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Dolphins To Waive QB Josh Rosen

September 4th, 2020 at 7:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Rosen will be a one-and-done with a second NFL team. The Dolphins will release the third-year quarterback, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Miami, which acquired Rosen in a 2019 trade from Arizona, attempted to ship the former top-10 pick out in another trade. But after no such deal emerged, the Dolphins will send the ex-UCLA star to the waiver wire.

Rosen has not impressed as an NFL quarterback, although he has certainly not been presented with great developmental environments. The 2018 No. 10 overall pick struggled for both the Cardinals — who ranked last in scoring and total offense in 2018 — and the Dolphins, who had perhaps the league’s worst roster last year. Rosen took over for Ryan Fitzpatrick in Week 2 and started the next three games. But Brian Flores benched him and stuck with Fitzpatrick the rest of the way.

The fourth quarterback selected in 2018’s five-QB first round, Rosen owns a career 54.8% completion rate and a ghastly 4.4 adjusted yards per attempt figure. He has thrown 12 touchdown passes and 19 interceptions in 20 career games (16 starts).

The Dolphins reunited Fitzpatrick with OC Chan Gailey this offseason and drafted Tua Tagovailoa fifth overall, executing the latter move after eyeing the Alabama standout for over a year. For the time being, the Dolphins will go with Fitz — who will turn 38 by season’s end — and Tagovailoa, who is 10 months out from a severe hip injury. The Dolphins have brought in former backup Jake Rudock multiple times in recent weeks but have not signed him.

Two years and a mostly guaranteed $3.63MM remain on Rosen’s rookie deal. The Dolphins already paid Rosen a $1.4MM bonus earlier in camp, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/4/20

September 4th, 2020 at 4:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Waived: DT Hinwa Allieu, FB Mikey Daniel, T Evin Ksiezarczyk, RB Craig Reynolds

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Released: DE Caraun Reid
  • Waived: RB Nathan Cottrell, TE Matthew Flanagan, OL Blake Hance, OL K.C. McDermott, OL Garrett McGhin, LS Matthew Orzech, OL Ryan Pope, OL Austen Pleasants, WR Marvelle Ross

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Cowboys To Place Sean Lee On IR

September 4th, 2020 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys will place linebacker Sean Lee on injured reserve to start the year, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. Meanwhile, the Cowboys are expected to park at least a few more players on IR thanks to a slew of training camp injuries.

This is, unfortunately, familiar territory for Lee. The veteran saw his 2014 season completely wiped out by a torn ACL tear and played in just 18 total games between 2017 and 2018. Still, the Cowboys know what he’s capable of doing when healthy, having employed him since 2010.

Lee did manage to stay on the field for much of 2019 and he closed out the year on a high note. After tallying double-digit tackles in two of his final five games, including a 17-stop showing in their Week 16 game against the Eagles, the Cowboys re-upped him on a one-year, $4.5MM deal. All in all, Lee finished out with 86 stops, one interception, one sack, and four passes defensed as he filled in for Leighton Vander Esch.

Gehlken adds that cornerback Jourdan Lewis is also likely to land on IR with a left ankle injury. Among the other banged up Cowboys: wide receivers Amari Cooper and Ventell Bryant, linebacker Luke Gifford, cornerback Chidobe Awuzie, safety Xavier Woods, and right tackle La’el Collins.

Broncos Release LB Todd Davis

September 4th, 2020 at 2:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have released inside linebacker Todd Davis, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The move brings an end to the veteran’s six-year tenure in Denver and puts an experienced vet on the market days before the start of the season. 

[RELATED: Broncos Sign Mark Barron]

Davis has been with the Broncos since 2014, and, over time, he evolved into one of the organization’s most productive players. Despite appearing in only 14 games last season, the 28-year-old finished with a career-high 134 tackles. Davis was set to count for $6MM against the Broncos’ cap this year. Instead, they’ll drop him to gain $1.5MM in additional wiggle room.

Without Davis, Von Miller stands as the lone defender left from the team’s Super Bowl-winning squad. Things might have been different if not for Davis’ latest mid-training camp injury, a calf issue that has dogged him throughout the summer. Last year played out similarly and his calf was also the culprit.

Not long ago, the Broncos were expected to trot out rookie Justin Strnad and Davis as their top ILBs. Now, thanks to Strnad’s season-ending injury, they’ve had to revamp the position. Newcomer Mark Barron now figures to play a larger than expected role in Denver’s front seven.

Broncos Trade Christian Covington To Bengals

September 4th, 2020 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have agreed to trade defensive tackle Christian Covington to the Bengals in exchange for linebacker Austin Calitro, as Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com tweets. The deal appears to be a one-for-one swap, with no additional draft capital attached. 

Covington joined the Broncos on a one-year, $1.75MM deal in April. Before that, he spent the 2019 season with the Cowboys and the previous four years with the Texans. With Dallas, he had one of his most productive seasons to date, posting a career-high 28 tackles to go with one sack and one pass defended in 16 games. For his career, he has 93 tackles, 8.5 sacks, and a forced fumble to his credit.

Calitro suited up in 13 games (including four starts) for the Jaguars last year, but they dropped him in late April to make room for their incoming class of draft picks and a host of undrafted free agents. The Bengals scooped him up off of waivers, using their higher priority to beat out the Broncos. The Browns, Jets, and Raiders also tried to claim Calitro, who registered 40 tackles and a sack while serving as a key special teams contributor in 2019.

Raiders To Cut Damarious Randall

September 4th, 2020 at 11:02am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are releasing safety Damarious Randall, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The Raiders are still on the hook for the veteran’s $1.5MM guaranteed base salary, though that will be offset by the salary paid to Randall by his new team. 

