2018 July - Pro Football Rumors

Month: July 2018

NFC Notes: Vikings, Panthers, Jones, Tate, Boston

July 28th, 2018 at 12:57pm CST by Ben Levine

Following the tragic and unexpected death of offensive line coach Tony Sparano this week, the Vikings have made some adjustments to their coaching staff. Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune reports (via Twitter) that the team will names Clancy Barone and Andrew Janocko co-coaches for the offensive line.

Barone, who’s been working in the NFL since 2004, was the Vikings tight ends coach last season. With the reorganization of the coaching staff, senior offensive assistant (and former Raiders offensive coordinator) Todd Downing will take on the tight ends gig. Meanwhile, Janocko had previously served as the team’s assistant offensive line coach.

NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes (via Twitter) that the team had also pursued former Vikings head coach Mike Tice for the offensive line job. We heard back in February that the 59-year-old was eyeing retirement.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…

Panthers right tackle Daryl Williams appeared to suffer a serious knee injury during practice today, writes Bryan Strickland of the team’s website. The 25-year-old reportedly went down following a “non-contact injury,” and he was later carted off the field. “He’s being evaluated,” said head coach Ron Rivera. “They’ll send him up to Charlotte where he can be closely looked at, and we’ll go from there. I’m not sure. I just know they’re going to take him up and evaluate him later today…Daryl is a solid young man, and he’s a big part of what we do. We’ll keep our fingers crossed.” If the 2017 second-team All-Pro ends up missing time, Rivera said 2017 second-round pick Taylor Moton will be given the chance to earn the starting gig.
Julio Jones saw several adjustments to his contract before reporting to Falcons training camp, writes Michael Davis Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. The star wideout will now earn a $4.4MM signing bonus thanks to his revised deal, while his 2018 and 2019 base salaries were reduced to $1.5MM and $2.9MM, respectively.
Lions wideout Golden Tate is entering the final season of his five-year, $31MM deal that was signed back in 2014. While the 29-year-old shouldn’t anticipate a similar payday as Brandin Cooks or Sammy Watkins, he’s still hoping the organization has some leftover money to keep him around. “I hope there’s some (money) left,” Tate told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “Congratulations to all those guys who’ve gotten big deals. They definitely deserve it. I mean, all those players like Cooks and Sammy, they’re all hell of players. Who else? The guy who used to be in Chicago? Alshon (Jeffery). He got a payday, too. So congratulations to all those guys. I hope everyone who plays this game has an opportunity to earn a big payday. I’m happy for them.” Tate had another productive season in 2017, hauling in 92 receptions for 1,003 yards and five touchdowns.
We heard earlier this week that Tre Boston‘s deal with the Cardinals was worth $1.5MM (although this could be increased to $3MM). However, Pro Football Talk reports that the safety’s deal only contains $800K in guaranteed money. The deal also includes a number of incentives, including per-game bonuses, playing time bonuses, and Pro Bowl/statistical bonuses. The 26-year-old had a productive season for the Chargers last season, compiling 79 tackles, eight passes defended, and five interceptions in 16 games (15 starts).

CB Bashaud Breeland Visiting Ravens

July 28th, 2018 at 11:33am CST by Ben Levine

It sounds like the Ravens have gotten their desired meeting with free agent Bashaud Breeland. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the defensive back is at the Ravens’ facility to take a physical and meet with team officials.

While this could eventually lead to a contract, Zrebiec admits that he is “not sure where the negotiations stand.” We heard yesterday that the Ravens were “getting more aggressive” in their pursuit of Breeland.

As the writer notes in a follow-up tweet, cornerback appears to be one of the Ravens’ strongest positions at the moment, and it’s uncertain if the talented Breeland would be interested in a presumable backup role. The team is currently rostering Jimmy Smith, Brandon Carr, Marlon Humphrey, Tavon Young, Maurice Canady, fourth-rounder Anthony Averett, Stanley Jean-Baptiste, Jaylen Hill, and Bennett Jackson, a grouping that could be considered one of the best in the NFL. Zrebiec also observes that Smith, Young, and Canady are all coming off injures/surgeries, perhaps indicating that team has some concerns about their recoveries.

