Ed Dickson

Seahawks Release Ed Dickson

Seattle continues to clear cap space bit by bit. The Seahawks have released veteran tight end Ed Dickson, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

The move comes shortly after Seattle cut safety Tedric Thompson to save a little bit of cash as well. Rapoport notes that Dickson had been set to earn $3MM in 2020, and that the Seahawks will save “most of it” by cutting him. Dickson had a very disappointing run in Seattle after signing a three-year, $10.7MM deal there in 2018. He missed the first six games of that season on the NFI list, and then missed all of last year with a knee injury.

Oddly, he started the year on injured reserve, was activated in November, but then nearly immediately placed back on IR without playing a game after he failed to recover from his knee injury. The circumstances of the knee issue were always a mystery, and it’s unclear if he’s now fully healthy.

A third-round pick of the Ravens back in 2010, Dickson has always been more of a blocker than a pass-catcher. He has had some reasonably productive years though, catching 30 passes for 437 yards with the Panthers in 2017, his last healthy campaign. Set to turn 33 in July, he’ll likely struggle for much guaranteed money assuming he wants to keep playing.

Seahawks To Place Ed Dickson On IR

After having just activated him from injured reserve on Wednesday, the Seahawks are expected to place tight end Ed Dickson back on IR, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Seattle reportedly has concern about Dickson’s recovery from an ongoing knee issue.

Dickson was originally slated to miss four-to-five weeks after undergoing knee surgery in early August, but he never came close to meeting that recovery timeline. The Seahawks have already placed Will Dissly on injured reserve and traded Nick Vannett, so Dickson could have seen immediate work alongside fellow tight end Jacob Hollister had he been able to stay on the field.

Dickson signed a three-year, $10.7MM contract with the Seahawks last spring, but his 2018 debut was delayed by various injuries. After spending the first part of the year on the non-football injury list, Dickson was activated in October, and went on to post 12 receptions and three touchdowns in 10 appearances.

If the Seahawks want to move on from Dickson next spring after essentially two lost campaigns, they could cut the 32-year-old without much financial consequence. Seattle would save $3.4MM in cap space and incur only $866K in dead money by releasing Dickson.

Seahawks Activate Ed Dickson From IR

The Seahawks’ tight end group has experienced considerable turnover this year, but they will add a key veteran for the stretch run. Seattle activated Ed Dickson from IR Wednesday.

Dickson’s second Seahawks season has unfolded similarly to his first. Last year, he did not debut until late October after spending the first several weeks of the season on Seattle’s NFI list because of a quadriceps injury. A late-summer knee surgery sidelined Dickson this year, and he experienced a slower-than-anticipated recovery. But the second-year Seahawk will make another midseason debut after returning to practice late last month.

The 10th-year veteran will again return for a Seahawks team that’s lost Will Dissly for the season. They also traded Nick Vannett to the Steelers. Yet this year, the team has received production from trade acquisition Jacob Hollister. Dickson joins Hollister and Luke Willson as Seattle’s active-roster tight ends.

In his abbreviated 2018 season, Dickson caught 12 passes for 143 yards and three touchdowns. The former Ravens and Panthers tight end has exceeded 300 receiving yards in just two seasons (2011, 2017). The 32-year-old vet is known more for his blocking, and this transaction will stand to help Seattle’s run game.

This is the second time the Seahawks have cut Taylor this year. They did so in August but brought him back before Week 2. He’s played a part-time role in his seventh NFL season, making 20 tackles in nine games as a backup. He will be available on the waiver wire.

Seahawks Place Tedric Thompson On IR

The Seahawks have placed safety Tedric Thompson on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, the club announced today. Veteran linebacker/defensive end Dekoda Watson has been signed to take Thompson’s spot on Seattle’s roster. Additionally, the Seahawks have designated tight end Ed Dickson to return from IR.

Thompson, a fourth-round pick in 2017, became a full-time starter last season and had started all six games for Seattle this year. While he’d posted two interceptions, Thompson had graded as a bottom-five safety league-wide, per Pro Football Focus. With trade acquisition Quandre Diggs dealing with a hamstring injury, rookie safety Marquise Blair is likely to start his third consecutive contest opposite Bradley McDougald, per Brady Henderson of ESPN.com.

Dickson, meanwhile, was originally slated to miss four-to-five weeks after undergoing knee surgery in early August, but he’s clearly well past that timeline. While he has returned to practice, Dickson is not expected to play in Week 9, as Pete Carroll indicated earlier this week. With fellow tight end Will Dissly already on injured reserve, Dickson could be in for immediate action as soon as he’s able to get back on the field.

Injury Notes: Ryan, Darnold, Dickson, Doctson

It doesn’t sound like Matt Ryan will be out for long. Falcons coach Dan Quinn said the veteran quarterback will start when the team returns from a bye in Week 10 (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). The coach also said Ryan would likely play this weekend if the team had a game.

Ryan suffered an ankle injury that forced him to miss Sunday’s game, the first time he’s been forced out of the lineup in a decade. The quarterback missed a pair of games during the 2009 season due to turf toe.

