Dontrelle Inman - Pro Football Rumors

Lions To Meet With Dontrelle Inman

August 19th, 2019 at 1:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Patriots wide receiver Dontrelle Inman might not be out of work for long. The veteran will visit the Lions “in the next day or so,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.

The Lions are never shy to explore the open market for help and Inman could provide valuable help for their WR group. The Lions project to trot out Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones, and new pickup Danny Amendola as their top three receivers, but Inman could conceivably squeeze in as one of the club’s five or six WRs to start the season.

Despite arriving in Indianapolis midseason, Inman recorded 28 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns. His best season, which featured 810 yards and four TDs, came with the 2016 Chargers. While teams have not viewed him as more than a stopgap, Inman nevertheless profiles as someone who could be an intriguing depth target for a club like the Lions.

Patriots Release Dontrelle Inman, Place Josh Gordon On NFI List

August 18th, 2019 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dontrelle Inman‘s run with the Patriots will end before the regular season. The Patriots are releasing the veteran wideout, Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweets. The veteran wideout requested this move, and the team will oblige, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

This move will clear a path for Josh Gordon to make his way back onto New England’s roster. The Pats placed Gordon on their active/NFI list, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Gordon’s return indeed prompted Inman’s agent to seek a release for his client, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Inman joins a slew of notable veteran receivers the Patriots have parted ways with over the past two offseasons, following the likes of Kenny Britt, Eric Decker, Jordan Matthews and Bruce Ellington. Inman, 30, has produced fairly consistently when given the opportunity. He caught eight passes for 108 yards in the Colts’ two playoff games last season, and his abbreviated 2018 regular-season work graded well, per Football Outsiders. But the former Chargers auxiliary cog has not been able to stick around anywhere for long since leaving southern California.

Despite arriving in Indianapolis midseason, Inman recorded 28 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns. His best season, which featured 810 yards and four TDs, came with the 2016 Chargers. While teams have not viewed him as more than a stopgap, Inman nevertheless profiles as someone who could be an intriguing depth target for another team.

The NFL reinstated Gordon on Friday. The former All-Pro would be eligible for Week 1, once he comes off the Pats’ NFI list by August 31, and would then be in line to again be a key Patriots weapon. Bill Belichick did not commit to Gordon, but the Patriots tendering him as a restricted free agent this offseason provides a fairly clear indicator they are interested in a second Gordon season.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Leggett, Pats, Inman

May 22nd, 2019 at 12:16pm CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday, the Buccaneers beat out four other teams to land former Jets tight end Jordan Leggett off waivers. We now know the identities of those other four clubs, thanks to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter): the Bills, Packers, Steelers and Titans all placed claims on the 2017 fifth-round pick, but the Bucs won out due to their higher waiver priority.

Given the widespread interest in Leggett, one can’t help but wonder if the Jets and interim GM Adam Gase could have netted a conditional draft pick for him in a trade. Instead, the Jets lost the tight end for nothing.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

The Jets won’t hire a firm for their GM search, but they have told people that TV personality & sideline reporter Peter Schrager could be contacted for assistance on prospective candidates, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). However, we have conflicting word on that front – Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) hears that Schrager is only being considered for a broadcast role on the team’s preseason telecasts and won’t have any involvement in the team’s GM hunt.
The Patriots gave wide receiver Dontrelle Inman a one-year deal worth $1.5M with $300K guaranteed, plus another $1MM in incentives (Twitter link via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe). Inman still has to win his roster spot, but, as Volin notes, it is notable that he got more than just a minimum deal.
The Bills may be without new tight end Tyler Kroft to start the season.
The Dolphins made a serious commitment to cornerback Xavien Howard, but they’re still on track to have more than $100MM in spending room next offseason.

AFC East Notes: Kraft, Jets, Dolphins

May 17th, 2019 at 4:58pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Robert Kraft case took another turn a few days ago, when a judge ruled that video of the Patriots’ owner inside the spa cannot be used in court because it was obtained illegally, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. This doesn’t mean Kraft is out of the woods yet, even though it does improve his legal standing. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets, Kraft can still be disciplined by the league under the personal conduct policy, even if he isn’t convicted of a crime. That being said, Volin wonders whether the league and fellow owners really want to punish Kraft.

