HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Latest On Browns, Baker Mayfield

May 23rd, 2022 at 5:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Baker Mayfield is not planning to show for Browns OTAs, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Browns are surely fine with this, given the distraction their former starting quarterback could cause alongside their new one. Cleveland’s OTAs begin Tuesday.

The team has hung onto Deshaun Watson‘s disgruntled predecessor two months after his trade request surfaced, and Panthers and Seahawks interest has not reached the point where the NFC teams are satisfied with how much the Browns are willing to pay to move Mayfield off their roster. Cleveland has, however, expressed a willingness to pay a “good chunk” of Mayfield’s fully guaranteed fifth-year option salary ($18.9MM), Albert Breer of SI.com notes.

A game of chicken may well be taking place between the Browns and the NFC teams, whose quarterback depth charts have drawn consistent scrutiny. Carolina came closest to acquiring Mayfield, entering into trade talks with Cleveland, but it is rolling out a Sam Darnold–Matt Corral competition. Seattle is going with a Drew Lock–Geno Smith setup. Neither group inspires at this point, and the Browns may be betting one of the NFC teams agrees to their terms to finally upgrade at the game’s top position. But the chance the Seahawks or Panthers could land Mayfield for the league minimum exists. That has not enticed either to trade a low-level draft asset for the former No. 1 overall pick.

Because offset language exists in Mayfield’s rookie contract, he would not be able to double dip in salary this year. But if the Browns release him, the former Heisman winner could stick his old team with a $17MM-plus bill by signing for the league minimum ($1.1MM). As such, the Panthers or Seahawks agreeing to pay even a third of Mayfield’s current $18.9MM salary would mean decent savings for the Browns.

OTAs and minicamp could play a major role in how the Panthers and Seahawks proceed, as a healthy version of Mayfield would stand to be an improvement for both teams. Mayfield’s health and the presence of fellow trade-block resident Jimmy Garoppolo still impacts this saga as well. Seattle’s minicamp is scheduled to wrap up June 9; Carolina’s is slated to conclude its offseason program June 16. If neither team blinks, the Browns — who are likely to excuse Mayfield from their mandatory minicamp — will be forced into a decision ahead of training camp. Mayfield is expected to be ready for full participation, following his January shoulder surgery, by training camp, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes.

Eagles Claim CB Jimmy Moreland

May 23rd, 2022 at 4:40pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Eagles have added a second veteran cornerback in two weeks, with the latest also being a former NFC East cover man. Following James Bradberry‘s Philadelphia signing, the team claimed Jimmy Moreland off waivers.

Houston waived Moreland on Sunday, doing so after claiming him just before last season. A James Madison alum who became a Washington seventh-round pick in 2019, Moreland has not yet made it to free agency, being claimed twice. One season remains on Moreland’s twice-passed-around rookie contract.

Moreland, who intercepted a school-record 18 passes at James Madison and scored six defensive touchdowns, started five games for Washington in both the 2019 and ’20 seasons. He intercepted a pass in 2020 and allowed just a 74.1 rating while in coverage that season. Washington waived Moreland with an injury designation in 2021, leading to a Texans claim. He played in seven games and saw only eight defensive snaps with Houston last season.

The 5-foot-11 defender profiles as an option in the slot, with The Athletic’s Zach Berman noting he may represent competition for Josiah Scott to become Avonte Maddox‘s inside backup (Twitter link). If nothing else, Moreland provides more experience to a cornerback group that lacked it beyond Maddox and Darius Slay last week. Tay Gowan, Zech McPhearson and Kary Vincent were 2021 draftees; Gowan and Vincent did not see much playing time as rookies.

To make room for Moreland on their offseason roster, the Eagles waived defensive end Joe Ostman with a failed-physical designation.

Kyler Murray Skipping Cardinals’ OTAs

May 23rd, 2022 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Kyler Murray-Cardinals standoff calmed down around the draft, after the situation escalated in the weeks preceding it. But the Pro Bowl quarterback will stay away from his team while it is free to do so.

As the Cardinals begin their first set of OTAs this week, their centerpiece player did not report. Murray will not attend this week’s set of OTAs, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Given this offseason’s developments, it would be a surprise if Murray showed for the team’s final two sets of OTAs — June 1-3 and June 6-9 — absent an extension.

Although Kliff Kingsbury said he expects Murray to be at the team’s mandatory minicamp next month, all remains quiet on the contract front, Schefter adds. Murray’s camp has applied some pressure on the team to hammer out an extension, first seeking one before the draft. With that in the rear-view mirror, Murray can stay away from the Cards’ workouts for a bit.

