2021 September - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers Won’t Put Christian McCaffrey On IR

September 27th, 2021 at 2:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for Christian McCaffrey. Panthers head coach Matt Rhule says his injured hamstring won’t require a stint on the injured reserve list (Twitter link via Darin Gantt of the team website).

This means that CMC could return in less than three games, which would have been the minimum stint on IR. The Panthers are hoping to avoid a repeat of last year, when the running back missed all but three games with a shoulder injury. When healthy, there are few playmakers quite like McCaffrey.

In 2019, CMC set the league on fire with 2,392 all-purpose yards and 19 touchdowns. And, through his two games-and-change this year, McCaffrey looked sharp with 52 carries for 201 yards and a touchdown, plus 16 grabs for 163 yards.

Meanwhile, cornerback Jaycee Horn will likely land on the IR list now that he’s set for surgery on his broken foot. In a best case scenario, Horn could still return towards the end of the season. In the meantime, he’ll be replaced by newcomer C.J. Henderson, a highly-touted first rounder from just last year.

Panthers Promote Rashaan Melvin

September 27th, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have signed Rashaan Melvin to the active roster (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). After moving between the practice squad and the gameday roster, the veteran cornerback will dress for this week’s game.

Melvin, 31, has appeared in two of the Panthers’ three games so far. Now, he’ll be tasked with providing depth in the wake of Jaycee Horn‘s injury. The

Melvin is now a six-team veteran, having previously played for the Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Raiders and Lions. He was on track to play for the Jaguars last season too, but he opted out during the pandemic.

His last live action came with the Lions, when he was a 12-game starter in 2019. To date, he has 40 career starts under his belt.

Melvin will be joined in the secondary by former first-round pick C.J. Henderson. Earlier today, the Panthers sent tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round pick to the Jaguars in exchange for the UF product and a fifth-round choice.

Jaguars Trade C.J. Henderson To Panthers

September 27th, 2021 at 9:10am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have agreed to trade former first-round pick C.J. Henderson and a fifth-round choice to the Panthers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). In return, the Panthers will send tight end Dan Arnold and a third-round pick to the Jaguars.

Henderson will provide immediate help in the secondary, since the Panthers are going to be without Jaycee Horn for a while. Through his first three pro games, the No. 8 overall pick showed promise as he notched three tackles and one interception to his credit. Henderson, meanwhile, has struggled to find his footing as a pro.

The Jaguars’ old regime made Henderson the No. 9 overall pick in 2020. He went on to appear in just eight games, due to a reserve/COVID-19 list stint and shoulder labrum surgery. Reportedly, even when he was there, the ex-Florida Gator appeared to be disinterested at Jags practice. Still, teams were interested in acquiring him this summer, including the Saints.

With Henderson out of the picture, the Jaguars will move forward with Shaquill Griffin and Tre Herndon as their boundary corners with Chris Claybrooks in the slot. Meanwhile, Urban Meyer & Co. will focus on developing rookie second-rounder Tyson Campbell for a larger role.

On the other side of the ball, Arnold provides Trevor Lawrence with an intriguing weapon. Last year, Arnold finished with 31 grabs for 438 yards and four touchdowns for the Cardinals. He went on to sign a two-year, $6MM deal with the Panthers, but he’s seen just eleven targets through three games while rookie Tommy Tremble has gotten more of the attention.

Giants’ Blake Martinez Done For Year

September 27th, 2021 at 8:45am CST by Zachary Links

Blake Martinez‘s season is over. On Monday morning, the Giants linebacker was diagnosed with a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo).

This was the immediate fear after Martinez was forced out of Sunday’s game with a non-contact injury. It’s a bad blow for the Giants, on the heels of their latest defeat and a gruesome leg injury for offensive lineman Nick Gates. The Giants are now 0-3, without two of their team captains for the rest of the year.

Martinez moved on from the Packers last year to ink a three-year, $30.75MM deal with the Giants. Installed as the Giants’ left inside linebacker, he tallied 151 tackles, three sacks, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and one interception in his Big Blue debut. This year, he’ll finish with 23 stops in three games.

Martinez, 28 in January, will focus on recovery as he looks ahead to his next walk year in 2022. In theory, the Giants will have an escape hatch once Martinez gets medical clearance next year. He’s due to carry a $14MM cap number, but they can save $8.525MM with $5.5MM in dead money if they drop him. But, given his production while healthy, they’ll likely keep him in the fold.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/27/21

September 27th, 2021 at 8:14am CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Placed on IR: LB Daelin Hayes

Carolina Panthers

Promoted: CB Rashaan Melvin (story)

Denver Broncos

Signed (off Raiders practice squad): WR David Moore

Las Vegas Raiders

Waived: RB Trey Ragas

New York Giants

Signed (off WFT practice squad): G Wes Martin

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Activated off Reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Kevin Minter

This Date In Transactions History: Chargers’ Melvin Gordon Ends Holdout

September 26th, 2021 at 8:13pm CST by Zachary Links

More often than not, NFL stars tend to wrap their holdouts in late August. That’s just enough time to drum up leverage, potentially land a new contract, and suit up for the season opener in September. That wasn’t the case for Melvin Gordon in 2019. Two years ago today, Gordon ended his holdout after missing the entire offseason program and multiple weeks of action.