To that end, Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com took a look at where things will go from here, and previewed what is ahead. While noting it’s a “delicate issue,” Florio seems to think the Patriots boss has a decent chance of getting off with no punishment from Roger Goodell. Even if the league finds there is sufficient evidence that Kraft participated in solicitation, Florio writes that it “would be difficult to match the behavior to one of the 13 specific examples of prohibited conduct contained in the Personal Conduct Policy.” There will be backlash no matter what side of the fence Goodell comes down on, and it’ll be very interesting to see how he proceeds. We should have another update soon.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

The Jets have fired Mike Maccagnan and the search for his replacement is underway, with new head coach Adam Gase serving as the interim GM. Gase is widely believed to have won a power struggle, and it seems like he’s more or less in charge in New York. Acting owner and CEO Christopher Johnson will have final say, but the new GM will almost certainly be handpicked by Gase. We’ve already heard a few names the Jets are interested in, and now we have another. 49ers VP of Player Personnel Adam Peters is a name to keep an eye on in the Jets‘ GM search, Manish Mehta of the Daily News tweets. Peters was an exec with the Broncos at the same time Gase was there as the OC, so there’s some familiarity there.
The Patriots added to their crowded receiving room last week by signing Dontrelle Inman, and now we have the details on his pact. It’s a one-year deal with a “$200K signing bonus, $100k of his base salary guaranteed, $300k in roster bonuses, and a $100k reporting bonus, in addition to incentives up to $1m,” according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a significant amount of guarantees, and Reiss writes that it “reflects how he had other suitors” and that “this isn’t a minimum-level deal.” It sounds like the Pats could be counting on Inman to play a significant role in 2019.
Safety Reshad Jones continued to stay away from the Dolphins during the voluntary portion of their offseason program, but the team expects to have him for mandatory minicamp next month, per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Jones had a falling out with the team last season, and it’s been rumored Miami plans on shopping him. Jones is due more than $13MM in guaranteed salary, so he isn’t going to be released. Jones, a Pro Bowler as recently as 2017, is also coming off shoulder surgery.

Patriots To Sign Dontrelle Inman

May 10th, 2019 at 12:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have agreed to sign wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it’s likely a one-year pact for the Pats and the veteran.

The 6’3″, 205-pound Inman gives the Patriots yet another receiver to consider this offseason. He becomes the eleventh wide-receiver on the club’s 90-man roster, joining Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Phillip Dorsett, Braxton Berrios, Demaryius Thomas, Maurice Harris, Damoun Patterson, Jakobi Meyers, Ryan Davis, and Xavier Ubosi.

Inman spent the first few years of his career with the Chargers, but has bounced around since the start of the 2017 season. After starting out with the Bolts in ’17, he hooked on with the Bears. Then, last year, he joined the Colts as a free agent where he caught 28 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns.

The Lions considered Inman earlier this offseason, but he’s joining up with the defending champs instead.

Lions To Meet With Dontrelle Inman

March 25th, 2019 at 9:17am CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver Dontrelle Inman will visit with the Lions on Tuesday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Inman has said that he wants to return to the Colts, but he’s exploring other options as well.

Last year, Inman caught 28 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns for Indianpolis. Colts GM Chris Ballard hasn’t ruled out re-signing Inman after adding Devin Funchess to the WR group, but he was also non-committal on the idea when addressing the topic last week.

“There’s a difference in age between Dontrelle and Funchess,” Ballard said (via Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star). “We’re still working through it with Dontrelle. We like Dontrelle a lot, and he had a great year last year, but we’re still working through some details on that.”

Inman joined the Colts in the middle of the 2018 season and turned into a solid No. 2 WR for Andrew Luck. If he doesn’t return to the Colts, he could join a Lions group that includes Marvin Jones, Kenny Golladay, and new addition Danny Amendola.

Colts Rumors: Doyle, Geathers, Brissett

February 27th, 2019 at 6:19pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts will likely be without tight end Jack Doyle for the bulk of the offseason, GM Chris Ballard told reporters on Wednesday. Doyle, of course, missed significant time in the 2018 season thanks to a hip injury and finished out the year on IR thanks to a kidney injury that required surgery.

In six games last year, Doyle caught 26 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Eric Ebron picked up the slack with 66 grabs for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Colts hope to have both players in the mix in two tight end sets, but if Doyle misses time, they have a deep TE unit to draw from including the recently re-signed Ross Travis and former basketball player Mo Alie-Cox.