With the Falcons sitting at 1-7, it wouldn’t be shocking if the Falcons were a bit cautious with Ryan. On the flip side, the organization gave the quarterback more than $100MM in guaranteed money last year, and the veteran has still been plenty productive this season.

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

  • We heard earlier today that Sam Darnold was set to play through his thumb injury, and the Jets quarterback elaborated on the issue. Darnold referred to the ailment as a “pain-tolerance thing … I should be fine,” according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Coach Adam Gase previously said that this is an injury Darnold will have to play through for the rest of the season.
  • Seahawks tight end Ed Dickson will practice this week, coach Pete Carroll told reporters (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). Carroll added that Dickson is unlikely to make his season debut on Sunday The veteran has missed the first half of the season as he’s recovered from a knee injury. With Will Dissly out for the season, the offense will surely welcome back the tight end.
  • Vikings wideout Josh Doctson is set to return from injury this week, he told Darren Wolfson of 5Eyewitness News in Minny (via Twitter). The Redskins released the former first-rounder back in September, and he caught on with the Vikings soon after. The 26-year-old didn’t get into a game with Minnesota before landing on the IR with a hamstring injury.
  • Ravens cornerback Tavon Young underwent neck surgery, according to coach John Harbaugh (via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic on Twitter). Young suffered a neck injury prior to the season and was placed on IR. The 25-year-old signed a three-year, $25.8MM extension with Baltimore back in February. Meanwhile, rookie cornerback Iman Marshall returned to practice on Monday.

NFC Notes: JPP, Keenum, Seahawks, Vikings

Jason Pierre-Paul restructured his contract with the Buccaneers yesterday, and now we have the details. Originally scheduled to make $13.65MM in 2019, his new base salary will be just $3MM, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic. He’s eligible to come off the NFI list and return for the final ten games of the season, and he’ll receive a $200K bonus for each of those games that he plays in. He’ll get an additional $200K for every game he plays at least 50 percent of the defensive snaps and another $200K for each game he plays 75 percent of the defensive snaps. If he’s able to hit eight sacks he’ll get a $500K bonus and another $1MM if he reaches ten sacks, pushing the maximum value to $10.5MM.

Those sack goals are pretty lofty for only ten games, and it’s unlikely he makes the max value. Because JPP suffered a non-football injury, the Buccaneers weren’t obligated to pay his 2019 salary at all and could’ve voided his guarantees. But as Auman writes, “the team wouldn’t look good not paying a player whose injury came in a car accident in which he wasn’t even cited,” so the two sides came to an agreement. It’s unclear if he’ll actually be ready to go in Week 8 after the Bucs’ bye, as we haven’t gotten an update on his neck in a while.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • Case Keenum didn’t practice yesterday, sparking some excitement that the start of the Dwayne Haskins era might be right around the corner. That appears to have been false hope, as Keenum was back on the practice field working with the team during the portion open to the media Thursday. As of right now, the expectations is that he’ll be under center for the team’s Week 4 game against the Giants. Colt McCoy was also on the practice field today, and it looks like he’s close to returning from the leg injury that has sidelined him up until this point. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden has been tight-lipped about the situation, but it seems possible that Haskins will be demoted to third-string upon McCoy’s return.
  • It appears Seahawks tight end Ed Dickson‘s recovery isn’t going as planned. Pete Carroll is “concerned” Dickson won’t be ready to come off injured reserve when first eligible, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). When Dickson first had knee surgery back in early August, Carroll said the team was hoping he’d be out 4-5 weeks. That would’ve put him on track for an early September return, but now he apparently might not be ready for the Week 9 game in early November. Seattle is notoriously overly-optimistic about injuries, but that’s unusual even by their standards. The veteran’s first year with the Seahawks was last season, where he was mostly used as a blocker. Seattle just traded away Nick Vannett, and it looks like Will Dissly will be their only real option at tight end for the foreseeable future.
  • On the flip side, Vikings receiver Josh Doctson‘s recovery appears to be going quite smoothly. Doctson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury shortly after being signed, and he thinks he’ll be ready to go when first eligible after eight games. “For sure, absolutely,’’ he said Wednesday, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “That’s the target and that’s the plan.’’ Minnesota was recently forced to re-sign Laquon Treadwell because of how thin they were at receiver, so they could surely use Doctson. A former first-round pick of the Redskins, Doctson was released at final cuts. He was quickly scooped up by the Vikings, but suffered his injury a week later.

Seahawks Re-Sign Jaron Brown

The Seahawks brought back Jaron Brown, just one day after releasing him. The veteran will take the place of tight end Ed Dickson, who has been placed on injured reserve.

Brown was one of the most surprising cuts of Sunday, since he is projected to serve as the team’s No. 2 wide receiver while D.K. Metcalf recovers from his knee injury. Alas, the Seahawks had him in the plans all along and simply put him in limbo for a moment so that they could leave the door open for Dickson to play.

Doctors believe that Dickson could recover in time to return this season. In the near term, they’re expected to use tackle George Fant at tight end on occasion to help fill in the gap.

Seahawks TE Ed Dickson Out 4-5 Weeks

Seahawks tight end Ed Dickson underwent knee surgery and Seattle is “hoping” for a four-to-five week recovery, head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link).

