Here are the workouts that took place around the NFL on Friday:
Buffalo Bills
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Kansas City Chiefs
Las Vegas Raiders
Pittsburgh Steelers
Marcell Dareus underwent core-muscle surgery earlier this week and he was expected to miss four-to-six weeks as a result. Now, it’s clear that the defensive tackle will be out longer, as the team has placed him on injured reserve.
Dareus will be eligible to return in eight weeks, which brings a probable return date of Week 15. However, if Jacksonville is out of the playoff picture by then, there may not be an incentive to active the veteran.
The Jaguars have signed Akeem Spence to take the roster spot vacated by Dareus. Spence was recently waived by the Eagles.
Well, that didn’t last long. On Monday, the Eagles release defensive tackle Akeem Spence, less than six weeks after signing him. To take his place, the club inked fellow DT Anthony Rush off of the Raiders’ practice squad. 
[RELATED: Eagles Release Orlando Scandrick]
Spence spent training camp with the Dolphins but didn’t make the final cut, leading him to the Eagles. He saw a season-high 54 snaps in Sunday’s ugly loss to the Cowboys – those proved to be his last in Philly. At least, for now. He’s now on the open market, along with cornerback Orlando Scandrick.
Enter Rush, a 6’5″, 350-pound defensive lineman out of UAB. In his two post-JUCO years, Rush tallied 77 tackles, 20 for loss, two sacks, and a pick-six. He’ll look to impress coaches this week and make the active roster for Sunday’s game against the Bills.
In the wake of Malik Jackson‘s season-ending injury, the Eagles are adding some reinforcements on the defensive line. The team is signing veteran defensive tackle Akeem Spence to a one-year deal, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (Twitter link).
Spence had been with the Dolphins in camp, but didn’t survive final cuts. He originally entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Bucs in 2013, and has a good amount of starting experience. He signed a three-year, $9MM deal with the Lions in 2017, but was traded to the Dolphins after just one season. He spent 2018 in Miami, and ended up starting all 16 games for them. For his career, he has 179 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 88 games and 57 starts.
The loss of Jackson was a tough blow, but the Eagles still have a very solid defensive interior. They have one of the league’s best defensive tackles in Fletcher Cox, and Timmy Jernigan should step up and play a bigger role in Jackson’s absence. Ideally, Spence won’t be much more than depth this season.
The 53-man roster deadline isn’t until Saturday, but the Dolphins are getting ahead of the game. On Tuesday, the Dolphins released tackle Jordan Mills and tight end Clive Walford with injury settlements. The club also cut defensive tackle Akeem Spence and waived/injured linebacker Chase Allen. 
Mills, a free agent acquisition, was disappointing in minicamp and was leapfrogged at right tackle by Jesse Davis. The Dolphins gave him a shot at redemption in training camp, but he was unable to regain his footing.
Walford was most recently with the Jets, but New York decided to non-tender him earlier this month, leading him to the Fins. He had two stints with the Jets and one stint with the Colts in 2018, appearing in only a single game. Walford showed some promise during his first two years in the league, hauling in 61 receptions for 688 yards and six scores across the 2015-16 seasons with the Raiders.
Major changes are coming in Miami. This offseason, the Dolphins are expected to cut defensive end Robert Quinn (saving $12.9MM against the cap), defensive end Andre Branch (saving $7MM, $2MM in dead money) and wide receiver DeVante Parker ($9.4MM savings), according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. 
Naturally, the upheaval won’t stop there, but the Dolphins have some big decisions to make on significant contracts in the coming weeks and months. Ryan Tannehill is likely done in South Beach and players like defensive tackle Akeem Spence ($2.5MM cap savings) and guard Ted Larsen ($1.9MM) could also be dropped from the roster, Jackson hears.
And, if the Dolphins really want to turn over a new leaf, they may decide against retaining unrestricted free agents like Frank Gore and Cameron Wake and move on from receiver Danny Amendola, whose entire $6MM cap hit can be washed out. Jackson adds that the future of veterans like guard Josh Sitton and safety T.J. McDonald is also in question.
Quinn, 29 in May, came to Miami via a spring trade with the Rams. The former first-round pick notched 6.5 sacks and 38 tackles, but graded out as just the No. 42 ranked edge defender in the NFL per Pro Football Focus. Branch, meanwhile, was one of the lowest-ranked DEs out of 108 qualified players.
Parker was once viewed as the team’s future at wide receiver, but injuries have hampered his progress over the last four years. This year, he managed just 24 catches for 309 yards and a touchdown in eleven games.
The Seahawks released defensive end Cliff Avril with a failed physical designation yesterday, but it doesn’t sound like the decision was an easy one. Speaking with reporters following the first day of rookie minicamp, coach Pete Carroll reflected on the veteran’s impact on the organization.
“He’s been a great leader. He’s been a bit of a statesman for us. He always says the right thing, stands for the right stuff and been a really high character guy that you can always count on,” said Carroll (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “A great competitor in the program. I love him and would like to keep him connected with our club as long as we can because he’s just exactly what you hope to represent you. He’s had a great career with us.”
Avril, 32, said he wants to continue his NFL career.
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…
The Lions have traded defensive tackle Akeem Spence to the Dolphins. The Lions will receive an undisclosed 2019 draft pick in return.
Spence agreed to rework his contract with Detroit on Thursday morning in a move that made little sense at the time. Now, we know that the contract was adjusted in order to facilitate a trade to Miami.
Spence now joins a revamped Dolphins defensive line that no longer includes Ndamukong Suh. With Spence, Jordan Phillips, Davon Godchaux, Vincent Taylor and end/tackle William Hayes in the fold, the Dolphins have a solid group in the middle, albeit one with a lot less name recognition.
Last year, Spence had three sacks while playing on the interior and 39 tackles overall. Spence graded out as the 65th best defensive tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus, which portrays him as a solid reserve on the interior defensive line.
The Lions may explore other free agent defensive tackles after dealing Spence. After the departure of Haloti Ngata, A’Shawn Robinson stands as the only significant holdover from last season.
The Lions and defensive tackle Akeem Spence have agreed to a reworked contract, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Spence’s base salary has been rolled back from $3.15MM to $2.575M, though he can bridge the gap through incentives. The adjustments to the deal will give Detroit $500K in cap space. 
As Mike Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets, this is an unexpected move by the Lions. Spence played well in 2017 and earned playing time bonuses that boosted his 2018 salary in the first place.
Spence joined the Lions last year on a three-year, $10.5MM deal. In his first season in Detroit, Spence appeared in every game and made eleven starts at defensive tackle. He finished out with three sacks and 39 total tackles while the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus scored it as his best season to date.
Spence projects to serve as the primary backup at defensive tackle behind starters A’Shawn Robinson and Sylvester Williams. For a complete look at the Lions roster, you can view their depth chart on Roster Resource.
Some assorted notes from around the NFL…