Here’s more from Indy:

The Colts want to re-sign safety Clayton Geathers, GM Chris Ballard says (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of FOX 59). Geathers, 27 in June, amassed 89 tackles and three passes defensed as the Colts’ starting strong safety. However, he missed four games and earned a so-so 67.4 score from Pro Football Focus, positioning him as just the 51st best overall safety in the NFL.
Geathers, cornerback Pierre Desir, and wide receiver Dontrelle Inman will be allowed to test the market in March, even though there is interest in bringing each player back, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) hears. Holder adds that safety Matthias Farley will likely be tendered and should return to the squad in 2019.
The Colts are still exploring backup quarterbacks and those conversations almost led them to signing Calgary Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell recently, Holder hears (Twitter link). Still, Holder does not expect those conversations to have any direct impact on Jacoby Brissett‘s status for the coming year. The Colts say they’re not shopping Brissett, but if they do, they should find a decent market for his services.

Injury Updates: Hilton, Coutee, Inman

January 5th, 2019 at 10:56am CST by Ben Levine

A handful of wideouts were listed as questionable heading into today’s playoff matchup between the Texans and Colts, and it sounds like the three receivers will end up playing. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Texans wideout Keke Coutee and Colts receiver Dontrelle Inman are expected to play. Rapoport also notes that while Colts star wideout T.Y. Hilton is beat up, “the belief is he’ll play today.”

Hilton has been battling through injuries for much of the season, and he’s currently dealing with an ankle ailment that kept him out of this week’s practices. However, considering that the 29-year-old played through injuries during the regular season, it’s not all that surprising that he’ll likely see the field for a home playoff game. Andrew Luck and the Colts will continue to rely on Hilton, who finished the 2018 campaign with 76 receptions for 1,270 yards and six touchdowns.

The Colts will also be able to turn to Inman, who has been battling through shoulder and finger injuries. The 29-year-old joined the Colts in mid-October, and he ended up playing a relatively big role for Indy. Inman finished the season with 28 receptions for 304 yards and three touchdowns in nine games (four starts).

Meanwhile, Coutee is expected to return from a hamstring injury that has shelved him since the end of November. The rookie has struggled with injuries all season, limiting him to only six games. However, the Texas Tech product has been productive when on the field, hauling in 28 catches for 287 yards and one score. With Demaryius Thomas and Will Fuller sitting on the IR, Coutee should see plenty of targets playing behind DeAndre Hopkins.

Colts Sign WR Dontrelle Inman

October 16th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts signed free agent wide receiver Dontrelle Inman, according to a team announcement. Inman takes the place of fellow receiver Marcus Johnson, who has been placed on IR.

Inman is best known for his time with the Chargers. In 2016, he caught 58 passes for 810 yards and four touchdowns for the Bolts, putting him on the map as a reliable pass catcher. He might not see another 97-target season at this stage of his career, but Inman could find playing time in a group that is thin without top pass-catcher T.Y. Hilton. Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers have been serving as the team’s primary WRs, and may continue to so if Hilton cannot suit up against the Bills in Week 7.

Inman put himself on the NFL radar in 2012 and 2013 with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL, catching a combined 100 passes for 1,542 yards and 11 touchdowns. After racking up numbers on the elongated field (and a Grey Cup), he was signed by the Chargers. After four-plus seasons in L.A. and San Diego, he was traded to the Bears last October. He finished out with 23 receptions for 334 yards and one touchdown in the second half of the year with Chicago.

Johnson collected a Super Bowl ring wuth the Eagles as a rookie, catching five passes for 45 yards last season. He was traded twice this offseason – first from the Eagles to the Seahawks, then from the Seahawks to the Colts. Unfortunately, he got injured while fielding a squib kick, and his season is over here in October.

Dontrelle Inman Auditions For Colts

October 8th, 2018 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dontrelle Inman caught 58 passes for 810 yards and four touchdowns with the 2016 Chargers and started seven games for the Bears last season. He remains without an NFL job.

The Colts, though, have now met with the free agent wideout twice. Inman worked out for the Colts recently, NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweets. He previously trekked to Indianapolis for a meeting in March.

Indianapolis played Thursday’s game without T.Y. Hilton and was already thin at the receiver spots prior to its No. 1 target suffering an injury. Ryan Grant and Chester Rogers represent the Colts’ top complementary pass-catchers. Recent waiver claim Zach Pascal and September trade acquisition Marcus Johnson round out the Colts’ roster.

If Hilton is in jeopardy of missing another game, it should be expected Indy will add another wideout.

Inman also auditioned for the Patriots and Browns in September. Neither signed him. The 29-year-old former UDFA caught 23 passes for 334 yards and a touchdown with Chicago last year.