Chiefs Release WR Jeremy Maclin
In a rather surprising move, the Chiefs announced that they’ve released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
“I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two seasons,” general manager John Dorsey said. “I have great respect for all players, which makes decisions like these very difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our club moving forward to part ways at this time. We wish Jeremy the best as he continues his career.”
Maclin, 29, posted a down season in 2016, missing four games with a groin injury and registering career-lows in both receptions and receiving yards. Additionally, Kansas City is tight on cap space, with just over $2MM available in funds at the moment. Maclin’s release will help alleviate the Chiefs’ fiscal situation, as the club will clear $10MM in cap room while assuming $2.4MM in dead money.
Even given those factors, the release of Maclin comes as a shock, as the veteran wideout was set to act as the Chiefs’ No. 1 pass-catcher in 2017. Signed to hefty contract just two years ago, Maclin had success during his first campaign with Kansas City in 2016, managing 87 catches for more than 1,000 yards and eight scores.
Without Maclin in the fold, the Chiefs’ wide receiving corps is extremely short on experience. Tyreek Hill was a revelation during his rookie season last year, but he acted as more of a gadget player than as a true No. 1 wide receiver. While Kansas City boasts an excellent tight end in Travis Kelce, the club’s other receivers are Chris Conley, rookie Jehu Chesson, De’Anthony Thomas, Demarcus Robinson, and Kenny Cook.
Maclin now becomes the clear top option among the free agent wide receiver class, as he joins the likes of Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson, Eddie Royal, and Marquess Wilson on the open market.
Chargers Sign Third-Round OL Dan Feeney
The Chargers have agreed to terms with third-round guard Dan Feeney, meaning the club has now locked up every member of its 2017 draft class.
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Feeney, an Indiana product, was the second guard chosen by Los Angeles in last month’s draft, following second-round Western Kentucky alum Forrest Lamp. Clearly, the Chargers are attempting to revamp an offensive line that ranked in the bottom-third of NFL clubs in both adjusted sack rate and adjusted line yards, per Football Outsiders. Veteran guard Orlando Franklin was released two weeks ago, meaning both Feeney and Lamp are likely to have starting jobs come Week 1.
Here’s an overview of the Chargers’ 2017 rookie class:
- 1-7: Mike Williams, WR (Clemson)
- 2-38: Forrest Lamp, OL (Western Kentucky)
- 3-71: Dan Feeney, OL (Indiana)
- 4-113: Rayshawn Jenkins, S (Miami)
- 5-151: Desmond King, DB (Iowa)
- 6-190: Sam Tevi, T (Utah)
- 7-225: Isaac Rochell, DT (Notre Dame)
Ravens TE Dennis Pitta Has Dislocated Hip
As had been the fear, Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta has once again dislocated his hip, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Pitta will likely undergo surgery at some point, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
When news initially broke of Pitta’s injury earlier today, Schefter reported that if Pitta had indeed dislocated his hip for the third time in four years, the veteran tight end’s career was likely finished. Now that the severity of the injury has been identified, it’s unclear if Pitta will make a quick decision regarding his playing status, or perhaps take some (deserved) time to evaluate his future.
Pitta, 32 this month, led all tight ends in receptions last season, while he also posted a career-high in receiving yards. Having agreed to a paycut earlier this year, Pittta is now slated to carry $5.2MM cap numbers in each of the next two seasons.
Texans To Sign LB Sio Moore
The Texans have agreed to sign linebacker Sio Moore and wide receiver Dres Anderson, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Houston waived linebacker Max Bullough and wideout Keith Mumphery earlier today, so the club has now made a two-for-two replacement transaction. Moore is the more notable addition, as the 27-year-old has four years and 47 games worth of NFL experience under his belt. 2016 was an especially nomadic campaign for Moore, as he spent time with three clubs — the Colts, Cardinals, and Chiefs — while posting 60 tackles and grading as the league’s No. 40 linebacker in nine games, per Pro Football Focus.
While the Texans have a solid starting linebacker crew of Whitney Mercilus, Brian Cushing, Benardrick McKinney, and rookie Zach Cunningham, Moore will be able to offer the club depth. He’s familiar with playing in a 3-4 scheme, as all three clubs that employed him a season ago run that front, and he’s capable of playing both inside and outside ‘backer.
Anderson, meanwhile, is a Utah product who entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2015. Though he’s been a member of both the 49ers and Bears (he was waived by Chicago last month), Anderson is yet to appear in an NFL game.
Seahawks Pass On Colin Kaepernick
The Seahawks won’t be signing Colin Kaepernick. At least, not right now. Today, coach Pete Carroll told reporters that while the door remains “open” to a union with Kaepernick, there is nothing imminent on that front. 
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This jibes with a report from earlier this week which indicated that no deal would be coming together at this time. Still, all signs indicate that the Seahawks’ meeting with Kaepernick was not just done as a courtesy. The team had real interest in him, reports say, and Carroll insists that there is some degree of interest in the former 49ers signal caller. Carroll said that Kaepernick demonstrated that he is still a starting-caliber quarterback and he can’t imagine that he won’t get an opportunity to play somewhere in the NFL this year.
Austin Davis worked out for the Seahawks on the same day as Kaepernick, but he also remains unsigned. If the Seahawks want to continue looking at outside backup QB options for starter Russell Wilson, they could explore vets such as Robert Griffin III, Shaun Hill, and Christian Ponder.
Ravens TE Dennis Pitta Suffers Hip Injury
Awful news for Dennis Pitta. The Ravens tight end suffered yet another hip injury during practice on Friday, GM Ozzie Newsome announced. 
