NFL Workout Updates: 10/3/17
Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:
Arizona Cardinals
- OTs Javarius Leamon and Storm Norton; LB Carl Bradford (link)
Baltimore Ravens
- QB Stephen Morris (link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com); TEs Evan Baylis and Henry Krieger-Coble; CBs Dante Blackmon (link); DB Bennett Jackson (link via Dan Duggan of NJ.com)
Buffalo Bills
- RBs Jalen Simmons and Brandon Wilds (link)
Cleveland Browns
- RBs Josh Rounds and Kelvin Taylor; TEs Evan Baylis, Alex Ellis, Anthony Firkser, and Henry Krieger-Coble (link)
Houston Texans
- RBs Kapri Bibbs and Troymaine Pope; LBs Josh Forrest and Michael Mauti; DBs Charlie Miller, Ed Reynolds, and Andrew Williamson (link)
Indianapolis Colts
- TE Gabe Holmes; OL Anthony Fabiano, Gino Gradkowski, G Cole Toner (link)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- QB Sefo Liufau; WRs Dres Anderson and Nelson Spruce; DT Woodrow Hamilton (link)
Los Angeles Rams
- P Brock Miller (link)
Miami Dolphins
- WRs Jordan Payton and Jordan Williams; OLs Willie Beavers and Jake Rodgers (link)
New Orleans Saints
- TEs Jim Dray, Gavin Escobar, and Brian Parker; OL Andrew Gardner; DT John Hughes (link)
New York Jets
- WR Tavarres King; DT Ed Stinson; S Mykkele Thompson (link)
San Francisco 49ers
- TE Cooper Helfet (link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- DBs Jordan Dangerfield and Harold Jones-Quartey (link)
Tennessee Titans
- WRs Chris Harper, Anthony Nash, Tim Patrick, and Keenan Reynolds (link)
Washington Redskins
- QB Garrett Grayson (link via Pelissero); WRs Amba Etta-Tawo, Kalif Raymond, and Nelson Spruce; OTs Reid Fragel, Javarius Leamon, and Victor Salako (link)
Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill Hires Drew Rosenhaus
Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill has hired Drew Rosenhaus as his new representation, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
NFL draft picks can’t negotiate extensions until the completion of their third season in the league, so Hill isn’t eligible for a new deal until the end of the 2018 campaign. Hill, who was selected in the fifth round of the 2016 draft, is scheduled to carry cap charges between $550K and $800K from 2016-18 before becoming an unrestricted free agent. Because he wasn’t a first-round choice, Hill can’t be kept in Kansas City in 2019 via a fifth-year option.
Instead of working on a new deal immediately, Hills hopes to “further his brand via involvement in community activities and to parlay his on-field performance into marketing deals,” reports Florio. Hill, notably, pleaded guilty to domestic violence against his pregnant girlfriend in advance of last year’s draft, and while he’s stayed out of trouble since that time, his off-field image is still somewhat tarnished.
On the field, Hill has picked up where he left off last season. Through four games as the undefeated Chiefs’ new No. 1 wide receiver, Hill has posted 21 receptions for 288 yards and two touchdowns. He’s also rushed the ball six times and handled six punts.
No Timeline For Ravens DT Brandon Williams
Defensive tackle Brandon Williams does not have a timeline for return as he works his way back from a foot injury, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
Williams, who re-signed with the Ravens in March on a five-year, $52.5MM deal, has missed each of Baltimore’s last two games (which, coincidentally or not, have both been losses). The Ravens have allowed more than 160 yards rushing to both the Jaguars and the Steelers over the past two weeks without Williams, who appeared in all 16 games from 2014-16. Williams, 28, graded as the NFL’s No. 39 interior defender among 127 qualifiers in last season, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Williams stout marks against the run.
With Williams sidelined, Baltimore has asked fellow defensive tackle Michael Pierce to play increased snaps — he’s seeing action on nearly 80% of the Ravens’ defensive plays after lining up on just a third of the club’s snaps a season ago. With fellow starter Brent Urban done for the season, Carl Davis, Bronson Kaufusi, and Willie Henry are also seeing time. Third-round rookie Chris Wormley has yet to be active on gameday in 2017, but that could hypothetically change later in the year.
