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Hunter Renfrow

AFC Injury Updates: Bills, Raiders, Leonard

September 23rd, 2022 at 7:02pm CST by Ely Allen

As the Bills head to South Florida for a noon matchup against a red-hot Tua Tagovailoa and the Dolphins, they have seen a tough challenge get tougher. Buffalo released an injury update on its website today reporting that the team expects to be without four starters: two in the secondary, in safety Micah Hyde and cornerback Dane Jackson, and two defensive tackles, Ed Oliver and Jordan Phillips. Jackson, Hyde, and Phillips all left Monday night’s game with injuries, while Oliver will miss his second straight contest.

Jackson left the game last week after a collision that forced his head backwards in a scary-looking neck injury. He was taken off the field in an ambulance, but, luckily, avoided any major injury. Unfortunately, Jackson hasn’t been able to practice at all this week but has been able to be around the team at the facilities.

Hyde also suffered a neck injury, albeit a far less severe-looking injury than Jackson’s, that held him out of practice this week. Phillips left the game Monday with a hamstring injury and also was unable to practice this week. Oliver has been dealing with an ankle injury that held him out last week, as well.

Missing three starters in the secondary (cornerback Tre’Davious White remains on injured reserve) makes the prospect of facing Tagovailoa a bit more cumbersome one week after he threw for 469 yards and six touchdowns against a banged up Ravens secondary. They’ll turn to rookies Christian Benford and Kaiir Elam to fill in at cornerback with help from veteran Bills cornerbacks Taron Johnson and Siran Neal. Damar Hamlin and Jaquan Johnson will be asked to step up in Hyde’s absence, as well.

With both Phillips and Oliver out on the defensive line, it’s a good bet that the Bills will mirror their gameday practice squad call-ups from last week in defensive tackles C.J. Brewer and Brandin Bryant.

Here are a few more Sunday injury statuses we learned about today, starting with a couple of big starters out in Sin City:

  • The Raiders are set to face off against the Titans this weekend without two Pro Bowlers as wide receiver Hunter Renfrow and linebacker Denzel Perryman are officially out, according to Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Hill also reports that, after missing two practices with an illness, running back Josh Jacobs is questionable to play this Sunday.
  • Despite initial reports in the preseason that Colts star linebacker Shaquille Leonard would not miss any time, the 27-year-old is set to miss his third straight game after being ruled out against the Chiefs this week, according to Mike Chappell of Indianapolis Fox59. Head coach Frank Reich told the media, “Deep down it’s the player. Deep down the player has to know he can play winning football and help this team win. That’s where we’ve got to get to.”

AFC Notes: Jags, Renfrow, Steelers, Smith

June 20th, 2022 at 7:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Devin Lloyd notched two six-plus-sack seasons at Utah, being effective on blitzes with the Pac-12 team. The standout Ute finished with seven last season. The Jaguars may be planning to take advantage of the No. 27 overall pick’s versatility early. They aligned Lloyd on the edge during parts of their offseason program, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com notes. New DC Mike Caldwell plans to use a 3-4 base scheme, but he has been intermittently stationing Lloyd at defensive end on third downs. That opens the door to some possibilities for the Jags, who were aggressive at the off-ball linebacker spots this offseason. Jacksonville gave Foyesade Oluokun a top-five ILB contract and drafted Wyoming’s Chad Muma in Round 3. The Jags are set to feature Josh Allen and No. 1 overall pick Travon Walker as their most prominent edge rushers, though DiRocco describes the 272-pound top pick as a work-in-progress as a 3-4 outside ‘backer. Nevertheless, the ex-Georgia defensive lineman has lined up at that position with Jacksonville’s first-team defense this offseason.

Here is the latest from the AFC:

  • Hunter Renfrow‘s two-year, $32MM Raiders extension comes with a $9.18MM signing bonus that will be spread out through five years (two void years, 2025 and ’26) for cap purposes, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. Renfrow is due a $4.32MM roster bonus on Day 3 of the 2023 league year, with Breer adding that day also will see the slot talent’s $6.5MM 2023 base salary become fully guaranteed. Renfrow is set to earn a nonguaranteed $11.2MM base in 2024.
  • New Bears GM Ryan Poles did not retain longtime staffer Mark Sadowski this offseason, but the veteran scout will catch on with another rookie GM. Omar Khan hired Sadowski as the Steelers‘ director of player scouting, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. Sadowski was most recently the Bears’ college scouting director.
  • While Sheldon White replaced longtime Steelers director of pro scouting Brandon Hunt, the team promoted Dave Petett to the assistant pro scouting director post, Kaboly adds (via Twitter). Petett, who has been with the Steelers since 2004, will move from the scouting level to a director gig. The Steelers are also promoting Cole Marcoux to director of football administration, a title Khan held for several years in the 2010s. Marcoux joined Khan in working with the Steelers’ salary cap in recent years.
  • Although Lovie Smith‘s fine did not match the penalties handed out to Mike McCarthy and Ron Rivera, the new Texans HC will lose $50K because of an OTA violation, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. This stems from a use of a prohibited drill involving linemen.