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“This is incredibly disappointing, obviously for Dennis, and for the Ravens,” Newsome said in the statement. “Dennis is one of the great Ravens, and he has done everything he can to make our team better.”
The severity of Pitta’s hip injury has not been officially disclosed, but this is crushing news for Pitta, the team, and the tight end’s supporters. The fear is that Pitta fractured and dislocated his hip for third time in four years, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. If that’s the case, then his NFL career is likely finished.
For approximately four years now, Pitta has been dealing with painful hip issues that have kept him off the field. Last year, Pitta bounced back in a major way and became one of the league’s greatest comeback stories.
In 2016, Pitta set career-highs in receptions (86) and receiving yards (729) while adding a pair of touchdowns. It was especially remarkable when considering that Pitta was limited to just seven games between 2013 and 2015.
Pitta, 32 in June, was originally set to carry a hefty $7.7MM cap number in 2017 and 2018. Now, per the terms of his recently restructured pact, he’s slated to carry $5.2MM cap numbers in each of the next two seasons.
Saints Sign Rookie CB Marshon Lattimore
The Saints have officially signed first round pick Marshon Lattimore, according to a team announcement. Second round safety Marcus Williams and third round running back Alvin Kamara have also put pen to paper. 
There was tons of trade speculation surrounding the Saints on draft night, but they stood pat at No. 11 and drafted a player who many see as the best cornerback in this year’s class. Lattimore, an Ohio State product, finished his collegiate career with 46 tackles (34 solo), one stop for a loss, four interceptions and 16 passes defensed. In his final year on campus, Lattimore was a first-team All-Big Ten selection and proved to scouts everywhere that he can succeed at the next level.
“I’ve studied the top cornerbacks coming out and he’s the best I’ve seen,” one pro personnel director for an AFC team told NFL.com before the draft. “He’s so athletic that he can just post up under the receiver’s chin and shadow him all over the field. And he’s tough, too. He’ll be one of the top cornerbacks pretty quickly.”
The 5-foot-10, 215-pound Kamara was a dual threat as a member of the Volunteers, with whom he averaged 6.2 yards per rush, caught 74 passes, and combined for 23 touchdowns over two seasons. Now, he’ll be learning from the best as he backs up both Mark Ingram and Adrian Peterson. Kamara split carries with Jalen Hurd at Tennessee, so he’s no stranger to a timeshare.
Panthers, Trai Turner Discussing Extension
The Panthers and guard Trai Turner are in the early stages of working out a new deal, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. League sources say that the talks are preliminary, and that’s probably because the price tag for Turner is trending upwards.
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Guards don’t make as much as tackles, but recent contracts inked by Kevin Zeitler (five years, $60MM) and Kelechi Osemele (five years, $58.5MM) have pushed the market. Those deals were inked in free agency, but others like Joel Bitonio (five years, $51.2MM), David DeCastro (five years, $50MM), Kyle Long (four years, $40MM), and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (five years, $42.4MM) got paid handsomely to remain with their respective teams.
Now, it’s Turner’s turn to get paid. The 23-year-old (24 in June) has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past two seasons and has been viewed as a quality lineman ever since his rookie year in 2014. As a former third round pick, the Panthers have him under contract at a $1.931MM cap number (which was boosted thanks to the proven performance escalator clause), but it will take a lot more than that to lock him up for 2018 and beyond.
In February, Turner changed representation and signed with Drew Rosenhaus.
Texans Release Bullough, Mumphery
Texans receiver Keith Mumphery and inside linebacker Max Bullough have been released, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Different off-the-field issues have led to both players being jettisoned from Houston. 
Bullough was suspended four games for a PED violation back in May. In a statement, Bullough indicated that a tainted supplement was to blame for the positive test, but that excuse apparently did not fly with Texans brass. The Michigan State product appeared in every game for Houston last season and even made three starts. He had just 19 tackles in total, however, and only saw the field for 240 defensive snaps.
The Texans used a fifth round pick on Mumphery in 2015 but only recently learned that he was expelled from Michigan State for a sexual misconduct violation. The local prosecutor declined to press charges when the accuser could not be reached, but the university booted him from the program for violating the policy on “relationship violence and sexual misconduct.” More than two years after the alleged incident, Mumphery now finds himself out of work in the NFL.
Vikings’ Joe Berger Likely To Retire After 2017
Vikings center Joe Berger realizes that he’s getting towards the end of his career. The 35-year-old says that 2017 will probably be his final NFL season. 
“You never know what the circumstances are going to be, but in my mind, that’s the way I’m looking at it,” Berger told Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “It’s year 13 and it’s been fun. It’s a young man’s game, though.’’
Berger first broke into the league as a sixth-round pick of the Panthers, but never wound up taking the field for them. After trudging along in a largely reserve role for the Dolphins and Cowboys, he found a more permanent home with the Vikings in 2011. In 2015, he became a full time starter at center and that’s the role he’ll likely reprise for the third straight season this year.
In 2016, Berger saw time at center, left guard, and right guard. Listed as a guard by Pro Football Focus, he was given a strong overall score of 85.0 and ranked as the 12th best guard in the NFL. In the year prior, he pulled down a career best 88.0 mark. Berger is doing the best work of his playing career, but it sounds like he wants to leave the game with his health in tact.
“Not everybody gets the opportunity in this game to walk away on their own,” Berger said. “So, for [Chad Greenway] to have a great career like he did, all (with the Vikings), to be able to step away on his own with his timing, if I were able to get that opportunity, that would be great.”