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Bills To Release WR Tavon Austin

October 5th, 2022 at 11:54am CST by Sam Robinson

The Bills picked up Tavon Austin midway through the offseason, but the former top-10 pick has not seen any game action. As a result, the sides are parting ways.

Austin is no longer on Buffalo’s practice squad, according to WGR 550’s Sal Capaccio (on Twitter). This is a mutual parting, per Capaccio, aimed at Austin finding a better opportunity elsewhere. A team could have plucked the former Rams investment off the Bills’ P-squad, but Austin would not have been free to choose another destination this way.

This Austin news comes after the Bills have sustained injuries at the receiver position. Jamison Crowder suffered a fractured ankle, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and Isaiah McKenzie went down with a concussion during Buffalo’s Week 4 game in Baltimore. It does not sound like the Bills were planning to make Austin part of their solution, despite the veteran’s past as a slot/gadget player. Behind the Stefon Diggs–Gabriel Davis duo, the Bills roster rookie Khalil Shakir and Jake Kumerow. Should McKenzie be unable to go against the Steelers, the Bills will need to make at least one addition to their receiving corps.

Austin, 32, never ended up justifying the investment the Rams made in him, though the diminutive playmaker had moments during his time in St. Louis and Los Angeles. The Jaguars ended up using Austin as a rotational receiver during points last season. He caught 24 passes for 213 yards and a touchdown for the 3-14 team. The West Virginia product played a bit part as a Cowboys receiver in each of the previous two years.

The Bills are expected to replace Austin on their 16-man P-squad with Jaquarii Roberson, Garafolo adds (on Twitter). The Steelers cut Roberson, a Wake Forest product, from their taxi squad on Tuesday.

Buccaneers WR Cole Beasley To Retire

October 5th, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Sam Robinson

Cole Beasley played in two Buccaneers games since joining their practice squad in September, but the veteran wide receiver is changing course. The productive slot receiver plans to retire immediately, per Mike Garafolo and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter).

This abrupt retirement will end an 11-year career spent with the Cowboys, Bills and Bucs. Beasley, 33, spent the offseason looking for a new team and sent Tom Brady Instagram DMs about joining the Bucs. So it is obviously surprising to see him call it quits soon after arriving in Tampa. Beasley being separated from his Texas-stationed family led to this retirement call, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com tweets.

Other teams besides the Bucs expressed interest in Beasley. The Commanders, Giants and Panthers pursued Beasley since his Bills release, but the Bucs — dealing with a wide receiver shortage at the time — won out. Beasley caught four passes for 17 yards during his two-game Bucs cameo. The team’s receiver situation has improved as well, which likely would have meant less time for Beasley going forward. Mike Evans re-emerged after his one-game suspension, and injured wideouts Chris Godwin and Julio Jones played against the Chiefs on Sunday night.

Beasley will certainly be better remembered for his time in Dallas and Buffalo. The Cowboys put the SMU product to work as their primary slot receiver for most of the 2010s, with Beasley being the team’s top receiving constant outside of Dez Bryant during that period. The Cowboys extended Beasley on a four-year, $13.6MM deal in March 2015 and saw him produce career-best (at the time) numbers a year later to help Dak Prescott earn Offensive Rookie of the Year acclaim during a 13-3 season. Beasley caught 75 passes for 833 yards and five touchdowns that year.

As Dallas’ Bryant partnership came to an end following the 2017 season, Beasley remained in place as the team transitioned to its Amari Cooper-fronted attack. Preparing for a Cooper payday, the Cowboys let Beasley walk in 2019. Eager to upgrade Josh Allen‘s receiver situation, the Bills paid up for Beasley (four years, $29MM) and John Brown that year. While the latter topped 1,000 yards in 2019, Beasley played a pivotal role in aiding Allen as well. From 2019-20, Beasley totaled 1,471 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, transitioning to a role as Stefon Diggs‘ sidekick when the Bills swung their blockbuster trade with the Vikings in 2020.

Last season did not bring as much success, and Beasley became a controversial figure as he spoke out regularly against COVID-19 vaccines. Beasley matched his 82 catches from 2020 but checked in at a career-low 8.5 yards per reception. Beasley contracted COVID in December and missed a game, joining many thrust into that position during the pandemic, and the Bills made him a cap casualty ahead of the 2022 league year. The Bills moved on with younger receivers, and Beasley’s retirement further reduces the number of 30-something wideouts left in the NFL. Fellow 2021 Bills contributor Emmanuel Sanders, 35, preceded Beasley by retiring a few weeks ago.

