Raiders Work Out Mike Nugent, Josh Lambo
Sebastian Janikowski is set to enter yet another season as the Raiders kicker, but the team appears to be exploring outside options in advance of his 18th year.
Oakland brought in Mike Nugent, Josh Lambo and Marshall Koehn — all cut on Saturday — for workouts Monday, Field Yates of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Nugent did not win the Giants’ job, and Lambo also saw a younger kicker displace him with the Chargers. Koehn did not win the competition in Minnesota.
The 39-year-old Janikowski has kicked with the Raiders since the 2000 season. He’s in the final year of his contract and is set to count $4.41MM against Oakland’s cap. That figure represents the second-most in the league, behind only Stephen Gostkowski.
Lambo kicked for the Bolts for the past two seasons, and Nugent — a former second-round pick — has 12 years’ experience. Almost all of that came with the Jets and Bengals. Koehn has yet to kick in an NFL game.
Saints Place Delvin Breaux On IR
The Saints have placed cornerback Delvin Breaux on injured reserve, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move has been expected for some time.
Breaux fractured his fibula in mid-August, but the hope is that he will be able to heal up by the middle of the season, allowing him to return from IR. If the Saints use one of their two IR-DTR slots on him, he’ll be eligible to return for Week 9. Players who return from IR must spend eight weeks on the list, but they can practice for the final two.
Last year, the former CFL standout had a dismal 39.1 score from Pro Football Focus and played in a full slate of games . In 2016, however, he had an 85 overall score which cast him as a top-15 type of cornerback.
The Saints were said to be shopping him because they were frustrated with how long it was taking him to recover from a minor injury. When it was discovered that he was misdiagnosed and actually had a broken fibula, the team promptly took him off the block and fired two team orthopedists.
Rams Claim QB Brandon Allen
The Rams have claimed quarterback Brandon Allen off waivers, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Allen was cut loose by the Jaguars over the weekend. 
The 2016 sixth-round pick now becomes the Rams’ third quarterback behind starter Jared Goff and backup Sean Mannion, assuming Mannion remains on board. The Rams will have to make a corresponding move to make room for Allen on the roster.
After going 4-12 last season, the Rams had top five waiver priority. It’s likely that other teams in need of quarterback depth also made a claim on Allen but were trumped by L.A. The 24-year-old made some impressive plays in the preseason, though he did throw three picks in the team’s final exhibition game.
The Rams open up their season with a home game against the Colts on Sunday.
Cowboys Place Rico Gathers On IR
The Cowboys are placing tight end Rico Gathers on injured reserve, the team announced today. That will open up a roster spot that could be filled by the recently-released Kellen Moore, coach Jason Garrett tells reporters. 
Moore was discarded prior to the initial 53-man cutdown in a move that left undrafted free agent Cooper Rush as the team’s No. 2 quarterback behind Dak Prescott. Nothing is definite yet, but it sounds like Moore could return to the roster to serve as the third stringer, or possibly the second stringer, behind Prescott for the season opener against the Giants.
The shuffling of QBs doesn’t make much sense on the surface, but the Cowboys likely felt that they would lose Rush if they exposed him to waivers. Moore, who they like for their offense, probably is not viewed as favorably league-wide.
Patriots To Place LB Shea McClellin On IR
The Patriots are placing linebacker Shea McClellin on injured reserve, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates. The nature of his injury is currently unknown. 
McClellin missed most of the preseason with his mystery ailment. Whatever the issue is, it won’t rule him out for the year as he remains a candidate for one of the team’s IR-DTR spots.
McClellin, a former first-round pick of the Bears, signed a three-year, $9MM deal with the Patriots in 2016. He appeared in 441 snaps for New England last year and made some athletic plays, including his memorable leap over the line of scrimmage to block a field goal against the Ravens in December.
To fill his spot on the roster, the Patriots re-signed running back Brandon Bolden. He had just just one carry last season and spent the bulk of his time on special teams.
Cardinals Sign P Andy Lee
The Cardinals announced that they have signed punter Andy Lee to a two-year deal. Naturally, punter Matt Wile has been released to make room. 
