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NFL Workouts: 9/2/19

September 2nd, 2019 at 8:32pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

In the wake of all the cuts that have taken place over the past few days, there are a ton of players looking for new homes. Many teams are bringing guys in for tryouts, and we’ll keep track of all of today’s here, all courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer (on Twitter).

There were a few notable names, including former-first round pick offensive guard Joshua Garnett, who worked out for the Seahawks. The 49ers drafted Garnett 28th overall in 2016, and he started 11 games as a rookie. He then missed the entire 2017 season with an injury, and didn’t make any starts last year. The 49ers were able to save $1.7MM by cutting him, and they jumped at the opportunity. Perhaps he’ll be able to revive his career with an NFC West rival.

The Dolphins are hosting offensive tackle J’Marcus Webb, who has plenty of starting experience. After trading away Laremy Tunsil, the Dolphins are understandably looking for tackle help. Webb started 16 games for the Raiders as recently as 2015, and one for the Colts last season before being placed on IR. He’s been around since 2010, and spent his first three seasons as a starter with the Bears. As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald quipped in a tweet, it’s “not optimal” that the Dolphins are potentially looking for a starting tackle six days before the opener.

The Bills appear to be looking for a punter, as they worked out a group of them today.

Here’s the full list:

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • OT J’Marcus Webb

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

New Saints LB Kiko Alonso Adjusts Deal

September 1st, 2019 at 9:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins planned to release linebacker Kiko Alonso until the Saints agreed to a swap sending fellow ‘backer Vince Biegel to South Beach. Before the deal was finalized, Alonso agreed to an adjusted contract to facilitate the trade, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 

The revised contract will give Alonso a fully-guaranteed $5MM – with no offsets – by next week. The Saints will pay $4MM of that sum while the Dolphins will kick in $1MM. Meanwhile, the last year of his contract remains untouched – Alonso is set to earn $6.4MM in base salary with an $8.2MM cap figure in 2020, though the Saints could escape that year with little financial consequence. Cutting Alonso before the start of the year would save $6.4MM against the cap with just $1.76MM in dead money.

Traditional metrics portray Alonso as a solid linebacker who can defend against the pass. But, despite his five interceptions over the last three years, he gets little love from the advanced metrics for his coverage ability.

Algorithms, schmalgorithms, is what the Saints say. Alonso’s help will be greatly appreciated in New Orleans while Alex Anzalone and Craig Robertson continue to heal up from injury.

Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC South

September 1st, 2019 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC South teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Buccaneers, Falcons, Panthers and Saints are noted below.

Additionally, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads today. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s NFC South transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day.

Atlanta Falcons

Carolina Panthers

New Orleans Saints

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Dolphins Trade Kiko Alonso To Saints

September 1st, 2019 at 8:56am CST by Rory Parks

The Dolphins aren’t cutting linebacker Kiko Alonso after all. We heard yesterday that Miami was releasing Alonso, which suggested the club’s efforts to trade him had been fruitless. However, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that the Fins are trading Alonso to the Saints (Twitter link), and Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweets that New Orleans is sending back LB Vince Biegel.

For Alonso, this is good news from a competitive and financial standpoint. Since he was traded rather than released, he remains tied to his $6.48MM salary for 2019, for which the Saints are now on the hook. Plus, New Orleans is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, while Miami is in the middle of a complete teardown.

Alonso has started every game in which he has appeared for the Dolphins since joining the team in 2016, compiling 354 tackles and five interceptions over that time. However, despite the nice interception total, he generally struggles in coverage and is not especially well-regarded by advanced metrics.

He can be effective when deployed properly, and he will join a Saints defense that also includes A.J. Klein, Alex Anzalone, and Demario Davis. He will provide solid depth if nothing else, but given the salary the team is taking on, it seems that New Orleans plans to give him a significant role. Plus, Anzalone and Craig Robertson haven’t practiced in some time, and Klein missed practice all of last week, so the Saints needed a plug-and-play LB.

Biegel, who has just 14 career tackles to his name, was used as an edge rusher and as a linebacker in the preseason, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. The Dolphins may have been intrigued by his versatility, but it’s not as though they had a ton of leverage to ask for a more established player or for draft picks. Biegel appeared primarily on special teams for the Saints in 2018, but he will have the opportunity to earn a larger role with the Fins.

Saints Reach 53-Man Max

August 31st, 2019 at 3:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for Saints fans, and fans of lists in general. The Saints have reached the 53-man max – here’s the full rundown.

