Bay slates, Allison totaled 89 catches for 1,045 yards and six touchdowns. The Lions signed him in March 2020 but will cut ties nearly 18 months later without the 27-year-old veteran having played in a regular-season game.

Detroit has revamped its receiving corps considerably this offseason, to go along with its Matthew Stafford-for-Jared Goff swap. Goff’s weaponry will enter the season as one of the league’s lowest-profile receiving groups.

Bills Cut Jacob Hollister

August 31st, 2021 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have released tight end Jacob Hollister (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). For now, that leaves Dawson Knox, Tommy Sweeney, Quintin Morris, and Nate Becker as the Bills’ remaining TEs.

After two years of limited usage in New England, Hollister enjoyed a breakout 2019 season with the Seahawks, hauling in 41 receptions for 349 yards and three touchdowns. Then, he went from 59 targets to just 40 looks in 2020. He finished out with 25/209/3.

Then, when the Seahawks’ new one-year Gerald Everett deal pushed him out, he agreed to a one-year deal with the Bills. Hollister reunited with his old Wyoming teammate Josh Allen, but it didn’t last long.

Hollister posted four catches for 53 yards in three preseason games for the Bills this year. He’ll likely land with another club before the end of the week.

Patriots To Release Cam Newton, Name Mac Jones Starting QB

August 31st, 2021 at 9:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Bill Belichick has made his quarterback decision, and it will lead to one of the competitors being released. Mac Jones is set to start in Week 1 for the Patriots, according to the Boston Globe’s Jim McBride. The Pats, in turn, are releasing Cam Newton.

This move will cost the team $3.5MM in dead money, though offset language will allow New England to collect up to $1.5MM if Newton signs elsewhere. The Patriots did not try to trade Newton before cutting him, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio (on Twitter).

The Patriots continued to declare Newton their starter throughout the offseason and into the preseason. Newton took first-team reps for the bulk of training camp, but a five-day period away from the team — due to a COVID-19 issue that did not involve a positive test — allowed Jones extra work. The first-round pick capitalized and has fared well in his first NFL offseason.

This decision will allow Newton to catch on elsewhere, rather than sticking as a backup. While it is unclear if the former MVP will re-emerge as a full-time NFL starter, given his struggles as a passer in recent years, the Pats will not retain him to play behind Jones. They will make this move despite re-signing Newton and guaranteeing him moderate cash this offseason. Veteran backup Brian Hoyer still resides on New England’s roster and will be in line to mentor the Alabama-developed rookie.

Newton, 32, will end up being the stopgap between Tom Brady and Jones. The longtime Panther QB1 did not initially sign with the Patriots until late June of 2020, and he ended last season with just eight touchdown passes in 15 starts. The former No. 1 overall pick tested positive for COVID-19 last year and missed a start but logged his most games since the 2017 season. After injuries cut his 2018 and ’19 seasons short, Newton showed he could stay healthy. He will now look for a third NFL employer.

Jones overtaking Newton will set up an intriguing Week 1 matchup in which Jones will face the Dolphins and previous Alabama starter (Tua Tagovailoa). The less mobile Jones took over after Tagovailoa’s severe hip injury late in the 2019 season and dominated for the national championship-winning 2020 Crimson Tide squad. Jones completed 77% of his passes and finished with a 41-to-4 touchdown pass-to-interception ratio.

Linked to the 49ers for weeks at No. 3 overall, Jones fell to 15th. The Patriots did not need to trade up to land their new starter, separating them from many teams who took first-round QBs in recent years. And Jones did enough to join Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson as Week 1 starters from the 2021 QB class.

Saints To Release RB Devonta Freeman

August 31st, 2021 at 9:03am CST by Sam Robinson

Devonta Freeman‘s time with the Saints will end after exactly a month. After a late-summer signing, New Orleans will release the veteran back, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

After an injury cut Freeman’s Giants season short last year, he returned to the NFC South on a July 31 deal with the Saints. The Saints’ Alvin Kamara– and Latavius Murray-topped depth chart does not feature much work for other backs, and Freeman will head back to free agency.

The former Pro Bowler was a hotter commodity in 2020, having made several visits before his in-season Giants signing. But Freeman was believed to have set too high an asking price, leading to his lengthy 2020 stay in free agency. He ended up with the Giants and averaged just 3.2 yards per carry on 54 totes in the wake of Saquon Barkley‘s Week 2 injury.

The Giants waived Freeman in January, clearing a path for him to join the Bills during their playoff run. Freeman caught on with Buffalo’s practice squad. The former Super Bowl LI starter did not see any postseason action with the Bills.

While last year’s injury spared Freeman an extensive workload, marking the second time in three years he finished a season with fewer than 60 carries, it also docked his stock. Once the NFL’s highest-paid running back — via his 2017 extension with Atlanta — the 29-year-old veteran is running out of chances.

49ers To Trade LB Jonas Griffith To Broncos

August 31st, 2021 at 8:52am CST by Sam Robinson

Tuesday has marked a two-trade morning for new Broncos GM George Paton. After sending wide receiver Trinity Benson to the Lions, the Broncos are acquiring linebacker Jonas Griffith from the 49ers.

Griffith will head to Denver in exchange for a 2022 sixth-rounder and a seventh in 2023, Mike Klis of 9News notes. San Francisco will also send a 2022 seventh-rounder to Denver in this deal. This trade construction is similar to the deal Paton completed with Detroit, which involved Benson and a pick going to the Lions in exchange for two draft choices.

A 250-pound linebacker out of Indiana State, Griffith arrived in the NFL as a UDFA last year. He spent time on the Colts and 49ers’ practice squads and landed a reserve/futures deal with San Francisco in January. He figures to contribute as a special-teamer in Denver.

Lions To Waive LB Jahlani Tavai

August 31st, 2021 at 8:45am CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions attempted to find a taker for former second-round pick Jahlani Tavai ahead of Tuesday’s roster cutdown deadline, but no such trade materialized. Detroit’s new regime is moving on, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

This marks another recent second-round pick to falter in Detroit. The Lions waived 2018 second-rounder Kerryon Johnson earlier this year. After going off the 2019 draft board 43rd overall, Tavai is now on waivers.

Tavai came up in trade talks as recently as Monday, per SI.com’s Albert Breer, but Brad Holmes and Co. instead ended up cutting the Bob Quinn-era draftee. The Lions used Tavai as a starter in 16 games — 10 in 2020. Pro Football Focus graded the University of Hawaii product as one of the worst off-ball ‘backers in the league last season.

That said, two years remain on Tavai’s rookie contract. The young middle linebacker profiles as a potential waiver claim elsewhere. Teams have until 3pm today to pare their rosters down to 53 players, but subsequent waiver claims will change franchises’ roster constructions.