Raiders, Hunter Renfrow Agree To Extension

June 10th, 2022 at 8:40am CST by Adam La Rose

In an offseason full of big-money deals, the Raiders have taken care of another important piece of business. The team is signing receiver Hunter Renfrow to a two-year, $32MM extension, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The deal includes $21MM in guaranteed money. 

Renfrow, 26, was a steady presence in the Raiders’ passing game during his first two seasons with the team. Despite only making 10 starts, he totalled 105 receptions, 1,261 yards and six touchdowns during that span. His ability to return to the form showed in his rookie campaign (which involved a punctured lung) in 2020 was noteworthy, but few would have expected the performance he delivered this past year.

Taking on a larger workload in a passing game dominated by tight end Darren Waller, the Clemson product took a major step forward in 2021. In no small part due to the time missed by the former, Waller comfortably led the team in receptions (103), yards (1,038) and touchdowns (nine). Those numbers helped lead the team to the playoffs, and earned him a Pro Bowl nod.

From a financial perspective, that production also made the former fifth-rounder a logical extension candidate. He has one year remaining on his rookie contract, which will pay him just over $2.5MM. This new pact will represent quite the raise, as well as a willingness from new general manager Dave Ziegler to make significant commitments to the team’s current offensive core. The Raiders have signed quarterback Derek Carr to lucrative new deal, and paired him with Davante Adams on another sizeable contract. Since Renfrow slots in as the No. 3 option in the passing game behind Adams and Waller, $16MM per year is a noteworthy figure, though he demonstrated this year that he can handle a heavy workload if necessary.

With each of their top pass-catchers now under contract for multiple years, the Raiders are in line to build upon last year’s success, and remain competitive in the AFC West for at least the short-term future.

Extra Points: Ebron, Lions, Renfrow

December 7th, 2019 at 9:41pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Eric Ebron story took another twist this week, as his camp responded to the recent reports of disconnect between the tight end and the Colts. Soon after Ebron was placed on injured reserve with an ankle injury, we heard that the Colts weren’t too happy with how everything played out. Indy’s head coach Frank Reich seemed to dispute Ebron’s account that the team was well-aware of his ankle issue, and said he had no idea anything was wrong. Ebron’s camp is now pushing back, with a source close to the UNC product telling Ian Rapoport of NFL Network that Reich “should not have been surprised” (Twitter link).

The source added that Ebron informed the Colts of his ankle issue prior to the season, and that he “took toradol shots for the injury before almost every game he played.” The implication from Indianapolis seemed to be that Ebron was essentially choosing to save himself for his impending free agency, and his camp obviously isn’t pleased with that narrative. As Stephen Holder of The Athletic summarizes in a tweet, this means that Reich is either “blatantly lying when he said he was blind sided,” or Ebron “was able to practice most of the season on a terribly painful ankle.” It’ll be interesting to see if this under the radar controversy impacts Ebron’s market this spring. The tenth overall pick of the 2014 draft had a huge first year in Indy, but had been a bit of a disappointment this season before going on IR. Given the sudden animosity between the two sides, it seems likely that he isn’t back with the Colts in 2020.

Here’s more from around the league on a quiet Saturday night:

  • It doesn’t look like Matthew Stafford is going to play for the Lions again in 2019, so his back injury is obviously legitimate. However, the league has taken issue with how Detroit went about reporting it. Stafford was a surprise scratch late in the week leading up to the team’s game against the Bears back on November 10th, and the league has determined the team was trying to gain a competitive advantage by being coy with the info. The league office has fined the organization $75K, head coach Matt Patricia $25K, and GM Bob Quinn $10K, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
  • When Raiders rookie receiver Hunter Renfrow went down with a rib injury and a punctured lung a couple of weeks ago, it initially looked like he’d miss the rest of the season. However, that might not be the case, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports. Renfrow hasn’t been placed on IR, and the team is holding out hope he’ll be able to return toward the end of the year. “We’re hopeful that he could return for the last game or two,” Oakland head coach Jon Gruden said, per Bair. Renfrow had really started to heat up before going down, so he would provide a big boost. The Raiders have gotten blown out in two straight games, but are still right in the thick of a very muddled AFC wildcard race at 6-6. Whether or not they’re still in the hunt for a playoff spot in the final week or two will likely determine whether or not they bring the Clemson product back.

Hunter Renfrow Out For Season?