Released:

Waived:

Placed on IR:

Saints To Release DT Sylvester Williams

August 31st, 2019 at 1:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints will move on from one of their mid-offseason defensive additions. They will release veteran defensive tackle Sylvester Williams, Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweets.

Williams has bounced around since his four-year Broncos tenure concluded after the 2016 season. The former first-round pick played for the Titans in 2017 and split time with the Lions and Dolphins last season.

The 30-year-old defender played 376 snaps in 2018, starting four games with the Lions and playing 14 total in Detroit and Miami. His last full-season starter role came with the Broncos in 2016. The Titans used Williams as an 11-game starter in their 3-4 defense.

Williams marks the second veteran inside defender the Saints moved on from today. They also released Ziggy Hood, whom they signed just ahead of training camp. Hood was last a full-time player with the 2017 Redskins, with whom he was a 13-game starter.

Saints Cut Kayvon Webster

August 30th, 2019 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints have cut cornerback Kayvon Webster, according to multiple reports. The 28-year-old’s run in New Orleans lasted less than three months.

The Saints auditioned several cornerbacks early on this summer and liked what Webster brought to the table. But, with a solid group of CBs already locked in, a spot was far from guaranteed for the vet.

Webster garnered some hype as a backup in Denver, but injuries spoiled what could have been his true coming out party with the Rams. Instead of taking off in old friend Wade Phillips‘ system, his season ended after just eleven games. Last year, he latched on with the Texans, but he was limited to just two games thanks to multiple injuries and two IR stints.

Colts, Texans, Browns Lead NFL In Cap Space

August 29th, 2019 at 8:50pm CST by Ben Levine

On Tuesday morning, the NFL released a report of every team’s cap space. The total number accounts for the top-51 cap numbers on every team’s roster. Therefore, these numbers will naturally change before next week as teams set their 53-man rosters (although the 52nd- and 53rd-ranked cap numbers (and beyond) for each team will hardly change anything).

It’s also worth noting that there have been a handful of extensions, trades, signings, and cuts since this report was released. However, there weren’t any significant moves that would drastically alter these rankings.

Why are these numbers important at this time of year? Well, rosters will be trimmed on Saturday, meaning an influx of players will hit the open market. While we can’t imagine any roster casualties earning a lucrative contract from a new team, these numbers can help illustrate the monetary advantage one organization has over another. These numbers are also useful in regards to any potential trades or extensions.

With help from TheMMQB.com’s Albert Breer on Twitter, we’ve listed the league’s cap space totals (as of Tuesday morning) below:

  1. Indianapolis Colts: $56.6MM
  2. Houston Texans: $37.0MM
  3. Cleveland Browns: $34.6MM
  4. Dallas Cowboys: $26.1MM
  5. Tennessee Titans: $26.0MM
  6. San Francisco 49ers: $25.5MM
  7. Buffalo Bills: $23.3MM
  8. Miami Dolphins: $22.1MM
  9. Chicago Bears: $22.1MM
  10. Washington Redskins: $21.7MM
  11. Detroit Lions: $21.5MM
  12. Kansas City Chiefs: $21MM
  13. Cincinnati Bengals: $19.7MM
  14. Seattle Seahawks: $19.5MM
  15. Philadelphia Eagles: $18.6MM
  16. Jacksonville Jaguars: $18.2MM
  17. Oakland Raiders: $17.3MM
  18. Los Angeles Chargers: $16.4MM
  19. Green Bay Packers: $15.2MM
  20. New York Jets: $14.9MM
  21. New England Patriots: $14.1MM
  22. Baltimore Ravens: $13.4MM
  23. New Orleans Saints $7.5MM
  24. Carolina Panthers $5.9MM
  25. Los Angeles Rams $5.6MM
  26. New York Giants $5.5MM
  27. Pittsburgh Steelers $4.9MM
  28. Minnesota Vikings $4.7MM
  29. Arizona Cardinals $4.7MM
  30. Denver Broncos $4.4MM
  31. Tampa Bay Buccaneers $4.3MM
  32. Atlanta Falcons $3.4MM

Jermon Bushrod To Retire

August 29th, 2019 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

Jermon Bushrod is retiring, according to Jane Slater of NFL.com (on Twitter). The offensive lineman will sign a one-day contract with the Saints and make a formal announcement on Thursday during the Saints’ final preseason game. 

Bushrod, the Saints’ starting left tackle in Super Bowl XLIV, met with the Panthers back in March, but his plans have changed for one reason or another. Prior to his retirement, Bushrod was one of less than 20 players from the 2007 draft to still be active in the NFL.