The running back was set to enter his fifth-year option season and wanted a lucrative new deal to put among the highest-paid players at his position. In the four years prior, Gordon averaged 907 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground plus 46 catches, 395 yards, and three scores through the air. The Wisconsin product was named to the Pro Bowl in both 2016 and 2018, so he clearly had a case.

Gordon’s holdout was viewed as unlikely to stretch the entire season. Per league rules, Gordon had to report before Week 10 in order to qualify for free agency the following year. Still, Le’Veon Bell‘s 2018 saga with the Steelers had everyone on edge. For weeks, the word was that Gordon would probably cut it close by showing up at the halfway point of the year.

The star running back didn’t go quite that far. He didn’t dress for Week 4, but the Chargers put him back in the lineup for Week 5. Unfortunately, the Chargers still went 3-9 with Gordon on the field and finished the year 5-11. Gordon’s stats suffered too. He averaged just 3.8 yards per carry, one of the worst showings of his career.

On the plus side, he stayed healthy throughout the three-quarters of a season, putting him in line for a decent payday with the Broncos. Gordon’s two-year, $16MM deal didn’t quite meet his expectations, but he still got $13.5MM guaranteed. Now, Gordon’s in his walk year once again. This time around, he’s on pace for a better platform year. Gordon averaged 5.5 yards per carry in the Broncos’ first two contests and notched his 47th career TD earlier today against the Jets.

Texans “Soften” Asking Price For Deshaun Watson

September 26th, 2021 at 4:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Texans have begun to “soften” their asking price for embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. With the trade deadline approaching, it’s possible that Watson could be dealt in the next month.

“Watson made it clear he does not want to play for the Houston Texans,” Glazer said during today’s telecast. “But it’s interesting because while we went into this season, the Texans were not really fielding phone calls. They weren’t open to trade talks unless somebody was going to give them a ridiculous trade offer – more than six draft picks. They’ve already been offered three ones and three threes. However, I was told this past week their stance started to soften a little bit with that.”

The Dolphins remain the “obvious” trade partner for Watson, though owner Stephen Ross seems to be deferring to his less-enthused front office for now. At last check, the Texans had some substantial offers for Watson, though interested clubs want those picks to have conditions attached. Namely, safeguards that would lessen the blow if Watson is suspended or parked on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.

As it stands, Watson could immediately play for any team that trades for him. Still, that could change any minute, pending the outcome of his 22 lawsuits, 10+ police complaints, or the whim of the league office.

WFT’s Taylor Heinicke Could Keep Starting Job

September 26th, 2021 at 10:41am CST by Zachary Links

Taylor Heinicke might be here to stay. The Washington quarterback has a real chance to keep his grip on the starting role, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

Heinicke will start on Sunday afternoon against the Bills in place of Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is dealing with a painful hip subluxation. Fitz, who has been placed on injured reserve, could be able to return by mid-November. But, depending on how things go in the coming weeks, the veteran could wind up holding the clipboard for the former UDFA.

The Old Dominion product helped the WFT top the Giants in his first start this year. In that game, Heinicke completed 34 of 46 of his throws for 336 yards and two touchdowns against one interception.

Just a few weeks ago, there was talk of Ron Rivera pursuing old pal Cam Newton. Now, Washington seems especially high on Heinicke. With Kyle Allen as his safety net, he’ll try to advance WFT to 2-1 today.

NFL: Cowboys’ La’el Collins Tried To Bribe Drug Test Official

September 26th, 2021 at 10:24am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL believes that Cowboys right tackle La’el Collins attempted to bribe the league’s drug-test collector, according to sources who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. This would help to explain Collins’ recent five-game ban.

Collins reportedly did not test positive between October 21, 2020 and August 11, 2021. However, he’s missed seven tests along the way. The player’s camp claims that many of those missed tests were due to the pandemic, but attempted bribery is a different matter.

Schefter adds that the NFLPA helped to negotiate a reduction of the suspension, lowering it from five games to two. Instead, Collins filed an appeal and lost. The arbitrator reinstated the full five-game ban, which means that he’ll be out until Week 8, following the Cowboys’ bye. Collins has filed yet another appeal, but it’s believed to be something of a longshot.

All of those game checks will cost Collins approximately $2MM while also canceling next year’s $6.5MM injury guarantee. In the meantime, the rest of the 1-1 Cowboys are set to face the Eagles on Monday night in Dallas.

Colts To Start Carson Wentz

September 26th, 2021 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts will start Carson Wentz today against the Titans (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). This marks a shockingly fast turnaround for the quarterback, who suffered injuries to both of his ankles last week.

Wentz told reporters on Wednesday that he was “throwing the kitchen sink” at his injured ankles in hopes of getting ready. Then, he managed to return to practice on Friday and got through his drills without any setbacks. Still, he had to practice with his ankles heavily taped, so backup Jacob Eason will go into today’s game ready to play, if necessary. Brett Hundley has also been elevated from the practice squad in case of emergency.

Things haven’t gone according to plan for the Colts so far. Now 0-2, they’ve already allowed Wentz to absorb six sacks. He enters today’s game with 498 passing yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.

On the other side of the ball, they’ll have support from newly promoted defensive tackle Antwuan Woods. Woods, 28, played on 57% of the Cowboys’ snaps in 2018 and worked as a full-time starter. The former UDFA started 10 games in 2019 but saw his role reduced during a woeful Dallas defensive season in 2020. He could have an opportunity to shine again as he takes linebacker Jordan Glasgow‘s spot on the active roster.