Randall, 28, spent the first three years of his career with the Packers before moving on to the Browns in 2018. Last year, he was limited to just eleven games, though he still managed 2.5 sacks, 61 total stops, and six passes defensed. All in all, he’s got 56 career starts and 14 interceptions to his credit across five NFL seasons. The Raiders inked him to a one-year deal worth up to $3.25MM in early April, but they’ve decided to go in a different direction.

The Washington Football Team and the Seahawks also expressed interest in Randall in March. Those teams may or may not circle back to him, but it stands to reason that he’ll find work somewhere. The Raiders’ secondary, meanwhile, will work to improve their work against the pass. Last year, they surrendered 256.7 passing yards per game, the eighth-highest total in the league.

Buccaneers Cut Matt Gay

September 4th, 2020 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are waiving Matt Gay, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. With that, the Bucs are set to roll with Ryan Succop as their primary kicker.

[RELATED: Bucs Sign Leonard Fournette]

Gay was the league’s fourth-highest scoring kicker as a rookie in 2019 and made five of his eight tries from 50+ yards. Still, the Bucs wanted a more experienced option. Earlier this week, they inked Succop and dropped Elliott Fry, putting Gay in a two-man race for the gig. A few days later, they made their call.

Succop made just 1 of 6 field goals in his final Titans season, which began and ended on IR. But, before that, Succop played in every game for the Titans from 2014-18 and made at least 83% of his field goals in each of those seasons.

In bigger Bucs news, the club welcomed running back Leonard Fournette to Tampa on Thursday. The former No. 4 overall pick joins incumbent Ronald Jones, rookies Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais, and fellow newcomer LeSean McCoy on TB’s RB depth chart.

Washington Releases Adrian Peterson

September 4th, 2020 at 9:12am CST by Zachary Links

The Washington Football Team has released Adrian Peterson, per a club announcement. The timing of the move is a bit curious, as Peterson was projected to serve as the team’s leading running back.

Even with Derrius Guice out of the picture, Washington didn’t see a place for Peterson, who was set to earn $2.25MM in 2020. By releasing him, they’ll save ~$2.4MM against $750K in dead money. The backfield will now be led by third-round rookie Antonio Gibson with support from the talented and oft-injured Bryce Love. Peyton Barber and J.D. McKissic round out the RB group.

Between 2018 and 2019, Peterson averaged a solid 4.2 yards per carry and suited up for 31 of a possible 32 games. For his career, Peterson has rushed for 14,216 yards, putting him roughly 1,000 yards behind Barry Sanders for fourth on the NFL’s all-time career list. As you might expect, the 35-year-old tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) that he still wants to play. .

Peterson has racked up quite an odometer with 3,036 carries over the course of 13 seasons. Still, he remains productive, and insistent that he’s nowhere near the end.

“I can see myself playing to 40,” Peterson said in December. “People look at that and say, ‘oh my god; that’s crazy.’ But they’ve been doing that for the past two years and surprise, surprise I’m still able to do it at a high level.”

Colts, C Ryan Kelly Agree On Extension

September 3rd, 2020 at 5:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ryan Kelly‘s extension talks progressed to an accepted offer Thursday. The Colts have announced they extended their veteran center.

The former first-round pick signed a four-year, $50MM contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Kelly will receive $34MM in guarantees. In terms of per-year salary and guarantees, this contract makes Kelly the NFL’s highest-paid center by a comfortable margin.

Going into what was set to be a contract year, Kelly said at multiple junctures this year he sought a long-term stay in Indianapolis. This represents a key commitment for a Colts team that returns all five of its offensive line starters, forming one of the league’s top fronts. They re-signed left tackle Anthony Castonzo in March, ensuring their entire quintet would be back for the 2020 season.

Kelly’s $12.5MM-per-year average comes in well north of Rodney Hudson‘s previous center high-water mark, topping the market by more than $1MM in average annual value. The guarantees given to the Colts snapper top the previous No. 1 figure by $5.5MM. Kelly, 27, is now signed through the 2024 season.

The Colts drafted Kelly 18th overall out of Alabama in 2016. He made his first Pro Bowl last season, when the Colts placed third in Pro Football Focus’ year-end O-line rankings. Philip Rivers has said the Colts’ O-line played a key role in his decision to sign with Indianapolis. Rivers’ eventual successor will now be set to take snaps from Kelly, who has ranked as a top-10 center — per PFF — in each of the past two seasons.

49ers Place Tavon Austin On IR

September 3rd, 2020 at 2:42pm CST by Rory Parks

It’s a bad year to be a 49ers wide receiver. Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com reports that Tavon Austin, whom San Francisco signed last month due to injuries to other wideouts, is headed to IR with a knee injury (Twitter link). Austin was signed on the same day as J.J. Nelson, who was recently placed on IR as well.

It’s an especially tough break for Austin, who was performing well in training camp and who may have been a valuable chess piece in head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s offense. Deebo Samuel appears unlikely to be available at the start of the season, first-round rookie Brandon Aiyuk‘s hamstring injury makes his status uncertain, and Jalen Hurd will miss the entire campaign due to an ACL tear, so Austin may actually have been in line for a sizable role.

The good news for the Niners is that Richie James has been activated from the NFI list. James had been dealing with a broken wrist, but it appears that he is on track for Week 1. He has served as the club’s primary return specialist over the last two seasons, and with Austin out of the picture, it seems likely that he will reprise that role in 2020.

The 49ers, though, could still use some depth at WR, and one wonders if the recently-released Mohamed Sanu could spark GM John Lynch‘s interest. As Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk writes, Lynch did not rule out a potential Sanu signing when asked about it this afternoon. Sanu played for Shanahan in Atlanta in 2016, when the latter was working as the Falcons’ OC.

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