The 26-year-old is one of the top defenders still on the market, and he’s garnered previous interest from the Jets, Raiders, Chiefs, Browns and Colts. Breeland had spent his entire four-year career with the Redskins, missing only four regular season games during his tenure. The former fourth-rounder had another productive season in 2017, finishing with 50 tackles, 19 passes defended, and one pick-six.

Jets Release DL Courtney Upshaw

July 28th, 2018 at 10:53am CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have swapped one defensive lineman for another. The team announced on Twitter that they’ve signed Shaneil Jenkins. To make room on the roster, the Jets released Courtney Upshaw.

Upshaw, 28, joined the Jets organization last month following a two-season stint with the Falcons. The former second-round served as mostly a backup during his time in Atlanta, including a 2017 campaign where he compiled nine tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in 13 games. Upshaw spent the first four seasons of his career with the Ravens, where he won a Super Bowl championship as a rookie. The veteran was placed on the Jets’ non-football injury list yesterday, with Rich Cimini wondering if the team was unhappy with a “conditioning issue” (Twitter link).

Jenkins, 24, has bounced around the league since going undrafted out of Shepherd University in 2016. The six-foot-four, 275-pound defensive end has had stints with the Broncos, Cowboys, Seahawks, and Packers. He showed some promise during the preseason of his rookie year, compiling a pair of sacks for Dallas. However, he’s been unable to take the field for a regular season game.

Similar to Upshaw, Jenkins will have a difficult time making the Jets roster. Behind starters Leonard Williams and Henry Anderson, the team is also rostering defensive ends David Bass, Nathan Shepherd, Xavier Cooper, and Ed Stinson.

Bengals’ OL Rod Taylor Tears ACL

July 28th, 2018 at 9:41am CST by Ben Levine

It looks like Bengals rookie offensive lineman Rod Taylor will have to wait until 2019 to make his NFL debut. Jim Owczarski of Cincinnati.com reports that the seventh-rounder has torn his ACL and will miss the upcoming season.

Taylor suffered the injury during training camp on Thursday. The lineman “crumpled to the ground and grabbed his right knee” before being carted off the field by trainers. He was seen using crutches in the locker room on Friday, and it didn’t take long for an official diagnosis. Owczarski notes that the rookie will eventually be placed on the injured reserve, but the team isn’t in a rush as they evaluate the “surgical options.”

The six-foot-three, 320-pound lineman started all 12 games at right tackle for Mississippi last season. The Bengals ended up selecting him with a seventh-round pick (No. 252) in this past year’s draft, as Owczarski writes that the team was confident that he’d make the roster due to his athleticism.

With 14 offensive linemen on the roster, Taylor was still going to have to prove his worth in order to make the opening day roster. With the rookie out of the picture, the likes of Kent Perkins and Justin Murray could have an increased chance of making the team.

Raiders Sign OL Oday Aboushi

July 28th, 2018 at 8:32am CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders have added some depth to their offensive line. Mike Garafolo of NFL Network reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed offensive lineman Oday Aboushi.

The 2013 fifth-round pick has managed to put together a solid five-year career, starting 26 of his 34 games (including 10 starts in 15 games for the Jets in 2014). The six-foot-five, 315-pound offensive guard spent last season with the Seahawks, where he started each of his eight games. He ultimately graded out as the No. 60 guard among 76 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned Aboushi bottom-five marks as a run blocker.

After ending last season on the injured reserve with a dislocated shoulder, Aboushi wasn’t able to garner a whole lot of interest this offseason. We heard back in May that the 49ers had hosted the veteran for a workout, but it’s otherwise been quiet for the 27-year-old.

With the Raiders, Aboushi will be reunited with offensive line coach Tom Cable, who had the same role with the Seahawks last season. While it’s unlikely that Aboushi will beat out Kelechi Osemele or Gabe Jackson for a starting gig, he could compete with Jon Feliciano, Denver Kirkland, James Stone, and Ian Silberman for backup reps.

Extra Points: Cardinals, Johnson, Gurley, Running Backs, Jets, Darnold, McDowell, Seahawks

July 27th, 2018 at 9:44pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

David Johnson made waves when it was announced he was staying away from the team’s mandatory minicamp in June in search of a new contract. He put an end to any speculation he might hold out for an extended period of time by showing up to training camp on time. Johnson was one of the best players in the entire league in 2016, but missed almost all of last season with a wrist injury. Despite making his desire for a new deal clear, Johnson is now saying he’s not concerned with his contract.

