Bengals To Release Eric Winston, Wallace Gilberry
The Bengals are expected to release offensive lineman Eric Winston and defensive lineman Wallace Gilberry, according to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Cincinnati will go with a youth movement along its offensive line, both in the starting lineup and further down the depth chart. Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher are the club’s starting tackles, while youngsters such as Christian Westerman and J.J. Dielman should make the roster. Winston, the NFLPA president, appeared in all 16 games for the Bengals a season ago, but started only two contests.
Gilberry, meanwhile, originally signed with the Lions last year but found his way back to the Bengals at midseason. The 32-year-old ultimately played in five games for Cincinnati. Rookies Carl Lawson and Jordan Willis, plus trade acquisition Chris Smith, will take over backup edge rushing responsibilities in the Queen City.
Colts To Release LB Sean Spence
The Colts will release linebacker Sean Spence, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
Spenece, 27, was one of many Indianapolis additions on the defensive side of the ball, and looked to be a good bet for a roster spot based on salary, versatility, and experience. Spence agreed to a one-year pact with $750K guaranteed, a total that the Colts will now be forced to eat. Able to play both inside and outside linebacker, Spence looked like a viable starting option for Indy, but he’s fallen down a depth chart that also includes John Simon, Jabaal Sheard, Antonio Morrison, and Jon Bostic.
Spence wasn’t a full-time starter for the Titans last year, but did play on nearly 50% of the club’s snaps, managing 50 tackles and three sacks. He boasts 46 career appearances, with 19 total starts.
Teams Inquiring On Kicker Graham Gano
With the Panthers currently rostering a pair of kickers, it sounds like the organization is considering trading some of their depth. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that teams have called the Panthers to inquire on veteran kicker Graham Gano. We learned earlier this week that the organization was shopping rookie kicker Harrison Butker and veteran punter Andy Lee.
The 30-year-old Gano has found a home in Carolina, where he’s spent the past five seasons. The former undrafted free agent out of Florida State isn’t necessarily known for his consistency, as he’s only connected 79.7-percent of his field goals during his career. However, he has made 96.4-percent of his extra point attempts, and he’s also competent at kickoffs. Last season, Gano connected on only 78.9-percent of his field goals, his lowest percentage since 2011.
Meanwhile, the team used a seventh-round pick on Butker, who has connected on a lone 51-yard field goal this preseason. The Georgia Tech product only connected on 71.7-percent of his field goals while in college, but he did convert 99-percent of his extra point attempts.
Rams, Aaron Donald “Not Close” To Deal
Although Rams brass met with Aaron Donald‘s camp earlier this week, the two sides are “not close” on a new deal, sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Donald’s staged holdout has now passed the one-month mark, and there’s apparently no end in sight. With the regular season staring next week, Donald is extremely likely to miss games, something that Rams general manager Les Snead recently admitted. Los Angeles opens the season against the Colts on September 10, and then faces the Redskins, 49ers, and Cowboys.
Los Angeles had indeed discussed a new deal for Donald, but “little progress” has been made in negotiations. Asking price is surely the primary issue in talks, but the Rams’ level of team control over Donald means the club has little incentive to rush discussions. Donald is under contract through 2018 at a total cost of roughly $10MM thanks to the fifth-year option, and the Rams can then deploy the franchise tag in 2019.
That’s not to presume that Donald hasn’t outplayed his contact, a fact with which the Rams agree. Donald, 26, has been absolutely dominant since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014. A two-time All-Pro, Donald has managed 28 sacks during his three years in the NFL, an astonishing total for a defensive tackle. Donald, who played 828 snaps a season ago, graded as the league’s No. 1 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus, which awarded him a 99.0 mark for his pass-rushing prowess.
Chiefs Release TE Gavin Escobar
Gavin Escobar signed with the Chiefs earlier this offseason, but it sounds like he’s not going to make it to the regular season. ESPN’s Adam Caplan reports (via Twitter) that the team has released the tight end.
With Travis Kelce recovering from an injury and Demetrius Harris dealing with legal issues, the Chiefs brought in Escobar as a depth piece. With the 26-year-old being released, we can assume that former undrafted free agent Ross Travis earned a spot as the team’s third tight end.
Escobar, a 2013 second-round pick, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Cowboys, starting seven games. His first two campaigns saw him compiling at least 100 receiving yards a year, but he saw a reduced role in 2015 and 2016. Over the past two seasons, Escobar has combined for only 12 receptions, 94 yards, and two touchdowns. The 26-year-old has also proven to be a capable special teamer, compiling eight tackles over his career.
