Jeremy Lane

NFL Workout Updates: 9/17/18

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s of Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Dallas Cowboys

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • TE Nick O’Leary (link)

Tennessee Titans

Washington Redskins

Jeremy Lane Formally Charged With DUI

The Seahawks have already parted ways with Jeremy Lane this offseason and the cornerback has now found himself in some legal trouble as he attempts to find a new football home. Lane was formally charged with a DUI in relation to a January arrest, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. He is scheduled to be arraigned on March 26.

Lane struggled last season — Pro Football Focus graded him as one of the five worst cornerbacks in the NFL — and the Seahawks cut him on March 9, joining Richard Sherman as cornerbacks cut by Seattle this offseason. The Seahawks drafted Lane in the sixth round in the 2012 draft and he’s spent his entire career in Seattle. He was slated to be sent to the Texans as part of the package to acquire left tackle Duane Brown during this past season but failed his physical and remained with the Seahawks.

Lane, 27, received a bulk of his playing time with the Seahawks over the last two seasons, appearing in 19 games and starting 15. He has not picked off a pass since collecting two interceptions in 2013. Lane is in a cornerback free-agent market that’s headlined by the likes of Trumaine Johnson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Johnathan Joseph and Adam Jones.

Seahawks To Release CB Jeremy Lane

Richard Sherman isn’t the only corner being cut by the Seahawks. Fellow Legion of Boomer Jeremy Lane will also be released today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 

Lane, 28 in July, saw the most playing time of his career between 2016 and 2017. Although he has made 15 starts over the past two seasons, he has not been a high-level contributor, according to the advanced metrics. Lane graded out as one of the five worst cornerbacks in the NFL last season, according to Pro Football Focus.

Lane entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2012 and has been with the club ever since. For his seventh year in the league, he’ll be suiting up elsewhere. His departure from Seattle nearly happened back in October, when the Seahawks agreed to send him to Houston as a part of the Duane Brown deal. Lane’s failed physical forced the two sides to adjust the trade and remove the cornerback from the swap.

By cutting Lane, the Seahawks will save nearly $5MM with $2.5MM in dead money left on the cap.

CB Notes: Revis, Lane, Packers

Darrelle Revis does not want to retire despite turning in another disappointing season, albeit an abbreviated one. The 32-year-old cornerback played in six Chiefs games, counting Kansas City’s first-round defeat, and is signed through 2018. However, the Chiefs are fairly certain to move on from him — at least, at his current rate. Revis is due $10MM at the start of the 2018 league year.

The material I put on [film] from the little time I had, not going through training camp and being here for the installs, I was OK,” Revis said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. “I wasn’t great or my best ever. No way. But at the same time, for what I came in here and was asked to do, for the most part I’m happy with it.”

Revis, whose play Chiefs DC Bob Sutton called “pretty remarkable” considering he joined the team in late November, said he wants to be with a team throughout the offseason in 2018. He will turn 33 before training camps begin. He did not rule out a return to the Chiefs.

You never know with these things,” Revis said. “This is my fourth team. Rosters always change. Even if we went the distance and won the Super Bowl, that team changes as well. I understand the situation.

… I just feel like if I had been here during those [offseason practices] and training camp practices I would have had more reps and been more comfortable. I still think I can contribute. I think a lot of people kind of criticized me because of how I played in the past but for the most part the role I played here was simply to contribute. The role coach gave me was to play nickel and that’s what I came to do.”

Here’s the latest from various cornerback situations around the league.

  • Seahawks corner Jeremy Lane ran into trouble early Monday morning when he was arrested for a DUI, Brady Henderson of ESPN.com reports. This arrest occurred on or near Mercer Island (near Seattle), per Henderson, who adds the cornerback was booked into jail at 5:30am PT. He was released on his own recognizance approximately four hours later. Henderson notes the Seahawks were already expected to move on from Lane after this season, one that saw him nearly traded to the Texans before a failed physical sent him back to Seattle. The 27-year-old defender is set to make $6MM in base salary in each of the next two seasons. It would cost the Seahawks $2.5MM in dead money to release Lane while providing nearly $5MM in cap savings.
  • Damarious Randall‘s offseason began with a hand surgery to correct a problem the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Michael Cohen reports (on Twitter) the Packers cornerback played through all season. Cohen called it a minor procedure, while ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (on Twitter) that operation will sideline Randall for up to two months.
  • The twice-franchise-tagged Trumaine Johnson isn’t a lock to leave Los Angeles.

