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Minor NFL Transactions: 8/3/23

August 3rd, 2023 at 9:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

Thursday’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: LB Austin Ajiake

Houston Texans

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Placed on IR: RB Alfonzo Graham

Washington Commanders

NFL Injury Updates: Kupp, Moss, Anderson

August 2nd, 2023 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

Last night, the Rams suffered a scare as former All-Pro wide receiver Cooper Kupp left a Tuesday night practice early with a hamstring injury, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. The veteran underwent an MRI to determine the extent of the damage early this morning.

While many players who talked with the media didn’t see the injury occur, it’s believed that he was forced to pull up while running a redzone route, leading to concern as a non-contact injury. Without details being released, a spokesperson for the team confirmed the injury.

Kupp’s presence in the Rams’ offense is vital. A year after winning the NFL Offensive Player of the Year award, Kupp once again led the team in receiving yards last season. What’s amazing about that is that, this time, he did it despite missing eight games due to injury. If he had continued to play the remainder of the season and produce at the same pace, he would have finished the season with the third-most receiving yards in the league last year, behind only Justin Jefferson and Tyreek Hill.

After Kupp missed the back half of the season last year with a high ankle sprain, the team is going to be delicate with any injury situation heading into the preseason. They will be cautious with Kupp moving forward, but Los Angeles does expect that he may be able to return “for scrimmages in a few weeks.”

Here are a couple of other updates on injuries from around the league:

  • One of Denver’s newest young cornerbacks will be cutting it close to play in Week 1 of his rookie season, according to Troy Renck of Denver7. The Broncos‘ second of two third-round picks, former Iowa cornerback Riley Moss underwent “core/sports hernia surgery” this week in Philadelphia. The recovery is expected to take around four weeks, which will have Moss back just in time to debut for the regular season if he can avoid any setbacks.
  • The Patriots were really hoping to see former Broncos offensive tackle Calvin Anderson step up and compete for a starting tackle job on their offensive line this summer. Unfortunately, Anderson began camp on the non-football illness list with an undisclosed illness. When asked about a timeline for Anderson’s return, head coach Bill Belichick gave the noncommittal response of, “We’ll see how it goes,” telling reporters that he doesn’t have a crystal ball. It’s unclear what form of illness could be holding Anderson out for such a long period of time without hope for reprieve, but based on Belichick’s answer, New England may need to start looking at other options in their tackle competition.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/2/23

August 2nd, 2023 at 7:07pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Miami Dolphins

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

  • Waived: WR Ed Lee

New Orleans Saints

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Moseley reportedly had a small clean-up procedure on his knee the other day as he continues to come back from last year’s ACL tear. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, it doesn’t appear to be a major setback, and head coach Dan Campbell expects Moseley back on Monday.

The news on Harris’s retirement comes from KPRC 2’s Aaron Wilson, who reports that the two sides “are parting ways as (Harris) plans to retire.” If this is truly the end of the road for Harris, then the transaction puts a cap on a five-year career that saw Harris rack up 11 total tackles, two tackles for loss, and three quarterback hits in the NFL.

Turk was urgently brought on as an undrafted rookie out of Oklahoma to compete with free agent addition Jake Bailey, formerly with the Patriots. The punter competition may be over quickly as Bailey is the only punter on the roster now.

Trice, the Steelers’ first of two seventh-round picks this year, suffered a non-contact injury at camp yesterday. His placement on injured reserve indicates that his rookie season has unfortunately come to an end before it had the chance to begin.

Cowboys Unlikely To Re-Sign Ezekiel Elliott?

August 1st, 2023 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

As most teams’ training camps head into their second week, Ezekiel Elliott remains unsigned. The two-time rushing champion has been connected to a few teams, but his main connection is not generating momentum.

The Cowboys saw offseason pickup Ronald Jones incur a two-game suspension Monday, and they are otherwise thin on experience behind Tony Pollard. But Elliott does not look to be in the Cowboys’ current plans, per the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill, who notes a reunion with the longtime starter is not a consideration at this point.

[RELATED: Cowboys Offered Pollard Long-Term Deal]

Mike McCarthy said the team does not want Elliott to take reps from its younger collection of backups. Malik Davis, Rico Dowdle and 5-foot-6 sixth-rounder Deuce Vaughn comprise that contingent. With Jones not exactly a lock to make the team regardless of his suspension, the Cowboys will be closely monitoring the progress of the aforementioned trio.