After starting his career with the Saints, Bushrod spent time with the Bears and Dolphins before returning to New Orleans in 2018. He made six starts and 11 total appearances last season, filling in at left tackle for the injured Terron Armstead. Pro Football Focus assigned Bushrod sub-par grades, ranking him as the league’s No. 59 tackle among 80 qualifiers.

Biggest Roster Weakness: NFC South

August 28th, 2019 at 9:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 2019 regular season is right around the corner, but every NFL team still has at least one position on its roster that could use improvement. And there’s still plenty of time to address those areas of need! Free agents are readily available on the open market, while preseason trades provide another avenue of player procurement. 19 NFL trades were executed between August 1st and September 1st of 2018, and that number could increase this year.

Let’s take a look at the weakest positional group — and a potential solution — for each NFL club. Today we’ll examine the NFC South:

Atlanta Falcons

  • Weakness: Defensive tackle depth. When healthy, the Falcons boast one of the more complete rosters in the NFL, so finding a true weak area was admittedly difficult. But defensive tackle is a roster spot where Atlanta could potentially use a few more bodies behind star Grady Jarrett. At present, former Saint Tyeler Davison is projected to start next to Jarrett, while Jack Crawford, Deadrin Senat, and reclamation project Ra’Shede Hageman will also see time.
  • Solution: Sign Mike Pennel. Surprisingly released by the Patriots earlier this week, Pennel is a 6’4″, 330-pound mammoth who would give the Falcons size on the interior. Now 28 years old, Pennel spent the past two seasons with the Jets as a rotational defensive tackle, and last year graded as the NFL’s No. 15 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus, which lauded Pennel’s strength in run defense. Pennel will almost surely land a new contract before the regular season begins, so Atlanta should act quickly.

Carolina Panthers

  • Weakness: Backup quarterback. Panthers head coach Ron Rivera expects Cam Newton to be ready for Week 1 after the veteran quarterback suffered a foot injury during the preseason, but Newton has now already broken the injury seal. Newton, of course, struggled with a shoulder issue in 2018 and was deactivated for the season’s final two games, allowing backups Taylor Heinicke and Kyle Allen to start one contest each. Heinicke and Allen are both still on the Carolina roster, as is third-round pick Will Grier, but the Panthers could use a more proven commodity behind Newton.
  • Solution: Trade for C.J. Beathard. While 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan has said he’s keeping three quarterbacks — Jimmy Garoppolo, Nick Mullens, and Beathard — on San Francisco’s roster, that’s likely a ploy to get another club to sacrifice a draft pick in exchange for either Mullens or Beathard. Mullens could be expensive to acquire given his performance in 2018, but Beathard should come cheaper given his relatively lackluster results last season. He’d come with two years of club control at cheap rates, with base salaries totaling less than $2MM through 2020.

New Orleans Saints

  • Weakness: Offensive tackle depth. The Saints have one of the league’s best offensive lines, ranking top-three in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate in 2018, per Football Outsiders. But left tackle Terron Armstead had been riddled with injury questions throughout his career — he’s never played a full 16-game slate, and he’s missed 23 contests over the past three years. Journeyman Michael Ola is currently New Orleans’ top reserve at both left and right tackle.
  • Solution: Sign Jermey Parnell. New Orleans attempted to address their offensive tackle issue earlier this month by signing veteran Chris Clark, but the nine-year veteran is done for the season after suffering a leg injury. While he’s entering his age-33 campaign, Parnell is still a solid blocker, especially in the run game. He’s probably limited to right tackle, but given that Ryan Ramczyk can play both sides, Parnell could make sense for the Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Weakness: Running back. The Buccaneers’ running game has been a disaster in each of the past two seasons, and while supplementing their offensive line is also an option, there are far more running backs available at this point in the NFL calendar than there are offensive linemen. Peyton Barber returns as Tampa Bay’s lead back after ranking bottom-seven in efficiency last year, while 2018 second-rounder Ronald Jones and Dare Ogunbowale also figure to have roles.
  • Solution: Trade for Rex Burkhead. Burkhead is an effective running back, but he’s behind Sony Michel, James White, Damien Harris, and maybe even fullback James Develin for carries in New England. A versatile player who can succeed on the ground and in the passing game, Burkhead would give the Buccaneers’ another option in their backfield. At the very least, he could be a third-down back and special teams maven for Tampa Bay.
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