NFC Notes: Griffin, Stafford, Forbath, 49ers

The Seahawks defense continues to take hits on the injury front as the team has now learned that starting cornerback Shaquill Griffin has been ruled out for Sunday’s game vs. the 49ers with a concussion, according to Gregg Bell of The News Tribune (Twitter link). Bell adds that lineman Oday Aboushi will miss the matchup with a shoulder injury as well, so Seattle will once again have to expose backups to expansive playing time.

It would seem that cornerbacks Byron Maxwell and Jeremy Lane will get the starts on the outside, with either rookie Ethan Pocic or third-year lineman Mark Glowinski filling in for Aboushi at right guard.

Seattle’s roster looks a whole lot different without the likes of Griffin, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor in the starting lineup, which has contributed greatly to the Seahawks up-and-down sort of season. The team still has an outstanding defensive line and is right in the thick of the playoff race, but is currently facing a lot of adversity as it continues to lose quality players as the season wears on.

  • In what was a tremendous show of resiliency on Thanksgiving, Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford actually finished the game after he suffered what looked to be a serious leg injury. However, even though the talented QB was able to return, you can clearly see that he is not 100% in a video posted to Instagram by Davie Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, depicting Stafford hobbling away after his postgame press conference. It remains to be seen whether Stafford can continue to play in the weeks to come, but we should learn more about the overall severity of the injury next week.
  • Vikings kicker Kai Forbath apparently cut his foot on the nullified block field goal, but should not miss any time moving forward, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Forbath had been one of the best kickers in the league up until the last few weeks when he missed two field goals against the Rams and suffered the aforementioned blocked kick yesterday.
  • The 49ers are as expected not in playoff contention this year, but still await some key decisions on potential free agents at season’s end. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle, looked at six impending free agents who could be on the way out after the 2017 season is over. Branch noted running back Carlos Hyde, safety Eric Reid, center Daniel Kilgore, defensive end Aaron Lynch, defensive lineman Tank Carradine and cornerback Dontae Johnson as all guys that seemed primed to test the open market. There are a variety of factors that go into these decisions, but it’s interesting to see how the team may approach these players in the final six weeks of the season given their impending free agency.

NFC Notes: Winston, Wilson, Lane, Saints O-Line

We now know that the NFL is investigating an incident regarding Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and an uber driver from last year. The female uber driver claimed that the former number one overall pick groped her during a ride, but Winston has denied those allegations. but adding onto this story, Steve Wyche of NFL.com reports in a Twitter video, that the 23 year-old signal caller will not go on the exempt list because no charges have filed as of yet.

However, it might not be long until the quarterback faces suspension from the league, according to Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders. Cummings says that while Winston may avoid suspension for the rest of the year because the investigation could take some time, but notes that sexual assault allegations have resulted in missed time in the past. The writer points to when Ben Roethlisberger was suspended for four games back when he faced similar charges in 2010.

The story is still unfolding, so while Winston’s playing outlook is in flux given his current injury, this situation adds an unexpected twist to his 2017 season and perhaps even in 2018.

  • Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson shed some light on the jaw injury that he suffered vs. Arizona last Thursday in a session with the media today. The signal caller said that while he wasn’t concussed in the game, his jaw injury forced him to undergo some drastic treatment in the days after, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times.  Condotta relays that Wilson was forced to wear a mouthguard and could not eat solid foods for the three days following the midweek contest. “Basically, the game was on Thursday, so Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, I was pretty sore,” he said. “Tons of ice and treatment and all of that, so I feel good now. … the first two-and-a-half, three days, I couldn’t really eat anything. I was just doing smoothies and all that kind of stuff.” While the injury does sound painful, it looks like Wilson is going to tough it out for Monday night’s game vs. the Falcons.
  • While Wilson will remain in the starting lineup, another team leader in Richard Sherman will miss the rest of the season. With that news finally settling in for Seahawks fans, Condotta also passes along that cornerback Jeremy Lane will replace him in the defensive backfield (Twitter link). Lane was notably rescinded in the Duane Brown trade because he failed the Texans physical, and now finds himself as a key cog to Seattle staying afloat in a competitive NFC playoff picture.
  • The Saints have been one of the hottest teams in football winning their last seven games after dropping their first two at the start of the regular season. A big reason for this has been the emergence of arguably the league’s best 1-2 backfield punch that includes veteran Mark Ingram and rookie Alvin Kamara. However, Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate notes that the team has been helped by some notable early returns on their offensive line. Erickson states that three of the team’s starting lineman have returned sooner than expected, including guard Larry Warford, center Max Unger and left tackle Terron Armstead. Warford returned this past Sunday from an abdominal strain, missing only two games, Unger progressed ahead of schedule from offseason Lisfranc surgery and Armstead’s return was premature after suffering a torn labrum. All three lineman have helped the Saints offense change it’s identity to a more ground and pound style, which has been on full display in the past seven weeks.