While minicamp would be the next notable chapter here, training camp represents the point when this becomes a true stalemate. The 2020 CBA prevents teams from waiving fines for camp holdouts, which would put Murray to a test. The former No. 1 overall pick is attached to a $965K base salary this year, though he is playing out a contract that contained $35MM guaranteed. Murray has a bit more in the bank than most rookie-contract players, making a potential holdout more realistic than it otherwise would. The Cards also picked up his fully guaranteed fifth-year option — worth $29.7MM — for 2023.

For all the drama surrounding Murray’s future in Arizona, the fourth-year passer indicated last month he is not seeking to be traded. But he has long aimed for an extension ahead of this season. The team has kicked the can down the road a bit, with owner Michael Bidwill pointing to recent summer extensions for Patrick Mahomes (July 2020) and Josh Allen (August 2021) as a reason Murray should be patient. Kingsbury said Monday the team has not changed any plans regarding Murray being its long-term QB. The Cardinals, who have had just one quarterback start more than five seasons since relocating in 1988 (Jake Plummer, from 1997-2002), will soon be tested on the extension matter. The Browns’ Deshaun Watson deal made sure of that.

Jaguars’ Travis Etienne Cleared To Practice

May 23rd, 2022 at 1:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Travis Etienne missed the entirety of his rookie season, but there is further reason for optimism that he will be available at the beginning of the 2022 campaign. The running back has been cleared to practice in full, as detailed by Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. 

Head coach Doug Pederson confirmed that Etienne will be “set to work without restrictions” when OTAs begin this week. That will be a welcomed sign for the 2021 first-rounder, whom the team selected with the hopes of continuing the success he had with quarterback Trevor Lawrence at Clemson. A Lisfranc injury cost him his entire rookie campaign, however, and the team’s offense finished with the lowest point total in the league.

The 23-year-old provided an encouraging update in February, when he first began working out again. That pointed to a recovery in time for at least training camp, which would of course have a significant effect on the team’s running game and re-vamped offense in general. With James Robinson having suffered an Achilles injury in December, Etienne would likely be in line for a starter’s workload right away in 2022.

There were more positive signs in April, when Etienne returned to on-field drills. At that time, he confirmed that his recovery was still headed in the right direction. “If I didn’t know I had a screw in my foot, I couldn’t tell”, he said, adding that he was leaning towards having the screw removed. Regardless of his decision on that front, his return to full on-field work will provide Pederson with another intriguing young option as the Jaguars look to take a step forward in 2022.

Colts To Sign QB Nick Foles

May 23rd, 2022 at 12:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Days after it came out that the sides were nearing a deal, the Colts are indeed signing veteran quarterback Nick Foles. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (on Twitter) that Foles has agreed to terms on a two-year contract with Indianapolis. 

It was reported last week that the Colts were open to the prospect of adding a veteran to their QB room. Many believed that the signal-caller they would be most interested in would be Foles, given his connection to head coach Frank Reich. It was during their time together with the Eagles that Foles led the team to a Super Bowl title. He recently said, “I learned more with [Reich] and that staff in that season in 2017 than I ever have”.

Days later, it came out that the 33-year-old was nearing a deal with the Colts. When asked about the possibility of adding the familiar face, Reich said, “we’re not in a rush. There is a timing to the way things go, and the way the roster is put together, that is very intentional.” Now, almost immediately after those comments, the two have been reunited.

Foles most recently had a two-year stint in Chicago after a disappointing season spent in Jacksonville. He made seven starts in 2020, but was relegated to the No. 3 role this past year behind rookie Justin Fields and fellow veteran Andy Dalton. At the end of April, he was released, opening the door to this signing. The Colts had competition for his services, however, as ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler tweets that the Eagles were “involved” in Foles’ free agency leading up to his decision to join the former.

In Indianapolis, Foles will provide experienced depth behind Matt Ryan, whom the team has stated a desire to maintain as their No. 1 for multiple years. Should anything happen to him, Reich will now be able to lean on a trusted former colleague for at least the immediate future.

Fox Considering Drew Brees For Broadcasting Role

May 23rd, 2022 at 10:20am CST by Adam La Rose

Retired quarterback Drew Brees has made headlines recently, hinting at a potential return to the NFL. The far likelier career move he could be making, though, would involve changing broadcast networks. Andrew Marchand of the New York Post reports (on Twitter) that Brees is “a possibility” to work as an analyst for Fox Sports. 

The 43-year-old listed a return to playing football as a possibility last week in a social media post. While few believed that to be a genuine statement of intent to sign with the Saints (or any other NFL team), it did bring up the question of his next career choice. It was known, at that time, that he would not be returning to NBC Sports, with whom he worked last season.