Saints To Sign OL John Greco
The Saints have reached agreement with free agent offensive lineman John Greco, a source tells Joel Erickson of the Advocate (Twitter link).
Greco, at first glance, appears to be a depth signing for New Orleans, who already boast Larry Warford and Andrus Peat as its starting guards. Veteran right tackle Zach Strief will be sidelined for at least eight weeks after being placed on injured reserve earlier today, but Greco doesn’t play tackle, and first-round pick Ryan Ramczyk is expected to take over on the right side when left tackle Terron Armstead presumably returns to the field following the Saints’ Week 5 bye.
If Armstead doesn’t come back in the next few weeks (he’s recovering from a torn labrum), the Saints could hypothetically reshuffle their front five with Greco now in tow. Peat, the club’s left guard, also plays tackle, and could conceivably shift to right tackle to create space for Greco at guard. That’s entirely speculation, however, and all reports have indicated Armstead is progressing quickly.
Greco, 32, was released by the Browns earlier this year after injuries forced him to miss six total games from 2015-16. When he’s been healthy, however, Greco has been a solid starter, and he graded as the league’s No. 18 guard among 75 qualifiers last season, per Pro Football Focus. All told, Greco offers 111 games — and 70 starts — worth of experience.
Before signing with the Saints, Greco also auditioned for the Giants, Bills, and Lions.
Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/17
Today’s minor moves:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: S Trae Elston, S Shamarko Thomas
- Placed on injured reserve: S Colt Anderson
- Released: S Robert Blanton
- Waived: DE Eric Lee
Carolina Panthers
- Placed on IR: WR Damiere Byrd
- Released from IR: LB Jeremy Cash
Cleveland Browns
- Promoted to active roster: LB Deon King
- Signed off Eagles‘ practice squad: WR Bryce Treggs
- Placed on IR: LB Dominique Alexander
Houston Texans
- Signed: DB Marcus Cromartie
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed off Redskins‘ practice squad: G Kyle Kalis
- Signed: C Mike Person
- Placed on IR: C Deyshawn Bond
Miami Dolphins
- Promoted to active roster: DB Jordan Lucas
- Placed on IR: T Eric Smith
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: FB Zach Line, LB Gabe Martin
- Released: DL Kendall Langford
- Waived: LB Ben Heeney
Tennessee Titans
- Waived: LB Josh Carraway
Seahawks DE Cliff Avril Out “Awhile”
Seahawks defensive end Cliff Avril is dealing with a “serious stinger” and will be sidelined “awhile,” head coach Pete Carroll told reporters, including Curtis Crabtree of KJR (Twitter link) and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the latter of whom reports that Avril is experiencing numbness in his arm.
Seattle’s defensive line hasn’t lived up to its talent thus far in 2017, as the club’s front four ranks in the bottom half of the league in both adjusted sack rate and adjusted line yards. But it’s hard to argue that the Seahawks don’t have the pieces to cover up a lengthy Avril absence. Frank Clark, who’s played on roughly half of Seattle’s defensive snaps this season after posting 10 sacks in 2016, should see increased usage, while the Hawks could also more heavily deploy former Eagles first-round pick Marcus Smith, who saw action on 27 plays in Seattle’s Week 4 victory.
Avril, 31, has been a stalwart for the Seahawks in recent years, as he appeared in 63 of 64 games from 2013-16 and racked up 33.5 sacks during that time. Although he’d been on the field for 68% of Seattle’s plays thus far, Pro Football Focus hasn’t been enamored with his work — Avril has graded as a bottom-five edge defender and earned horrible marks as a pass-rusher, per PFF.
Falcons Place DE Jack Crawford On IR
The Falcons have placed defensive Jack Crawford on injured reserve with a biceps injury, the club announced today.