NFC Rumors: Manning, Smith, Capers, 49ers

This week has been among the more grim Giants stretches in many years. Anonymous players came forward to criticize Ben McAdoo, and the statuses of the head coach and GM Jerry Reese aren’t exactly entrenched going into 2018. And the Giants are ready to look at the 2018 quarterback crop for a possible high first-round selection. Eli Manning, though, still looms as the team’s franchise passer with two full seasons remaining on his contract. While it doesn’t make much sense for a 36-year-old quarterback to be around for the kind of rebuild the Giants may want to embark upon, Manning would prefer to finish his career with one team, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes.

While Graziano mentions the Jaguars and Broncos as teams that would make sense as possible Manning suitors via trade, he writes the possibility of landing back on a contender — with these teams missing a quarterback to complement top-flight defenses — wouldn’t necessarily override Manning’s desire to play his entire career with New York. Manning having a no-trade clause makes his desires rather significant as the Giants begin plans for their future.

Here’s the latest from the NFC going into Week 10 Sunday.

  • While Ezekiel Elliott will be the most notable absence in Sunday’s Cowboys-Falcons game, Dallas will be without its cornerstone left tackle as well. Tyron Smith will miss Week 10 with back and groin injuries. The All-Pro blocker will not make the trip to Atlanta, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports (on Twitter). Chaz Green will start in Smith’s place. The seventh-year veteran had made all eight starts for the Cowboys this season.
  • 49ers defensive end Tank Carradine returned to practice this week, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. The team planned to bring the injured defender back from IR, and it looks like that’s still the plan. Carradine can return as soon as Week 12 — a November 26 game against the Seahawks. Both Carradine and Arik Armstead are on IR, and it looks like the latter’s third NFL season will be over. “It’s a tough decision, but we feel Tank has got a good chance to at least be back for these last six games where we know Arik would have been only the last two,” Kyle Shanahan said. “We had to make a decision (Wednesday), so we’re going to go with Tank right now.” Fellow defensive lineman Ronald Blair took San Francisco’s first IR-return spot last week.
  • If this Packers slide results in the team’s eight-season playoff streak ending, there could be changes in Green Bay. Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com notes Dom Capers‘ job looks to be in the most danger. The Packers have invested 10 first- or second-round picks in their defense since 2012 and are trotting out a sub-average unit. Green Bay ranks 21st in defensive DVOA and 19th in points allowed. Dougherty writes the advancing ages of Aaron Rodgers (34 in December), Mike McCarthy (54, but in season No. 12) and Ted Thompson (64, in season 13) could force the organization to make a high-profile change in hopes of capitalizing on this era’s Rodgers-opened window. The 67-year-old Capers is in his ninth season leading Green Bay’s defense and been leading defenses for more than 25 seasons.
  • The Seahawks‘ post-Richard Sherman plan will likely feature the nearly traded Jeremy Lane moving into the starting lineup alongside rookie Shaquill Griffin, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes. Condotta predicted the Seahawks would bring in former starter Byron Maxwell for a visit, which they plan to, but no agreement is yet imminent. DeShawn Shead remains on the PUP list after suffering a serious knee injury in the divisional round last season, but thanks to an NFL rule change, the Seahawks don’t have to make an activation decision by Week 11. They can wait longer if they want to activate Shead, but he would likely require multiple weeks of practice to return to a game-ready status. Time’s running out on those prospects, if Seattle wants to use Shead during the regular season.

Jeremy Lane Fails Texans Physical

Cornerback Jeremy Lane — who was one piece of the Texans’ return for offensive tackle Duane Brown — has failed his physical with Houston, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). As such, the 2018 fifth-round pick that was originally sent from the Seahawks to the Texans will become a 2018 third-rounder, while Seattle will also acquire a 2018 fifth-round pick, per McClain.

In sum, the trade now breaks down as follows:

Seahawks acquire:

Texans acquire:

  • 2018 third-round pick
  • 2019 second-round pick

Lane, who is dealing with a leg injury, will head back to Seattle, where he recently lost his starting role to rookie Shaquill Griffin. He’ll presumably continue to rehab and work to regain playing time, as there’s no chance of him being shipped elsewhere now that the trade deadline has passed.