Not long after, it was reported that Brees recently underwent shoulder surgery, which essentially ended any chance of a comeback. While that news doesn’t guarantee that he will once again work as a TV analyst, it could nevertheless steer him towards a second attempt at doing so. As Marchand states, Fox “will not break the bank for him, but the opportunity will be there”.

Should Brees choose to make the move, he would slot in on the network’s No. 2 broadcast team. As he made clear in his recent tweet, however, there are a number of other opportunities he may prefer to explore. In the coming weeks and months, his future should become clearer.

49ers To Sign TE Tyler Kroft

May 23rd, 2022 at 9:28am CST by Adam La Rose

San Francisco is already well-stocked at the top of the depth chart at the tight end position, but they are adding experienced depth. The 49ers are signing Tyler Kroft to a one-year deal, as announced by his agent (and passed along, on Twitter, by ESPN’s Adam Schefter). 

Kroft, 29, began his career with the Bengals in 2015, who drafted him in the third round. He played a rotational role in Cincinnati for the first two seasons of his career, but took on a starter’s workload in 2017. Starting all 16 contests in that campaign, he put up personal bests across the board, posting 42 catches for 404 yards and seven touchdowns.

Things took a turn for the worse in 2018, however. Kroft suffered a foot injury which ultimately landed him on IR and limited him to five games. Many felt that would limit the value of his next deal, but he received a three-year contract from the Bills that offseason. He was unavailable for 11 combined games across two seasons spent in Buffalo, again reduced to a rotational role when he was on the field.

That led him to a one-year deal with the Jets last offseason. The term of that contract was more in line with what was expected coming off of his Bengals tenure. In nine games in the Big Apple, Kroft made just 16 receptions, meaning it came as little surprise that he wouldn’t be returning after the team added C.J. Uzomah and Tyler Conklin in free agency.

In San Francisco, the Rutgers product will compete for playing time behind All-Pro George Kittle. If he can stay healthy, he should be able to contribute as a complimentary piece to the team’s passing game as they try to make another deep postseason run.

Seahawks Signing WR Marquise Goodwin

May 22nd, 2022 at 10:16pm CST by Ely Allen

The Seahawks are bringing in some veteran competition to camp with the signing of wide receiver Marquise Goodwin, according to Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network. Goodwin will be looking to use camp to solidify a spot on his fourth NFL team. 

Goodwin is a deep-threat wide receiver that was drafted out of Texas in the third round of the 2013 NFL Draft by the Bills. His best year in Buffalo saw him catch 29 passes for 431 yards and three touchdowns.

That performance convinced the 49ers to give him a chance and Goodwin gave them the best season of his career, catching 56 balls for 962 yards and two touchdowns. He was only able to play in 11 games the following year, but was still able to put up a career high four touchdown catches. He played in nine games to start the 2019 season, before being placed on injured reserve.

The 49ers traded Goodwin to Philadelphia in the next offseason for a swap of sixth round picks. Goodwin took the option available to all players that year: opting out of the 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stipulations in the trade agreement reverted Goodwin back to San Francisco and the Eagles received a seventh-round draft pick as a result of the failed deal. The 49ers released him the next day. Last season, Goodwin signed with the Bears, getting limited looks in 14 games of action.

Seattle returns their top three wide receivers in D.K. Metcalf, Tyler Lockett, and Freddie Swain, but, behind them, their fourth-most productive receiver was rookie D’Wayne Eskridge who had 10 receptions for 64 yards in 2021.

The deal should be a nice win-win opportunity for both sides: Goodwin getting another chance to contribute and Seattle getting a bit of bench depth for their wide receiver corps.

NFC Rumors: Jenkins, Eagles, Seahawks, Rams

May 22nd, 2022 at 9:48pm CST by Ely Allen

Offensive lineman Teven Jenkins was taken in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft last year by the Chicago Bears, but only got a small portion of his rookie season to earn a spot on the line. Well, according to Adam Jahns of The Athletic, the new Bears’ staff is giving him the best chance, alongside fellow 2021 Draft pick Larry Borom, to start at right or left tackle.

Jenkins underwent back surgery in the preseason last year and was placed on injured reserve. He returned and made his debut in early December, playing on special teams. An injury to left tackle Jason Peters opened the door for Jenkins and he subbed in for the next two weeks, returning to a reserve role after that.

New offensive line coach Chris Morgan has been pleasantly surprised by the two second-year players, so far, but remarks that “everything changes once the pads come on.” It appears, though, that, for now, the starting tackle jobs are Jenkins and Borom’s to lose.