McCarthy’s comments regarding the backfield, however, came as Jerry Jones once again (via the Dallas Morning News’ Calvin Watkins) left the door open to a Zeke-Cowboys reunion. The prospect of the Cowboys bringing Elliott back at a significantly reduced rate surfaced in March, and the topic came up after the draft in April and again in June.

“I’ve been very consistent,” Jones said. “We’re just kind of see how it plays and we’re certainly haven’t closed the door. I wouldn’t know right now, what adjustments we might make, but just working ahead I don’t want to rule it out.”

Elliott, 28, has visited the Patriots. Prior to meeting with Elliott, Bill Belichick consulted Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. Belichick contacted Jones for a reference of sorts. The Patriots have looked into Elliott, Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson but have not made an addition. They have also discussed a meeting with Dalvin Cook, but as of now, the Jets have secured the only summit with the top back available. Cook may be zeroing in on the Jets, though with no deal agreed to, the Pats and Dolphins still have time to up their offers.

While Elliott has undeniably slowed down since his initial NFL breakthrough, he still matched Pollard’s 12 touchdowns last season and has frequently generated praise from Jerry Jones. But the former No. 4 overall pick has logged 2,186 touches — 309 more than any other active back. Elliott did well to fetch that six-year, $90MM extension from the Cowboys in 2019. Playing four years on the deal gave him vital security. Although the Ohio State product may well have a chance to play an eighth season soon, this year’s grim running back developments do not have teams eager to add him.

The Cowboys growing dissatisfied with the Davis-Dowdle-Vaughn group as camp progresses could reopen a door for Elliott, considering how many times the topic of a reunion has come up this since the March separation.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/1/23

August 1st, 2023 at 8:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: RB Toriano Clinton, TE La’Michael Pettway, T Dan Skipper
  • Waived: T Jordan Murray, TE Kaden Smith, DT Jamal Woods

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

  • Claimed (from Bears): WR Thyrick Pitts
  • Placed on reserve/retired list: WR Jalen Hurd

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Chosen in the third round by the 49ers back in 2019, Hurd never ended up seeing regular-season action. A converted running back who played in front of Alvin Kamara at points while at Tennessee, Hurd transferred to Baylor and became a wide receiver. Two season-ending injuries — a back malady in 2019 and an ACL tear in 2020 — derailed Hurd’s 49ers tenure. The team cut him during the 2021 season. Barely a week after the Patriots signed Hurd, it appears he is throwing in the towel on an injury-plagued career.

Penisini had unretired this offseason, joining the Panthers. The former Lions sixth-rounder played two seasons on his rookie contract but called it quits in June 2022. His unretirement will precede a Panthers exit. The Lions are moving Zylstra off their 90-man roster due to a severe knee injury. If unclaimed, Zylstra would revert to Detroit’s IR list. Zylstra has seen action in 17 games for the Lions over the past two seasons.

Hassenauer will require surgery to repair a triceps injury, and this transaction will shut him down — as far as the Giants are concerned. The only way Hassenauer can play in 2023 would be if the Giants removed him from IR via an injury settlement. Hairston suffered a herniated disk during practice, per KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson (on Twitter).

Patriots Host RB Ezekiel Elliott

July 29th, 2023 at 6:25pm CST by Ben Levine

6:25: Elliott departed the Patriots’ facility without a deal in place, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). He adds that interest exists on both sides, however, which is corroborated by The Athletic’s Jeff Howe. The latter tweets that Elliott discussed contract terms with New England today, adding that the two-time rushing champion is likely close to deciding on his next destination. Since they also have interest in Elliott, the Jets could be a player in this situation, Howe notes, depending on how they fare in the Cook sweepstakes. Both veteran backs could find new homes in the very near future.

9:22am: The Patriots have been connected to a number of free agent running backs, and now the team is set to host one of the biggest remaining names on the market. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (via Twitter), Ezekiel Elliott will visit New England today. Jordan Schultz was first with the news (via Twitter).

Elliott hasn’t generated a whole lot of reported interest since getting cut by the Cowboys earlier this offseason. He was briefly connected to the Eagles, Bengals, and Jets, but obviously no deal materialized. There were also rumors that he could simply land back in Dallas, but it sounds like the Cowboys want to evaluate their in-house options before making any additional moves at the position.

Despite starting 14 of his 15 games in 2022, Elliott struggled running the ball. His 3.8 yards-per-rushing-attempt marked a career-low, and despite generating 231 carries, he also finished with a career-low 876 rushing yards. On the flip side, the veteran RB proved that he’s still got a nose for the end zone, scoring 12 touchdowns.