Beasley will wrap his career as one of this era’s top slot targets. For his career, Beasley caught 554 passes for 5,726 yards and 34 touchdowns.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/4/22

October 4th, 2022 at 7:34pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad moves:

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Detroit Lions

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/4/22

October 4th, 2022 at 6:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Designated for return from IR: WR Calvin Austin

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

Cine has now undergone two surgeries in London to repair his leg fracture. The first-round pick underwent a preparatory procedure before his Tuesday operation to repair the compound fracture he sustained. The Georgia product will stay in England for the time being, with Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press noting (via Twitter) doctors want to ensure no infections develop. Cine could travel back to Minnesota as soon as this weekend.

Following Latavius Murray off the Saints’ practice squad this week, Wilson did not see any action for the team this season. The former multiyear Vikings starter signed a one-year, $2.75MM Eagles deal in 2021, but Philadelphia bailed on that contract during the season. Wilson, 28, finished last season with the Texans. In his lone full season as a Vikings starter (2020), Wilson made 122 tackles, registered three sacks and intercepted three passes.

Addison signed with the Texans shortly after the draft, joining fellow ex-Bills edge rusher Jerry Hughes in joining the rebuilding team on a two-year deal. The Texans placed Addison on IR with a groin injury; he is eligible to be activated to the 53-man roster this week. Teams can make eight activations from their injured lists — be it IR, PUP or NFI — this season.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/3/22

October 3rd, 2022 at 7:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Here’s the practice squad moves from around the league today:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Cleveland Browns

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: QB Reid Sinnett

New England Patriots

New York Giants

Philadelphia Eagles

Bills Place CB Xavier Rhodes On P-Squad Injured List

October 2nd, 2022 at 8:17am CST by Rory Parks

The hits keep coming for the Bills’ secondary. Veteran cornerback Xavier Rhodes, who signed with Buffalo just a few days ago, has been placed on the team’s practice squad injured list (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). Head coach Sean McDermott said that Rhodes sustained a hamstring injury (Twitter link via Chris Brown of OneBillsLive).

Buffalo’s top corner, two-time Pro Bowler Tre’Davious White, began the season on the PUP list and will therefore miss at least one more game as he continues to recover from an ACL tear. Fellow starter Dane Jackson suffered a neck injury in Week 2, and rookie Christian Benford fractured his hand during last Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins. That is not to mention safety Micah Hyde‘s season-ending neck injury or safety Jordan Poyer‘s foot ailment, which kept him out of the Miami contest and which rendered him questionable for the Bills’ Week 4 matchup against the Ravens.

The practice squad injured list operates under the same rules as the injured reserve. In other words, Rhodes will be forced to miss at least the next four games, at which point there may no longer be a roster spot for him. Indeed, Jackson returned to practice this week and is expected to suit up for the Baltimore game, as Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic tweets. The hope is that White will return shortly, and while Benford will miss time, he could nonetheless beat Rhodes back to the field.

Furthermore, even though Rhodes is on the taxi squad injured list, his activation from that list would still count as one of the Bills’ eight “return from IR” designations. It is possible that the team would elect against using such a designation on a player that had minimal practice time and never appeared in a game.

Rhodes, therefore, could be a free agent again in a few weeks and could be of interest to another team in need of secondary depth.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/1/22

October 1st, 2022 at 7:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league, including practice squad elevations for tomorrow’s action:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

2022 NFL Cap Space, By Team

September 30th, 2022 at 1:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

As we exit September, trade rumors will become a steady NFL topic. This year’s deadline falls on Nov. 1. That will return cap-space discussions to the forefront. Here is how every team stacks up financially going into October, via Over The Cap.