Here are some other rumors from around the NFC, starting with a rumor out of the City of Brotherly Love:

  • The Eagles were the franchise that mercifully and excitedly put an end to the slide of presumed first-round pick Nakobe Dean. Dean ended up falling to the third round due to projections about his long-term health. The Eagles could’ve gone another route, though, according to Zach Berman of The Athletic. Berman says that Philadelphia reportedly had multiple trade offers to move back from the pick they used to select Dean. Due to their significant lack of of Day 3 picks, it would have made all of the sense in the world for them to take one of those teams up on their offers, but, lo and behold, the Eagles stood pat and drafted Dean, a testament to the confidence they have in his addition.
  • The Eagles weren’t the only team looking at the possibility of moving. According to Brady Henderson of ESPN, “the Seahawks tried to trade up into the late first round” of the 2022 NFL Draft for Penn State outside linebacker Arnold Ebiketie. Like Philadelphia, Seattle stood pat, hoping he may slide to them in the second round. Unfortunately for the Seahawks, Atlanta moved up to select Ebiketie two spots in front of them. Seattle ended up selecting Minnesota outside linebacker Boye Mafe instead. Mafe is no consolation prize but a strong pick in his own regard, having generated first-round buzz before slipping to the front of the second round. Seattle swung and missed on Ebiketie, but they most certainly did not strike out when they landed Mafe.
  • The Rams won Super Bowl LVI despite the losses before the game of tight end Tyler Higbee and safety Jordan Fuller. Fuller suffered an ankle injury in the team’s Week 18 loss to the 49ers and Higbee suffered a knee injury in the NFC Championship game. Both players underwent offseason surgery and, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, are “working their way back up to full football activity.”

Browns Rumors: Hunt, Watson

May 22nd, 2022 at 8:28pm CST by Ely Allen

Browns running back Kareem Hunt is heading into a contract year for the 2022 NFL season, after only appearing in eight games last year. Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com spoke on the contract situation, reporting that it seems very up in the air for now.

Hunt entered the 2021 season as the back up to Nick Chubb, racking up 361 rushing yards, along with five touchdowns before suffering a calf injury that would land him on injured reserve. He appeared in two more games after returning from injured reserve, but sat for the last four games of the season.

Cabot posits that if negotiations can be dealt with before camp is underway, it would bode well for Cleveland’s chances to keep the Hunt-Chubb tandem together. If no deal is reached by the time the season starts, though, it would be much less likely that Hunt stays in the orange and brown.

Hunt showed in Kansas City that he can be a lead back, and, with Nick Chubb firmly planted above him on the depth chart, Hunt may be willing to let this year be an audition to other teams to show that he is healthy and ready to take over lead-back responsibilities once again.

Here are a few more rumors from Cleveland, these concerning newly acquired quarterback Deshaun Watson:

  • Cleveland turned a lot of heads when they gave up a package that included three first-round draft picks to acquire Watson and then gave him a fully-guaranteed contract for $230MM, despite the 22 civil lawsuits he faces for alleged sexual misconduct and sexual assault. Mike Sando of The Athletic heard from several executives from around the NFL who thought the moved reeked of desperation. Many thought the deal showed team owner Jimmy Haslam putting head coach Kevin Stefanski and general manager Andrew Berry in a bind, forcing a move the two likely wouldn’t otherwise have made. They claim the move gives Watson undue power to force decisions and do whatever he wants, saying he “doesn’t need to listen to anybody.” One executive said that rewarding Watson with the fully-guaranteed contract basically was a statement that all of his publicized issues don’t matter.
  • Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic enlisted the help of Jason Fitzgerald, operator of OverTheCap.com, to talk about some of the deals made around the NFL this offseason. Fitzgerald addressed the opinion that Watson’s legal situation being ignored in the awarding of his fully-guaranteed contract will set a new precedent for guaranteed contacts around the league. “I don’t think it will,” Fitzgerald said. He continued, “I know I’m in the minority on that…He was basically a free agent. The Texans said, ‘Go out and sell yourself to these teams.’ And that was what he did…Deshaun Watson was essentially a free agent. I don’t think there’s any other quarterbacks that ever make it to free agency to where they’re even gonna have that opportunity.” He compared the situation to Kirk Cousins, when he signed his first fully-guaranteed deal, ignoring the obvious publicity issues that come with Watson’s situation. He even mentioned earlier in the article that he saw Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson pursuing a situation that will play out similar to Cousins’. So it’s strange that a couple teams later in the article, he would claim that the precedent doesn’t matter because he thinks it likely won’t happen again. Regardless, Fitzgerald seemed to acknowledge that a precedent may have been set, but minimized the importance of that precedent on the assumption that similar situations would be few and far between.
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