Arizona expressed interest in Lee last week when he was being shopped by the Panthers. The Cardinals were unwilling to take on his old contract and give up draft considerations for him, but they were happy to snag him as a free agent.
The Cardinals’ 14.7 points of lost field position was second only to the Jets last year, per Football Outsiders. The 35-year-old Lee might be able to help in that regard if he can stay healthy. He was limited to nine games last year, but his net average of 40.4 yards per punt would have ranked 14th among all punters if he saw enough action to qualify.
In related moves, the Cardinals placed running back T.J. Logan on IR and added outside linebackers Bryson Albright and Obum Gwacham to the practice squad.
Chargers Re-Sign QB Kellen Clemens
Kellen Clemens is back with the Chargers. The Bolts re-signed the quarterback on Monday, just 48 hours after releasing him. 
Clemens, 34, will return for a fourth season as a backup to Philip Rivers, though he may not be Rivers’ primary understudy. The Chargers acquired former Ohio State standout Cardale Jones through a trade with Buffalo earlier this offseason and he may be the first one in the game if Rivers suffers an injury.
With that said, Rivers has been remarkably healthy throughout his career and has not missed a regular season game since becoming the Chargers’ starter in 2006. If that continues, this could be an uneventful season for both Jones and Clemens.
Clemens has attempted only ten passes with the Chargers, but he does have 21 career starts to his name thanks to his time with the Jets and Rams.
Cowboys, G Zack Martin Put Contract Talks On Hold
The Cowboys and All-Pro guard Zack Martin have put contract negotiations on hold, Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. They’ll try again next offseason to get a deal done. 
The two sides unofficially set a late August deadline for getting a contract done so that it would not be a distraction during the year. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been a lot of progress on that front this summer.
The Cowboys exercised Martin’s fifth-year option in the spring and he’s now slated to earn $9.341MM in 2018. The option is guaranteed for injury only, so Martin would presumably prefer an extension to gain greater financial security. The Cowboys, in theory, can use tags to keep him through 2021, but they’ll probably want to use their one tag per year on other players along the way.
Last year, Martin finished as Pro Football Focus’ second-best guard. Kevin Zeitler, who inked the largest free agent contract ever given to a guard this offseason, was seventh. Martin is likely looking to top Zeitler’s five-year, $60MM pact, and that has given Dallas some pause.
Other key players on the Cowboys’ line are already locked up for years to come. Left tackle Tyron Smith and center Travis Frederick are under contract through through 2023 and right tackle La’el Collins is signed through 2019.
Packers, G Lane Taylor Agree To Extension
The Packers announced that they have agreed to an extension with guard Lane Taylor. It’s a three-year, $16.5MM extension, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal includes a $5MM signing bonus and gives him $7.8MM overall in 2017. 
This time last year, Taylor was thrust into a starting job after the Packers surprised everyone with the release of Josh Sitton. He did well in the new role, grading out as the league’s No. 41 guard among 72 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. In May, he earned a $400K raise for 2017 thanks to performance escalators.
Taylor was one of three Packers offensive linemen to start every game last year, along with David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga. Thanks in part to Taylor and the rest of the O-Line, the Packers’ offense finished top ten in points, yards per game, and first downs in 2016.
Taylor’s previous deal called for him to reach unrestricted free agency in March. Under the terms of the new contract, Taylor will have another opportunity to cash in again at the age of 30.
Colts Place TE Erik Swoope On IR
The Colts placed tight end Erik Swoope on injured reserve. To take his place, tight end Brandon Williams has been signed to the roster.
Swoope underwent arthroscopic knee surgery this offseason, meaning that he’ll be unable to suit up for the season opener. However, that type of procedure is rarely a season ender, so it seems possible that he could return during the season. The latest iteration of the league’s IR rules permit teams to bring two players back from IR each season. 
Swoope, 25, appeared in all 16 games for the Colts last season. He finished out with 15 catches for 297 yards and one score.
The Colts now have three tight ends on the roster in starter Jack Doyle, Williams, and reserve Darrell Daniels.
In other news, the Colts have signed wide receiver Krishawn Hogan, nose tackle Joey Mbu, and offensive tackle Andrew Wylie to the practice squad.