November 25th, 2019 at 3:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hunter Renfrow suffered a scary injury Sunday and may not return this season. The rookie slot target suffered a puncture lung and a broken rib in the loss to the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and Jon Gruden is not sure if the Clemson product will return in 2019.

Gruden acknowledged Renfrow may be done for the season (Twitter link). More tests are scheduled, but that would obviously be a blow to a resurgent Raiders team with designs on a playoff berth. The Raiders will travel to Kansas City in Week 13.

The fifth-round rookie took hard hits from Jet defenders Bless Austin and Henry Anderson and left the game. Renfrow still led all Raider receivers with three receptions for 31 yards in the 34-3 rout.

In the wake of Antonio Brown‘s bizarre Raiders stretch, Renfrow helped the team’s passing game recover. He has 36 receptions for 396 yards and two touchdowns. Only Tyrell Williams has more receiving yards than Renfrow among Raiders this season. The team will need to turn to trade acquisitions Zay Jones and Trevor Davis, along with potentially rookie Keelan Doss, more after this news.

Extra Points: Goodwin, Texans, Raiders

July 6th, 2019 at 12:48pm CST by Ben Levine

A handful of NFL players participated in last weekend’s “40 Yards of Gold” contest, but it sounds like all the participants are still awaiting their promised payout. Agent Will Sarubbi, who represents Vikings wideout Jeff Badet, told Ben Fischer of the Sports Business Daily that his client hasn’t received his promised $25K.

“The contract was explicitly clear,” Sarubbi said. “Jeff was an independent contractor who was promised $25,000 upon arrival, before the event on June 29. That has not been paid as of 5 p.m. today. It does not look likely it will be, based on the correspondence we have had.”

According to the report, players were given checks following the event, but they were told to wait to cash those checks until yesterday. Then, the players were told to ignore the checks and submit bank account information, at which time their payout would be sent via wire transfer. However, that money has yet to appear.

“As to whether the money’s there or not, I don’t know,” said agent Sean Lindsey. “I hope it is. The one thing I despise the most in this industry is individuals trying to take advantage of professional athletes. I don’t know if that’s what’s going on here. I hope not. But these guys need to get paid.”

49ers wideout Marquise Goodwin won the event and was set to take home the $1MM prize.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Former undrafted free agent Vyncint Smith had some standout moments as a rookie, and the Texans receiver is looking to take a step forward during his sophomore campaign. In fact, the 23-year-old said he’s already worked out with quarterback Deshaun Watson this offseason. “Oh yeah, we got together last summer,” Smith told Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “We get together this summer to throw, build chemistry in a new environment or different environment with Deshaun and just have fun.” Smith appeared in seven games (one start) as a rookie, hauling in five receptions for 91 yards and one touchdown.
  • Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow may have been selected in the fifth round of this past year’s draft, but that doesn’t mean the rookie can’t play a big role this season. Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area writes that Renfrow’s savviness and football IQ should help him carve out a role as a slot receiver. However, if the rookie proves that he’s not able to contribute right away, he could easily get passed by veteran Ryan Grant on the depth chart.
  • It sounds like rookie running back Josh Jacobs may sit out training camp, as his camp’s negotiations with the organization have not been going well.

Raiders Sign 5 Of 9 Draft Picks

May 3rd, 2019 at 7:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders already have the majority of their draft class under contract. The following players have signed (all links to go Twitter):

Johnson, a converted wide receiver, notched two interceptions in each of his final two seasons at Houston. Heading into the draft, there was some buzz about him going as high as the second round, so the Raiders were undoubtedly thrilled to land him in the fourth.

“Boy, we love him,” GM Mike Mayock said after the draft. “We’re a press corner team. Jimmy O’Neil, our defensive backs coach, he’s happier than I’ve ever seen him. So now we have some long, press corners that go along with Gareon and everybody else that we have. Gareon Conley, Daryl Worley, and all our guys. Bottom line, we’re ecstatic with those corners.”

Raiders Acquire No. 149 From Cowboys

April 27th, 2019 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders made the decision to make a slight move up in Round 5, and the Cowboys will receive an additional seventh-round pick in this deal.

In moving up to No. 149 from No. 158, the Raiders dealt No. 218 to the Cowboys. Clemson wide receiver Hunter Renfrow became Oakland’s eighth pick in this draft.

Largely a slot contributor to both of Clemson’s recent national championship teams, Renfrow finished his career as a four-year cog in the Tigers’ offense. He totaled 186 receptions for 2,133 yards and 15 touchdowns in college, including a rather notable game-winning reception from Deshaun Watson as a sophomore. He will join a Raiders team that has overhauled its receiver group.

Renfrow will attempt to carve out a role on the Raiders. He joins Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams, J.J. Nelson and Ryan Grant among the new talent coming to work with Derek Carr.