Given Dickson’s recovery timeline, he’s likely to miss at least one regular season game, but complications could potentially extend that timeframe. Starting tight end Nick Vannett will continue to see the bulk of Seattle’s tight end load, but 2018 fourth-round pick Will Dissly — who posted eight receptions and two touchdowns in four games before going down with a patellar tendon injury during his rookie campaign — could see more time. Trade acquisition Jacob Hollister, whom Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic reports has “been as impressive as anyone on the [Seahawks’] roster”, might also be in line for extra work.

Dickson signed a three-year, $10.7MM contract with the Seahawks last spring, but his 2018 debut was delayed by various injuries. After spending the first part of the year on the non-football injury list, Dickson was activated in October, and went on to post 12 receptions and three touchdowns in 10 appearances.

Seahawks Activate TE Ed Dickson

Ed Dickson is in line to make his Seahawks debut on Sunday. The team activated its free agent addition from the reserve/NFI list on Saturday.

The veteran tight end missed all of training camp because of injuries, though Pete Carroll said the soft-tissue maladies not being too serious allowed Dickson to ramp up work in advance of what looks like a Week 8 debut. He returned to practice this week.

The Seahawks waived second-year UDFA tight end Tyrone Swoopes to clear a roster spot.

Signing a three-year, $10.7MM contract with the Seahawks in advance of his age-31 season, Dickson will help a Seattle team that lost Jimmy Graham in free agency. Will Dissly is on IR, and Nick Vannett leads all active-roster Seattle tight ends with 110 receiving yards. Vannett’s also battled injury trouble this season.

Dickson started 12 games for the Panthers last season, filling in for much of the slate as Greg Olsen‘s injury replacement. He caught 30 passes for 437 yards last season. That total represents the second-best of Dickson’s career, making this activation a potentially critical depth aid for the 3-3 Seahawks.

West Notes: Peterson, Broncos, Raiders

The Cardinals and Patrick Peterson appear to be moving forward together, despite the All-Pro cornerback’s trade request. A key part of Peterson reaffirming his commitment to the franchise was a 30-minute meeting with team president Michael Bidwill, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com notes (on Twitter). The parties discussed ways the Cardinals could improve, with Bidwill assuring Peterson the franchise is committing to winning, per Schefter.

I think we definitely have a clear understanding and I have two years left under my contract, so I’m here,” Peterson said, via ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter), who adds the cornerback didn’t exactly exude much happiness during his remarks Wednesday, which could be understandable given the state of the Cardinals (Twitter link).

Peterson also responded to a question about why he wanted to be traded by saying (via Weinfuss, on Twitter), “You see the record.” He’s signed through the 2020 season but has little guaranteed money left on an extension he agreed to in 2014.

Here’s the latest out of the West divisions:

  • The Broncos do not plan to sign a backup quarterback in the near future. While Mike Klis of 9News notes the team likely will add another signal-caller to either the active roster or practice squad, expect that player to now work behind previous No. 3 passer Kevin Hogan. “Kevin is the backup right now,” Vance Joseph said. “We’ll see as time progresses here. Kevin is fine. Kevin has played in games. He’s a smart guy; he’s picked it up quick and we have full confidence in Kevin.” Hogan is a career 59 percent passer who started one game and saw action in eight with the Browns from 2016-17. The Redskins waived him before the season began, and the Broncos’ subsequent claim led to Paxton Lynch‘s departure.
  • Addressing the trade that sent Amari Cooper to the Cowboys, Jon Gruden said (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Michael Gehlken, on Twitter) this was more about acquiring a valuable draft pick than the Raiders being dissatisfied with the wide receiver. Reggie McKenzie said Monday that Dallas offering a first-rounder was a proposal he could not pass on.
  • Both K.J. Wright and Ed Dickson are expected to make their season debuts for the Seahawks on Sunday, Pete Carroll said (via ESPN.com’s Brady Henderson). An arthroscopic knee surgery and a setback kept Wright out for this long. Dickson’s spent time on the NFI list because of a quad injury. The Seahawks signed Dickson to a three-year, $10.7MM deal this offseason.
  • The Seahawks placed safety T.J. Green on their exempt list, and Carroll said (via the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta, on Twitter) Green simply didn’t want to play football anymore. The former second-round pick out of Clemson hadn’t seen action with the Seahawks. He’d started 11 games prior to the Colts cutting him two months ago.
  • Citing Gruden’s inconsistent draft history with the Buccaneers, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry wonders how well the Raiders coach will fare in rebuilding this team that now has three 2019 first-round picks. Gruden assumed full Bucs control during the 2003 season, and only one of his draft choices (2006 first-rounder Davin Joseph) made a Pro Bowl as a Buccaneer (although, 2008 first-rounder Aqib Talib made several after leaving Tampa Bay). Both Michael Clayton and Cadillac Williams started strong before failing to match their rookie seasons’ excellence, with Corry adding Gruden’s draft work in Tampa Bay does not measure up to McKenzie’s high-end 2014 haul of Khalil Mack, Derek Carr and Gabe Jackson.