Panthers To Release OL Chris Scott
The Panthers will release offensive lineman Chris Scott and place fellow offensive lineman Gino Gradkowski on injured reserve, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links).
Both Scott (four) and Gradkowski (three) made starts for Carolina last season, but the Panthers will instead go with youth along the interior of their offensive line. Carolina, which boasts one of the league’s best guard/center trios in Trai Turner, Andrew Norwell, and Ryan Kalil, will roll with Tyler Larsen and second-round rookie Taylor Moton as its reserve offensive linemen. Amini Silatolu has a chance to make the squad, as well.
Scott — who missed the past two weeks with a concussion, reports Person — signed a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal over the offseason, so the Panthers will incur a small total ($80K) in dead money by releasing him.
Giants Release DE Devin Taylor
Devin Taylor‘s tenure with the Giants ended relatively quickly. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the team has released the veteran defensive end.
Taylor originally joined the Giants back in May. Previously, the 2013 fourth-round pick had spent his entire four-year career in Detroit, where he served mostly in a reserve role. Taylor earned a bit more responsibility in 2016, starting a career-high 16 games while compiling 21 tackles, 4.5 sacks, and one forced fumble. The 27-year-old has 15 career sacks in four seasons.
With Taylor out of the picture, it appears that the Giants will roll with a younger reserve at defensive end. Among the candidates for a backup role are Romeo Okwara, Avery Moss, Kerry Wynn, Ishaq Williams, and Bobby Richardson. Olivier Vernon and Jason Pierre-Paul are slotted in as the team’s starters at defensive end.
Steelers Release Cobi Hamilton
Cobi Hamilton was a fixture in the Steelers’ receiving corps in 2016, but he won’t be a member of the group this year. The team has released the wideout, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reports.
Thanks largely to superstar Antonio Brown, the just-reinstated Martavis Bryant, second-round pick JuJu Smith-Schuster and Eli Rogers, the Steelers are deep at receiver. With those four serving as locks to make the team, Hamilton joined a few other familiar Steelers receivers who vied to stay on their roster during the preseason. It wasn’t to be for the 26-year-old Hamilton, a sixth-round pick of the AFC North rival Bengals in 2013 who didn’t catch a pass in Cincinnati but made somewhat of an impact in Pittsburgh.
In 2016, his lone season with the Steelers, Hamilton started in eight of 11 appearances and caught 17 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns. He added another four receptions and a TD in three playoff games last January.
Also a former Eagle, Dolphin and Panther, the well-traveled Hamilton’s next NFL organization will be his sixth.
Latest On Jets RB Matt Forte
Although recent reports indicate that he’s being shopped, Jets running back Matt Forte said he’s been assured by general manager Mike Maccagnan that he won’t be traded, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets.
Those two viewpoints aren’t necessarily disparate, as New York could be offering Forte up on the trade market and not finding a taker. That wouldn’t be altogether surprising, especially given that Forte will be 32 years old in December, struggled in his first season with the Jets in 2016, and is due a fully guaranteed $4MM base salary for the upcoming campaign.
The Jets haven’t been afraid to part with veterans this offseason, as they’ve released Eric Decker, Brandon Marshall, Darrelle Revis, David Harris, Nick Mangold, and others. Maccagnan & Co. also traded defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson to the Seahawks earlier today.
If Forte were to be dealt or released, the Jets would turn to Bilal Powell and sixth-round rookie Elijah McGuire as their options in the backfield.
49ers’ Don Jones May Have Torn ACL
49ers safety Don Jones posted on his Snapchat that he suffered a torn left ACL in the team’s preseason finale against the Chargers on Thursday, per James Brady of Niners Nation. He’s now likely to head to injured reserve, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link). Placing Jones on IR would reduce the 49ers’ roster to 70 players, 17 above the 53-man limit.
Jones joined the 49ers on a two-year deal at the outset of free agency in March, before which the 2013 seventh-round pick spent time with six organizations. He divided 2016 between Cleveland and Houston and appeared in 13 games, logging his first-ever start along the way.
While Jones is technically a defender, playing time has been scarce on that side of the ball for the 27-year-old. Jones has mainly functioned as a special teamer, and he played nearly 40 percent of the Texans’ ST snaps during his nine-game stint with them last season.