Crawford, whom Atlanta signed away from the Cowboys this offseason, is now the third Falcons defensive lineman to go down with injury in recent weeks. Star edge rusher Vic Beasley is still working his way back from a hamstring issue, while Courtney Upshaw may be close to returning from an ankle ailment. Crawford, for his part, had played on 101 defensive snaps this season but graded as just the No. 87 interior defender among 100 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
With Crawford sidelined, the Falcons auditioned defensive ends Devin Taylor, Jonathan Woodard, Sterling Bailey, Nicholas Williams, Pat O’Connor, plus linebacker Lavar Edwards, on Monday, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Atlanta is on the hunt for defensive line reinforcements, and its workout session comes as no surprise given that head coach Dan Quinn indicated that he and general manager Thomas Dimitroff would soon discuss adding help to their front four.
Taylor, 27, offers vast experience, as the former fourth-round pick appeared in 61 games (18 starts) for the Lions over the past four seasons. While he’s posted 15 sacks during his NFL career, PFF wasn’t complementary of Taylor’s performance in 2016, ranking him as the second-worst defensive end in the league. Taylor signed with the Giants in May but didn’t make it through final cutdowns, and has since worked out for the Vikings.
The Falcons’ defensive front, which currently includes Grady Jarrett, Dontari Poe, Brooks Reed, Adrian Clayborn, Derrick Shelby, and first-round rookie Takkarist McKinley, hasn’t played all that well in 2017, as the unit ranks 21st in adjusted sack rate and 25th in adjusted line yards, per Football Outsiders.
Danny Trevathan’s Suspension Reduced
The NFL has reduced Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan‘s two-game suspension to one game following appeal, the league announced today.
Trevathan leveled Packers wide receiver Davante Adams with a brutal hit during last week’s Thursday Night Football, and while he wasn’t ejected from the game, Trevathan was handed a 15-yard personal foul. Adams, thankfully, escaped with only a concussion after being taken to the hospital.
The league originally suspended Trevathan two games after determining that the Bear’s backer exuded “excessive” force while tackling Adams, as Trevathan hit Adams in the helmet when the wideout’s progress had already been stopped. Appeals officer — and former NFL linebacker Derrick Brooks — heard Trevathan’s case, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
As a result of today’s ruling, Trevathan will now be absent for Chicago’s Week 5 contest against the division-rival Vikings.
Saints Place Zach Strief On IR
The Saints have placed offensive tackle Zach Strief on injured reserve, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Strief suffered an MCL sprain earlier this year but the team was hoping to avoid IR. 
By placing Strief on IR, the Saints will have to keep him out of action for a minimum of eight weeks. The good news is that offensive line coach Dan Roushar says Strief may be a candidate to return later in the season (Twitter link via Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate).
Strief suffered his injury during the team’s season opener and that was a bad blow considering that fellow starting tackle Terron Armstead was also injured to start the year. The Saints have managed to go 2-2 even with their banged up offensive line, but it remains to be seen if they can keep things afloat going forward.
In 2016, the 34-year-old played more than 97% of the Saints’ offensive snaps and posted perhaps the best campaign of his career. He graded as the No. 12 overall tackle in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, which gave him excellent marks in the run and pass game.
The Saints are on bye in Week 5 before facing the Lions in Week 6.
Nick Mangold: I’m Still Not Healthy
When the Jets released center Nick Mangold this offseason, it seemed likely that he would hook on elsewhere and continue his career. Months later, Mangold doesn’t sound so sure about whether he wants to continue playing. 
“Maybe there’s more to (my career), maybe there isn’t,” the seven-time Pro Bowler told SNY (transcription via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini).
Mangold added that his injured foot still isn’t healed, and he didn’t want to “steal checks” this season. If Mangold does return to the NFL, it sounds like it won’t happen until 2018 at the earliest.
The veteran seemed like a natural fit for the Ravens this offseason given all of their injuries on the offensive line, but a deal never came together. He was also connected to the Dolphins as Mike Pouncey struggled to stay healthy, but Miami did not show any real interest.
Mangold, 34 in January, missed half of the 2016 season. Before that, however, he missed just four regular season Jets games over the previous nine seasons. Mangold was ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 25th best center in 2016, but he has posted several top ten and top five seasons over his career.