“There are people that need to concern themselves with Johnson’s potential contract – Johnson just doesn’t want to be one of them” writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Johnson reportedly said ““I’ve heard of former players, not just Cardinals but in the league, having the stress of the contract on them and it ends up affecting their play” adding that’s what he’s seeking to avoid. “I don’t have time to think about” a contract, Johnson said. Johnson, who will be 27 this December, is a little old for a player still on his rookie deal. With the short shelf-life running backs in the league tend to have, this could be his one and only opportunity to cash in with a big contract. It makes sense why Johnson would want to wait for the best deal possible, and both sides remain optimistic something will get done. Johnson did talk a little bit about Todd Gurley‘s recent mega-extension, saying it’s “good to see running backs get deals.”

Here’s more from around the league:

Speaking of Gurley and running back deals, Gurley did backs like Johnson, Ezekiel Elliott, and Alvin Kamara a “huge solid” by getting his deal writes Albert Breer of SI.com. “I’m just happy to even be in a position to take the next step for us running backs” Gurley told Breer. Gurley definitely paved the way for running backs to get huge guarantees, and it will be fascinating to see how the market reacts across the league.
Although many Jets fans have been worried by the team’s inability to sign Sam Darnold to his rookie contract, coach Todd Bowles isn’t concerned. “It’s part of the business” Bowles declared after practice today while explaining why Darnold’s absence from training camp isn’t a big deal. It might not be significant yet, but if Darnold misses too much more of camp it could turn into a real problem as he battles for the starting job.
Defensive tackle Malik McDowell has cleared waivers and has reverted to the Seahawks’ injured reserve list, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). McDowell was released yesterday after he was unable to ever return to health following an ATV accident last summer. McDowell, the 35th overall pick of the 2017 draft, has never played a down in the NFL and it’s unclear if there’s a chance he ever returns.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Beckham, Cowboys, Frazier, Eagles

July 27th, 2018 at 8:20pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

There’s been endless drama this offseason surrounding the Giants and Odell Beckham Jr. Things finally appear to be headed in the right direction for the two sides, and the much awaited contract extension could finally be on the horizon. Beckham recently opted to report to camp on time rather than hold out, and Giants management has in turn spoken very highly of him. Now that a new contract in the near future finally seems like a real possibility, Matt Lombardo of NJ.com spoke with former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry and cap expert Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com about what kind of deal Beckham can expect to get.

Corry said the number one most important thing is that “there wouldn’t be a deal to be made if it didn’t make Beckham the highest-paid wide receiver by average, and with the most guarantees.” Mike Evans recently got a five-year $85MM deal from the Buccaneers, and Corry is quite confident that Beckham will top that. While Fitzgerald notes that the Giants have a league-low $2.13MM in cap space, he thinks they’ll be able to make a deal work by using a “large signing bonus to bring his current year salary down.” Fitzgerald thinks Beckham won’t “sign for anything less than $20 million a season” a number that would make him the league’s highest paid receiver by a substantial margin. Whatever his deal ends up looking like, it seems as if the saga is finally nearing an end and that Beckham will be locked up long-term before too long.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

Cowboys safety Kavon Frazier may have a blood disorder, a source told Brandon George of SportsDay Dallas News. Frazier, who played in 15 games for Dallas last season, is undergoing tests to determine if he will be able to return to the field. The Cowboys placed him on the non-football injury list just before training camp started.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports would be “shocked if the Eagles don’t make at least two more trades” before the start of the regular season. La Canfora thinks that because of the team’s depth at positions like running back and quarterback, they’ll be forced to move some players through trade rather than cut solid players. La Canfora writes that Eagles president Howie Roseman will try to “spin some of that quantity into truly elite quality” and that he will “explore every option to do so.”
In case you missed it, the Redskins signed quarterback Colt McCoy to an extension yesterday.

Latest on Patriots, Rob Gronkowski

July 27th, 2018 at 7:07pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Rob Gronkowski has been the subject of frequent headlines all offseason. Whether it was trade rumors that turned out to be false, rumblings about a potential retirement, or missing a few OTA’s along with Tom Brady, Gronkowski has stayed in the news. Many speculated that Gronkowski would hold out from training camp after he made his unhappiness with his current contract clear, but that was apparently never an option. Speaking to the media today after practice, Gronkowski said he didn’t “come close to considering” a hold out (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL Network).