The 28-year-old is only a year removed from his last 1,000-yard rushing season, and while he’ll probably never come close to replicating his 77-catch season in 2018, he still averaged 51 catches per season between 2019 and 2021. Plus, Elliott proved that he can still be effective in other parts of the game, with the running back earning the second-best positional grade for run blocking, per Pro Football Focus. In other words, while Elliott certainly started to show signs of decline last season, it might be a bit too early to write him off entirely.

Rhamondre Stevenson topped 1,400 yards from scrimmage for the Patriots in 2022, and with Damien Harris having left for Buffalo, the third-year back should see an even bigger role in 2023. However, behind Stevenson, the Patriots lack experienced depth. The team does have pass-catching veteran Ty Montgomery (who suffered an injury during practice this week, per ESPN’s Mike Reiss on Twitter), but the team is otherwise eyeing backup options like 2022 fourth-round pick Pierre Strong, 2022 sixth-round pick Kevin Harris, and former UDFA J.J. Taylor.

That lack of depth could explain why the organization has been connected to a number of free agent running backs. Most notably, the Patriots have been mentioned as a potential suitor for Dalvin Cook, although it remains to be seen if they’d pay the Pro Bowler his desired salary. The Patriots also recently hosted veteran free agents Leonard Fournette and Darrell Henderson.

Dalvin Cook Receiving Interest From “About Five” Teams

July 29th, 2023 at 1:34pm CST by Ely Allen

JULY 29: Cook went on ESPN today to discuss his visit plans prior to tomorrow’s date with the Jets. According to Rich Cimini of the network, Cook confirmed tomorrow’s plans but claimed that, as of right now, no other visits are in the books. He did say that “thing are definitely heating up,” and a Patriots visit has been rumored for a couple days now, so there’s a chance he could be shipping up to Boston in the coming days, as well.

As for the Jets, Cook pointed to their roster as a factor that piqued his interest. The team, the coaching staff, and the prospect of playing in an offense with Rodgers all certainly contributed to his desire to take tomorrow’s visit. It will be interesting to see if he comes away from New York tomorrow with a new deal or not.

JULY 28: Since being released by the Vikings back in early-June, veteran running back Dalvin Cook has been a bit hush-hush about his free agency. Rumors and speculations have come from all over without any hint of how much was true, but today, during an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show, Cook informed Patrick that “probably about five” teams have shown legitimate interest in acquiring his talents.

As soon as Cook was released, early speculation was pointed at his hometown Dolphins and the Broncos. It was established fairly soon after that Denver was unlikely to bring Cook aboard. The team apparently felt confident in a 1-2 punch of the recovering Javonte Williams and career-RB2 Samaje Perine. There seemed to be quite a bit of back and forth between Cook and Miami, but in the end, the Dolphins never gave Cook an offer worth taking.

As the weeks rolled on with no deal, two other AFC East teams entered the fold as the Jets and Patriots began to show interest. Both teams have been active in adding new talent this offseason. The Patriots added JuJu Smith-Schuster to their wide receiving corps and seemingly finished second in the DeAndre Hopkins sweepstakes. Adding Cook to a backfield led by Rhamondre Stevenson could be extremely attractive for new Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.

New York added wide receivers Allen Lazard, Mecole Hardman, and Randall Cobb to a corps that already rostered Garrett Wilson and Corey Davis. All these weapons were brought in to provide new quarterback Aaron Rodgers with a strong offensive cast. They do have a solid, if not unproven, group of running backs in Breece Hall, Michael Carter, and rookie Israel Abanikanda. Adding a veteran like Cook could be beneficial for the room, but it certainly isn’t a necessity. Cook is set to visit the Jets this Sunday.

So, who are the five teams? Assuming the Broncos, who ruled themselves out early, aren’t on the list, the Dolphins, Jets, and Patriots should make up three of those teams. The fourth AFC East team, the Bills, was mentioned as a possibility as Cook entertained the idea of playing with his little brother, James, according to Zach Dimmitt of Sports Illustrated.

It’s unclear who the fifth team would be. Our early speculations listed the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, Cowboys, Buccaneers, and Commanders as early possibilities, but no serious interest has been reported from any of these teams. Regardless of who the fifth suitor happens to be, it still seems like there is at least an 80 percent chance that Cook ends up in the AFC East.

Lawrence Guy, Patriots Discussing New Deal

July 29th, 2023 at 9:15am CST by Ben Levine

Lawrence Guy continues to seek a new contract, and it sounds like the defensive lineman’s camp has started negotiations with the Patriots. After arriving to training camp on time, Guy told reporters that he’s been in contact with the organization about a new contract but wants to “keep that private between us.”