Seattle will re-assume the remainder of Lane’s $4MM base salary, a problem given the club’s lack of cap space. Dealing Lane was theoretically centered around the idea of ridding his salary, so the Seahawks’ decision to restructure quarterback Russell Wilson‘s contract in order to create financial breathing room appears even more necessary.

Seahawks Acquire OT Duane Brown

The Seahawks have acquired offensive tackle Duane Brown from the Texans, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Houston will receive cornerback Jeremy Lane, a 2018 fifth-round pick, and a 2019 second-round pick.Duane Brown (vertical)

Seattle had been considered an ideal landing spot for Brown in recent weeks, so while the deal doesn’t come as a complete surprise, the trade still represents a massive talent shift of talent from the Texans to the Seahawks. Acquiring an offensive lineman was perhaps the most obvious move Seattle general manager John Schneider could make before tomorrow’s deadline, as the Seahawks’ front five ranks in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate.

Brown will take over at left tackle for Seattle, a position that’s been bereft of a solid starter for some time. Rees Odhiambo, a third-round pick in the 2016 draft, had been serving as the Seahawks’ blindside protector following a season-ending injury to George Fant, but Odhiambo has graded as the NFL’s second-worst offensive tackle through eight weeks, per Pro Football Focus.

Brown, 32, should represent a massive upgrade over Odhiambo — the former first-round pick offers 133 starts worth of experience, and has consistently earned positive marks from PFF. He’s also been remarkably durable, with only 12 injury-related missed games over nine seasons in the NFL. And of course, Brown should be well-rested after missing the first seven weeks of the 2017 campaign in a contractual holdout.

That holdout was the primary driver behind Houston’s decision to trade Brown, as the Texans and general manager Rick Smith gave no indication they were willing to give Brown a new deal. Brown is due roughly $4.7MM for the rest of the season, and that will require cap space the Seahawks don’t currently possess (hence the inclusion of Lane). Brown is signed through the 2018 season with a cap charge of $9.75MM next year, though Seattle will presumably rework his contract.

Lane is earning a fully guaranteed $4MM base salary in 2017, so the Texans are now responsible for roughly $2MM for the remainder of the year. He’s also under contract through 2019 with base salaries of $6MM in each season. While acquiring Lane will help Seattle offset Brown’s salary, he’s also a much-needed piece for a beat up Houston secondary.Jeremy Lane

Although he had recently lost his starting role in Seattle, Lane has starting experience, including all 16 games in 2016. Lane, whom the Seahawks were shopping during the preseason, is probably best utilized as a slot corner, but he can also play outside. He’ll be valuable for the Texans in either role, as Houston is currently relying on two age-29+ corners in Johnathan Joseph and Kareem Jackson (plus a recovering Kevin Johnson).

The Texans also picked up two draft picks in this trade, selections that will help them defray the cost of deals they’ve pulled off in the past year. Houston is already without its two top picks in 2018, having dealt them to Cleveland in order to move up for Deshaun Watson and rid itself of Brock Osweiler, respectively. While they won’t receive Seattle’s second-rounder until 2019, the Texans still managed to pick up draft assets while bringing in a possible starter in Lane.

On a macro level, the trade of Brown represents the first domino to fall in the offensive line trade market. The Eagles, who are now without veteran Jason Peters for the rest of season, were “monitoring” the Brown situation, and could now look elsewhere in their search for offensive line help, per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).

Seahawks Shopping CB Jeremy Lane, Others

The Seahawks aren’t just shopping Jermaine Kearse. The Seahawks are also actively gauging the trade values of players like cornerback Jeremy Lane and running back Alex Collins, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweetsJeremy Lane

Lane, 27, appeared in all 16 games for the Seahawks last season, including nine starts. It appeared that Lane would be in line for significant playing time yet again as DeShawn Shead heals up from last year’s injury, but he’s fallen out of favor somewhat. The Seahawks signed ex-49ers cornerback Tramaine Brock in August and bolstered depth by drafting Shaquill Griffin (third round) and Michael Tyson (sixth round), so they can get by without Lane if the right deal comes along.

Collins, a fifth-round pick in the 2016 draft, is entering the second year of a four-year, $2.566MM deal. He’s affordable enough, but he probably doesn’t hold a ton of value. There’s a good chance that Seattle drops Collins outright now that J.D. McKissic has been reclassified as a running back.