Gronkowski went to great lengths to emphasize his commitment to the team and downplay concerns about his contract, saying he was going to “keep preparing, keep showing up every day. Keep doing what I got to do.” Since Gronkowski had previously not been nearly as forceful, perhaps he’s confident a deal will get done soon. Either way, it’s one less headache for the team in what has been an unusually dramatic offseason in New England.

While it was reported back in June that a new contract for Gronkowski was “likely”, a deal still is yet to be done. It looks as if that might not change anytime soon, as a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk that “nothing is imminent” between the two sides. Whenever it does happen, Gronkowski should get a significant raise on his $8MM annual salary.

Gronkowski is clearly unpaid in 2018’s market. As Florio points out, far inferior tight ends such as Trey Burton and Jimmy Graham are making as much as or more than Gronkowsi this year. Back in 2012, Gronkowski signed what was at the time the largest contract ever for a tight end. Our Zach Links recently took a look back at that deal as part of our ‘This Date In Transactions History’ series. Since then, the market for top tight ends has exploded, and Gronkowski’s contract turned into a steal for the Patriots.

Extra Points: Gates, Chargers, Manziel, Richardson, AAF, Anthem

July 27th, 2018 at 6:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

“Chargers GM Tom Telesco acknowledged ongoing talks with TE Antonio Gates’ representation Thursday, but no deal” tweets Eric D. Williams of ESPN. Telesco also added that he believes Gates “can still be effective in the Chargers’ offense.” The Chargers looked set to move on earlier this offseason, but then Hunter Henry was lost for the season with a torn ACL. The team immediately expressed interest in bringing back Gates, but things have been slow moving ever since.

It’s unclear what is holding up contract talks, but it’s not a huge deal for a player who’s been around as long as Gates has to miss some of training camp. Perhaps he just wants to wait as long as possible and put little wear on his body before returning right before the regular season. Gates has said he has no intention of retiring, and it’s extremely unlikely he signs with any other team than the Chargers. A deal should get done at some point, and it would be a surprise if it isn’t announced soon. The future Hall of Fame inductee turned 38 in June.

Here’s more from around the football universe:

The Montreal Alouettes had been targeting Johnny Manziel for a while before they finally ended up trading for him, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. The Alouettes had tried to acquire Manziel’s rights before he even signed with the CFL, but were rebuffed.
Former number three overall pick Trent Richardson will sign with the Birmingham team in the newly created AAF, according to Matt Zenitz of AL.com. Richardson flamed out with the Browns and then Colts, and will be looking to revive his football career in the upstart league.
The league and NFLPA have been talking and negotiating about the anthem policy since before the July 4th holiday, a source told Albert Breer of SI.com. Breer disagrees with the league’s course of action, arguing the new “policy was a poor way to try to move the focus back to football.”

Browns, Dez Bryant Have ‘Mutual Interest’

July 27th, 2018 at 4:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Dez Bryant may finally be close to finding a home. Bryant and the Browns have “mutual interest” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Rapoport adds that the team is “working on scheduling a visit with him” and that the visit could be on Monday, “if not sooner.” Rapoport seems to think there’s a real chance a deal gets done, saying “this could be a match.”

It was reported two days ago that the Browns were mulling the possibility of pursuing Bryant, and things now appear to be heating up. The market for Bryant has been shockingly quiet since he was cut by the Cowboys earlier this offseason. There were some murmurs about him and the 49ers, but ultimately nothing materialized.

Weeks ago, our Zach Links asked readers in a poll where they thought Bryant would end up. Readers chose the 49ers, with the Patriots coming in second. The Browns seemingly came out of nowhere, with the the team not being linked to Bryant at all before that report two days ago.

If he does end up in Cleveland, Bryant would be joining a crowded wide receiver room. The Browns acquired Jarvis Landry in a trade with the Dolphins and signed him to a longterm extension in April. They also drafted Antonio Callaway in the fourth round of this year’s draft and still have 2016 first-rounder Corey Coleman. The sudden interest in Bryant could be a sign that the team is more concerned about Josh Gordon than they initially let on. Gordon recently left the team to seek continued counseling for his prior substance abuse issues.

Load More Posts