[RELATED: Patriots DT Lawrence Guy Seeking New Deal]

“I’m here. A big smile on my face,” Guy said (via Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald). “I’m going to do whatever I can for the organization. I’ll work as hard as I can. That’s why we play this game — to be out on this field. To be a brotherhood.”

The Patriots’ longest-tenured player still has two years and $6MM remaining on the four-year, $11.5MM pact ($24MM max value) he signed with the organization during the 2021 offseason. Guy is set to earn $2MM in 2023 and could earn another $3.5MM via incentives, and there’s no remaining guaranteed money on his contract. Per Kyed, the Patriots could free around $3MM in cap space by releasing or trading the veteran (and they’d be left with a $500K dead cap hit).

As a result of his contract situation, Guy skipped mandatory minicamp earlier this summer. A source previously described the contract situation as “a challenging negotiation,” so there were some pundits who wondered if the defensive lineman could end up holding out during training camp. Guy would have faced daily fines of $50K if he skipped out on practices.

Guy is one of the team’s few remaining Super Bowl champs. The 33-year-old spent the previous six seasons in New England, earning a spot on the organization’s All-2010s Team after starting 60 of his 62 regular-season games between 2017 and 2020. In 2022, Guy started all 14 of his appearances, compiling 46 tackles, two sacks, and five QB hits. Pro Football Focus wasn’t all that fond of his performance, ranking him 89th among 127 qualifying interior defenders while also handing him the lowest grade of his career.

“It’s football season. Most players play football in football season,” coach Bill Belichick said when asked about negotiations. “We’ll see how it goes.”

The Patriots aren’t cash strapped at the moment, so they do have some flexibility to give Guy a raise. However, New England has traditionally been stubborn when it comes to handing out revised deals, so it will be interesting to see what side prevails during negotiations.

Patriots, OLB Matt Judon Have Discussed New Deal

July 28th, 2023 at 8:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Since joining the Patriots on a four-year, $54.5MM contract, outside linebacker Matt Judon has been a star. He seems to want to stay in New England for the foreseeable future, and one would assume the Patriots would like nothing more than to keep him around and producing. While Judon won’t talk to the media about anything contract-related, according to Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal, it does sound like some conversations between the two parties have taken place.

After five years in Baltimore, Judon gave New England the first double-digit sack total of his career. He followed that up this past season by topping that double-digit sack total with 15.5 sacks, a new career high. After only amassing 34.5 sacks during his time with the Ravens, Judon has exploded onto the scene with 28.0 sacks in only two years as a Patriot.

With his production exceeding expectations, naturally, a new deal that reflects his output has been brought up by the media. Despite Judon’s insistent secrecy, some comments that he made today hinted at some discussions having taken place between him and some team brass.

Last year saw Judon restructure his contract to lessen his cap hit going into the 2022 season. Seeing as he is set to account for the 19th highest defensive cap hit in 2023, it would behoove both parties to seek an adjusted deal. Judon could help clear some cap space for New England, while the Patriots could kill three birds with one stone by lowering Judon’s cap number, giving him a bit of a raise as a reward, and keeping him in town for a few more years.

With discussions on the brain, reporters inquired about whether or not Judon was staging a “hold-in” over the first few days of camp. He had participated in a limited capacity for the first two days of training camp but progressed towards more involvement today.

“Me and the guys talked about it,” Judon said in response to the allegations, “and we both felt like, ‘Alright, we can do that for two days. Then we can ease into things.'”

So, it looks like Judon’s soft “hold-in” has trickled out and returned to full participation. It was, presumably, a passive-aggressive communication that he is still hoping to work towards a new deal. It sounds like both parties have interest in getting something done, but wanting it and getting it done are two different things. It seems that there is still a ways to go in these discussions, but there is a hint optimism.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/28/23

July 28th, 2023 at 7:30pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor moves from around the league as we head into the weekend:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

  • Waived: OL Dylan Deatherage

Los Angeles Chargers

  • Waived: LB Tyreek Maddox-Williams

Los Angeles Rams

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

  • Waived: OL James Empey

Mullen was placed on the NFI list two days ago. Apparently, his failure to disclose the non-football injury led to his release. Claimed off of waivers early into the offseason this year, Mullen has spent a good amount of time in Baltimore but has yet to see any game time. The Ravens hoped he might add some depth to their secondary, but with today’s transaction, the former second-round pick hits the free agent market.

Dantzler, a former third-round pick in Minnesota, also finds himself available in free agency after a short stint with the Bills. After signing with his second team of the offseason last month, Dantzler was waived with an injury designation.

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