  1. Cleveland Browns: $35.94MM
  2. Philadelphia Eagles: $10.89MM
  3. Denver Broncos: $10.67MM
  4. Carolina Panthers: $10.47MM
  5. Las Vegas Raiders: $10.35MM
  6. Dallas Cowboys: $9.25MM
  7. Pittsburgh Steelers: $8.64MM
  8. Green Bay Packers: $8.57MM
  9. Indianapolis Colts: $7.97MM
  10. Atlanta Falcons: $7.92MM
  11. New York Jets: $6.97MM
  12. Chicago Bears: $6.84MM
  13. San Francisco 49ers: $6.75MM
  14. Miami Dolphins: $6.51MM
  15. Arizona Cardinals: $6.25MM
  16. Los Angeles Chargers: $5.83MM
  17. New York Giants: $5.49MM
  18. Jacksonville Jaguars: $5.41MM
  19. Los Angeles Rams: $5.38MM
  20. Baltimore Ravens: $4.51MM
  21. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $3.87MM
  22. New England Patriots: $3.5MM
  23. Cincinnati Bengals: $3.16MM
  24. New Orleans Saints: $2.86MM
  25. Detroit Lions: $2.64MM
  26. Washington Commanders: $2.58MM
  27. Buffalo Bills: $2.44MM
  28. Tennessee Titans: $2.41MM
  29. Seattle Seahawks: $2.28MM
  30. Kansas City Chiefs: $2.12MM
  31. Houston Texans: $1.64MM
  32. Minnesota Vikings: $1.47MM

The Eagles’ number is certainly far closer to the Vikings’ last-place figure than what the Browns have stockpiled. Cleveland would stand to have room to augment its 2022 roster, via a patient free agent or a trade. That could depend on where Jacoby Brissett has the team stationed going into the Nov. 1 deadline. But the Browns also appear to be preparing for their Deshaun Watson future. Watson’s unprecedented contract spikes from a $9.4MM cap number (2022) to a record-shattering $54.99MM numbers from 2023-26. As that reality awaits, the Browns rolling over cap space to 2023 would be prudent.

With Sterling Shepard‘s ACL tear moving the veteran wide receiver to IR, the Giants will need to both cover that cost ($6.3MM) and add a contract to fill the roster spot. Every team will go through versions of that issue this season, as injuries pile up. The Giants are prepared to eat a significant chunk of Kenny Golladay‘s 2022 base salary ($13MM) to move him, eyeing an escape from his $4.5MM 2023 guarantee. No takers have emerged, though it will be interesting to see if a market for the former Pro Bowler forms once injuries affect more teams’ receiver situations.

Since their Jimmy Garoppolo restructure, the 49ers agreed to a two-year extension with Dre Greenlaw. The team is not expected to extend Nick Bosa until 2023, however. The Texans, Falcons, Bears and Eagles all sit north of $60MM in dead money, meaning more than a quarter of their respective cap space is tied to players no longer on the roster. Watson, Matt Ryan and Khalil Mack are responsible for massive dead-money hits on the Houston, Atlanta and Chicago payrolls. Philadelphia still has Alshon Jeffery, Malik Jackson and Brandon Brooks dead money on its cap sheet.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/28/22

September 28th, 2022 at 5:59pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are the practice squad signings and releases for today:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: OLB Gerri Green

Bills To Sign CB Xavier Rhodes

September 27th, 2022 at 9:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

9:04pm: Buffalo will move ahead with a signing. The former Vikings and Colts corner agreed to join the team Tuesday night, Garafolo reports (on Twitter). Rhodes will rejoin Frazier and help out a cornerback corps suddenly in dire need. It is a practice squad agreement.

10:09am: With plenty of injuries in their secondary, the Bills could be adding a veteran in the near future. Buffalo is hosting cornerback Xavier Rhodes on a visit, per Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). 

A first-round pick of the Vikings in 2013, Rhodes spent the first seven seasons of his career in Minnesota. That stretch included three Pro Bowl selections, and the 2017 campaign in which he earned First-Team All-Pro honors. Across 104 games with the Vikings, Rhodes racked up 10 interceptions and 73 pass breakups.

His time there ended on a low note, however. Despite having three years remaining on the five-year extension he had signed, the Florida State product was released in a cost-cutting move in 2020. That led him to the Colts, where he was a full-time starter and registered a pair of interceptions. Given his performance, Indianapolis signed him to another one-year deal last March, though Rhodes saw a lower snap share and took a step back in terms of coverage statistics in 2021.

In Buffalo, he would likely have the opportunity to see plenty of playing time in at least the immediate future. No. 1 corner Tre’Davious White began the season on the PUP list, meaning that he will be out for at least one more game as he continues to recover from an ACL tear. Fellow starter Dane Jackson also suffered a neck injury in Week 2, and rookie Christian Benford fractured his hand during Sunday’s loss to the Dolphins (Twitter link via Garafolo’s colleague Ian Rapoport).

Rhodes could also reunite with Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier, who was the Vikings’ head coach during his rookie season. Given Buffalo’s current injury situation, a deal could see him take the field right away, and give him the opportunity to boost his free agent stock while stabilizing an important position for one of the AFC’s top contenders.

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