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Dez Bryant left his visit to Cleveland a couple weeks back without a contract, but the two sides could still hammer something out eventually a source told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.
Cabot writes that the two sides could begin talking again after Week 1 due to the vested veterans guarantee date that’s part of the CBA. Under the rules, any veteran on a roster at the start of Week 1 has his contract guaranteed for the entire season. After Week 1, only 25% of the players contract is guaranteed if he were to be released.
It makes sense the Browns would be concerned about this due to it being a somewhat risky signing that is far from a guarantee to work out. If Bryant arrived in Cleveland and immediately began clashing in the locker room, they very well might have to end up cutting him.
Browns GM John Dorsey told Cleveland.com “it’s a week-to-week thing. Who’s to say I won’t call Dez on Tuesday and see how it’s going.” It was reported earlier that the Browns had offered Bryant a little bit under $5MM in salary for 2018, far less than Bryant was seeking. It’s possible the Browns will be willing to increase their offer once they no longer have to pay 100% of it if things don’t go smoothly. One way or another, we should no more very soon as the start of the regular season is just days away.
After he was released by the team at final cuts, the Dolphins are bringing back tight end Gavin Escobar according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter link).
To make room on the roster, the team is placing MarQueis Gray on injured reserve. Beasley posted a follow-up tweet noting that it’s “big news” as Gray “was on track to be a Week 1 starter.” It’s a big blow for Miami just days before the season gets underway.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald followed up with a tweet of his own, noting that it’s an Achilles injury for Gray. Although he’ll be eligible to return after eight weeks, if it’s an Achilles tear he’ll be done for the whole season. Escobar, a second round pick of the Cowboys back in 2013 was brought in on a one-year deal this offseason but let go as the Dolphins trimmed their roster to 53.
Escobar never lived up to his draft status, catching just 30 passes for 333 yards and eight touchdowns across his four seasons in Dallas. The injury to Gray likely means more snaps and potentially an every down role for rookie second round pick Mike Gesicki.
Despite his continued absence, the Steelers won’t rescind Le’Veon Bell‘s franchise tag, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
The drama reached new heights yesterday, when many of Bell’s teammates began criticizing him publicly. Several of his offensive linemen chimed in, a situation that is more or less unprecedented in today’s NFL. After yesterday’s fallout, many began to speculate that the Steelers would either rescind the tag, or look to trade Bell, but that’s not true according to Rapoport.
Despite GM Kevin Colbert’s strongly worded statement and the relentless griping from his teammates yesterday, “he’ll play for the Steelers this year. It’s just a question of when” writes Rapoport. While it was reported yesterday that Bell would almost certainly miss Week 1, it appears for now he still will be suiting up for Pittsburgh this season.
Bell missing yesterday’s crucial game-planning practice appeared to be the final straw for his teammates, and they lamented the fact that Bell hasn’t told anybody when he plans on reporting. Bell’s agent when on the radio a bit later in the day, and made clear that Bell’s primary motivation is getting through the season unscathed and entering free agency 100% healthy, even if it means giving up $855K game checks. It’s a risky move by Bell’s camp, and his antics could actually end up hurting his value in free agency.
Either way, it doesn’t sound like this situation will be resolving anytime soon.
The few years preceding the dawn of the Kyle Shanahan era in San Francisco were dark times. The 49ers had three coaches in a three year span and experienced a lot of losing. The stress took a toll on many of the team’s veteran players, including longtime left tackle Joe Staley.
Staley, who’s been with the 49ers ever since he was taken in the first round back in 2007, revealed in a recent interview with Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle that he considered retirement amidst all the losing and coaching changes. It’s all behind him now, and he says he feels rejuvenated by the energy Shanahan has injected into the team, but it sounds like Staley very nearly walked away from the game.
Here’s more from the NFC:
It’s now official. Redskins wide receiver Robert Davis will miss the entire 2018 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It was reported earlier that the team was concerned Davis may have torn his ACL during their preseason opener. As it turns out, Davis broke his leg and tore his LCL, per Rapoport. Head coach Jay Gruden said that Davis will require major surgery and will be sidelined for nine to 12 months (Twitter link via John Keim of ESPN.com).
Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweeted that the “slight silver lining here is no ACL, as they’d feared, and no nerve damage,” adding it “could’ve been worse for him.” Davis, a 2017 sixth-round pick, had reportedly been turning heads at training camp and was pushing for a spot on the team’s 53-man roster.
Davis was extremely productive in college, having played a major role during his four years at Georgia State. In his senior season, he caught 67 passes for 968 yards and five touchdowns. He finished his collegiate career with 222 catches, 3,391 yards, and 17 touchdowns. Given how impressive he was looking before going down, Davis could be back next year to compete for a job with the Redskins.
The injury is a blow to the Redskins’ depth, but it shouldn’t be too devastating. The team will move forward with Jamison Crowder, Paul Richardson, and Josh Doctson as its top three receivers. It was, though, the second brutal injury from the preseason opener, as Derrius Guice was revealed to have torn his ACL.
On the plus side, Gruden had high praise for 2016 UDFA Maurice Harris, who has seen limited action in his first two years in the league but who could be in for an increased role in 2018. Gruden said, “Mo is a great all-around receiver for us. We’re confident he can line up anywhere” (Twitter link via Keim).
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The Falcons have had to do right by a lot of players recently. They’ve doled out extensions to Devonta Freeman and Matt Ryan and still need to lock up Grady Jarrett and Jake Matthews. Ricardo Allen has also been angling for a new deal. On top of all this, star receiver Julio Jones has made clear his unhappiness with his current contract, and held out of mandatory minicamp in protest.
The team recently informed Jones they had no plans to sweeten his deal, which still has three years remaining on it. Jones is looking at it from the wrong perspective, argues Mark Bradley of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bradley thinks that since the Falcons budgeted for the rest of their players under the assumption Jones would play out his deal, it isn’t fair of him to ask the team for a raise. Bradley writes that Jones’ demands are due to “wounded pride” at being the NFL’s seventh-highest paid receiver. It’s unclear how Jones will respond to Atlanta’s refusal, but the team certainly doesn’t want its best player this unhappy. It wouldn’t be surprising if the two sides come to some sort of agreement on additional incentives or some other measure that will satisfy Jones.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
After drafting Kerryon Johnson in the second round and signing LeGarrette Blount in free agency, the Lions suddenly have a crowded running backs room. In addition to Johnson and Blount, the team also has Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, Dwayne Washington, and Zach Zenner on the team. At this point, Johnson, Blount, and Riddick are the locks to make t he team, while Abdullah, Washington, and Zenner are on the roster bubble, according to Tim Twentyman of Detroitlions.com.
Twentyman thinks the three on the bubble will be fighting it out for just one spot on the team. As of now he seems to think that Abdullah has the edge. The team can save $1MM in cap space by cutting Abdullah. Abdullah has been a disappointment since entering the league with a lot of hype as a second round pick back in 2015. Entering the final year of his rookie deal, even if he does make the roster this fall, 2018 should be his last season in Detroit. Washington and Zenner have both been hanging around the bottom of the Lions’ roster the past couple of years, and it looks like it could be the end of the road for them.
Here’s more from the league’s northern divisions:
Ben McAdoo has been fairly quiet ever since he was fired by the Giants midway through last season. Not anymore. McAdoo opened up in a recent interview with Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, dishing on a number of topics related to his old team. McAdoo talked about how excited he is for the Giants and how much he likes the vision being implemented by new GM Dave Gettleman. He even said he thinks the Giants are going to win the NFC East in 2018.
The most notable part of McAdoo’s interview may be his comments on offensive tackle Ereck Flowers. McAdoo was blunt in talking about Flowers’ shortcomings, and didn’t sound too hopeful for the fourth-year player. Selected ninth overall in 2015, Flowers has been a major bust at left tackle, and the Giants are experimenting with him at right tackle this offseason. McAdoo doesn’t think it’ll make a difference. “He can’t bend, you got to be able to bend” he said of his former player, adding “you can run around him on that side just like you can on the other side.” It’s somewhat refreshing to hear a coach speak that openly, but it likely won’t help him in his search for another coaching gig.
Here’s more from New York: