HEADLINES

Month: October 2018

AFC East Notes: Patriots Trades, Collins, Bills, Hughes, Jets, Sterling

October 28th, 2018 at 9:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Patriots are annually one of the most aggressive teams in the league when it comes to adding talent, as evidenced by their recent trade for Josh Gordon. With the trade deadline now just a couple of days away, New England is looking to make more moves. The team wants “to acquire some help in the defensive front seven by the deadline Tuesday”, and “they’ve had internal discussions about trading for linebacker Jamie Collins“, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

The Patriots traded Collins to the Browns in 2016, and now apparently have some interest in bringing him back. It would be an unusual move with a player being traded twice between two teams, but the Browns would likely welcome the relief of getting out of Collins’ contract, and it sounds like the Patriots are interested. Collins signed a four-year $50MM deal with Cleveland in 2017, and hasn’t lived up to that deal so far. Whatever happens, it sounds like the Patriots’ defense will look a little different by this time next week.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes “has been a hot name on the trade market”, but the “Bills have been reluctant to part with him”, a source told Howe. Howe thinks that Hughes would “be a good fit for the Patriots”, but doesn’t think Buffalo will decide to part with him. Hughes has been having a good season, notching 4.5 sacks in seven games.
  • Jets tight end Neal Sterling “suffered his second concussion of the season” today against the Bears, and “likely will be lost [for] multiple games”, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN (Twitter link). The Jets are very thin at tight end, so this is a somewhat significant loss for New York.
  • Bills running back LeSean McCoy has cleared the concussion protocol and will play Monday night against the Patriots, the team announced in a tweet. It’s a huge boost for Buffalo’s struggling offense as they look to pull of the massive upset in primetime.

Giants Getting Trade Offers For Landon Collins

October 28th, 2018 at 9:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Giants have already shown a willingness to be active in the trade market, shipping out Damon Harrison and Eli Apple for draft picks over the past week. New York has clearly thrown in the towel on 2018, and is focused on building draft capital for the future. It was reported earlier today that they were receiving “decent offers” for Odell Beckham, and now another good young player is apparently garnering offers. 

The Giants have received multiple trade offers for safety Landon Collins, a source told Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. While Collins is still only 24, it’s apparently a very real possibility that the Giants decide to move him, and some league executives “believe they might be willing to move him if they receive a second-day pick (Rounds 2 and 3) in the 2019 NFL Draft”, according to Vacchiano.

Collins is in the final year of his rookie deal, and should be in line for a huge payday in free-agency. It was reported this summer that the team had concerns about how well Collins would fit their new defensive scheme, so it wouldn’t be shocking if they decide they don’t want to hand him a massive deal this offseason. If they’re going to let him walk anyway, it would make sense to trade him if they could get a good pick.

Collins, the 33rd pick of the 2015 draft, was a first-team All-Pro in 2016 and has made the Pro Bowl twice. Through 54 career games, Collins has 389 tackles, eight interceptions, and 32 passes defended.

Extra Points: Winston, Manning, Bears, Cowboys

October 28th, 2018 at 8:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It’s been a rough year for Jameis Winston. First he was suspended for the first three games of the season, then briefly lost his starting job when Ryan Fitzpatrick played very well in relief. He quickly won the job back, but that appears to now be in jeopardy again. Winston was benched during the Buccaneers’ loss to the Bengals today after throwing four interceptions, including a crucial pick-six.

Fitzpatrick played very well in relief, and now it looks like Winston could be heading back to the bench. Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter deflected when asked after the game who would start next week, saying “today is not the day I have to decide that. I don’t have any problems making decisions and I’ll make it when the time is right”, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN (Twitter link). Usually if a coach was sticking with his current quarterback he would say so right after the game, so it sounds like Tampa Bay may be turning back to Fitzpatrick.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Speaking of quarterbacks being benched, Giants coach Pat Shurmur explicitly refused to rule out benching Eli Manning following the team’s bye week. Manning and the Giants offense had yet another rough week in their loss to the Redskins today, and Shurmur for the first time refused to back Manning in his post-game presser. When asked about the quarterback situation Shurmur, like Koetter, deflected and said “I don’t want to go there and I’m not going to tease that”, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN. It sounds like Manning could be headed to the bench, and if he does, it would likely be rookie Kyle Lauletta ascending to the starting position in New York.
  • The Bears got a big win over the Jets, but they didn’t escape the game unscathed. Starting right guard Kyle Long “suffered what appeared to be a serious right foot injury” during the game, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN. Dickerson writes that Long was on crutches after the game, and it sounds like he could miss a good chunk of time. Long is a three-time Pro Bowler, and his absence would be a massive downgrade to Chicago’s offensive line. Long has been plagued by injuries throughout his career, missing six games in 2017 and eight games in 2016.
  • Before executing the trade for Amari Cooper, the Cowboys conducted extensive background checks into him, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN. Dallas reached out to many people who knew Cooper in the past, including his college coach Nick Saban, and “the people who knew Cooper spoke glowingly about him”, sources told Schefter. The Cowboys made a heavy investment in Cooper, sending a first round pick to Oakland, so it makes sense why they’d do their due diligence.

5 Key NFL Stories: 10/21/8 – 10/28/18

October 28th, 2018 at 7:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Giants trade Damon Harrison to Lions, Eli Apple to Saints. The Giants officially threw in the towel on the 2018 season by trading two of their defensive starters. First they shipped Apple to New Orleans for fourth and seventh round picks, then the next day traded Harrison to the Lions for a fifth-rounder. The Giants have only one win, and are full-blown sellers as we approach the trade deadline. It’s highly possible we see more trades out of the Big Apple, as well as potentially a new quarterback under center after the Giants’ bye week.

Will Fuller tears his ACL. The Texans are on a five game winning streak and in sole possession of first place in the AFC South, but were dealt a brutal blow when it was revealed that Fuller had torn his ACL and would miss the rest of the season. The Texans’ offense always reaches a new level when Fuller is able to stay healthy, but Houston has had terrible injury luck recently. This should significantly hurt the offense moving forward, and could halt the momentum of the team altogether.

Patrick Peterson saga. Earlier this week, it was reported that Peterson had requested a trade. Rumors swirled for a day or two, with both the Saints and Eagles being mentioned as possible destinations. Then, Peterson suddenly announced he had changed his mind and was committed to Arizona long-term. It was a strange couple of days, and a meeting between Peterson and team Michael Bidwill reportedly played a strong role in the reversal.

DeSean Jackson requests trade. Speaking of trade requests, Jackson reportedly also made one to Tampa Bay management. Jackson is apparently unhappy with his role and the situation with the Buccaneers, but Tampa Bay is all in on 2018 and has no interest in trading him. With a loss today to the Bengals, it’s possible that attitude changes and the team reconsiders.

Broncos release Chad Kelly. A bizarre situation unfolded in Denver, when Kelly was released following his arrest earlier this week. Kelly was arrested following a Halloween party hosted by Von Miller, when he reportedly stumbled into a strangers home and refused to leave. It came at an unfortunate time for Kelly, as many fans and analysts had been calling for him to replace Case Keenum in the lineup and it was looking like he might eventually get some playing time.

Latest On Browns’ Coaching Staff

October 28th, 2018 at 5:52pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As the Browns continue to rack up losses, there’s been more and more discussion about possible changes to the coaching staff. Things really started to heat up after last week’s game, when coach Hue Jackson publicly questioned offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Jackson and Haley have done their best to downplay the feud, but it’s clear there’s some dysfunction there. Ian Rapoport vaguely hinted at possible changes that could be coming soon before the team’s loss to the Steelers today, and now we have even more details. 

It’s quite possible we see the “firing of offensive coordinator Todd Haley and/or head coach Hue Jackson, if the team continues to lose games” sources told Pat McManamon and Dan Graziano of ESPN. “Jackson and Haley have been at odds, and their respect for each other is not good enough for the team to be successful” a source said.

The source also added that “any decision the team makes would be with [Baker] Mayfield and his development as the highest priority” and that “it’s hard to know which way Browns ownership would lean if it had to choose between Jackson and Haley.” It’ll be interesting to see who wins the power struggle between Jackson and Haley, and right now it seems totally up in the air.

While the two clearly don’t get along, Jackson would have to go owner Jimmy Halsam in order to get Haley fired, and “Jackson has not yet brought it up” to the Haslam’s, according to McManamon and Graziano. The article makes it clear that GM John Dorsey’s primary concern is not harming Baker Mayfield, and he could ultimately decide that any in-season coaching change would be bad for Mayfield’s development. There could be changes as early as this week, so stay tuned.

49ers Getting Interest In WR Pierre Garcon

October 28th, 2018 at 4:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The 49ers have received inquiries from at least three teams regarding the availability of wide receiver Pierre Garcon, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com first mentioned the possibility that Garcon could be on the trade block.

Per Schefter, many clubs are interested in Garcon thanks to his veteran presence, and he’s always been valued as a tough, hard-nosed player. He’s also relatively affordable, as any club that acquired Garcon would only be responsible for 9/17 of his base salary, which works out to just under $3MM for the rest of the season.

For the 49ers, the financials wouldn’t be quite as simple in the event of a Garcon trade. San Francisco gave Garcon a $12MM signing bonus when it landed him prior to the 2017 campaign, and that money will all find its way to the 49ers’ salary cap. However, because we’ve passed June 1, San Francisco wouldn’t see any additional money hit its cap this season. Instead, the rest of Garcon’s guarantees ($7.2MM) would accelerate onto the Niners’ cap in 2019. That shouldn’t present much of a problem for the 49ers, who have nearly $70MM in available funds next season.

Garcon, 32, joined San Francisco last season after spending the first nine years of his NFL career with the Colts and Redskins. He played in only eight games in 2017, posting 40 catches and 500 yards before a neck injury ended his year. This season, Garcon has started seven games and managed 21 receptions and 230 yards.

PFR Originals: 10/21/18 – 10/28/18

October 28th, 2018 at 4:27pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

Raiders’ Bruce Irvin Drawing Trade Interest

October 28th, 2018 at 3:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Raiders have already traded wide receiver Amari Cooper and are open to dealing defensive backs Gareon Conley and Karl Joseph, but there’s an additional Oakland player who is also available. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the Raiders have discussed edge rusher Bruce Irvin with other clubs.

With a limited number of pass rushers available on the trade market, Irvin is a logical candidate to be dealt. However, the Raiders are struggling to find a taker for Irvin’s salary, according to Schefter. If a club acquired Irvin before Tuesday’s deadline, it would be on the hook for the rest of Irvin’s 2018 base salary, which amounts to roughly $4.2MM. Irvin is also under contract for 2019, but he can be released without financial penalty.

Irvin, 30, could potentially offer versatility to a number of clubs, as he’s played both defensive end and outside linebacker during his career. Now in his third season with the Raiders, Irvin has started six games this year while three sacks and four quarterback hits. Pro Football Focus has graded Irvin as a below-average defensive end in 2018, ranking him as a bottom-20 edge defender among 101 qualifiers.

Any number of teams could potentially use another rotational pass rusher, but teams with a true need on the edge include the Rams, Jets, Chiefs, and Lions. The Chargers could also make sense as a landing spot for Irvin given Joey Bosa‘s uncertain injury timeline, while the Bengals are now down a defensive end after Carl Lawson tore his ACL earlier today.

Bengals DE Carl Lawson Tears ACL, Done For Season

October 28th, 2018 at 2:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bengals defensive end Carl Lawson suffered a torn ACL against the Buccaneers and will miss the remainder of the 2018 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Lawson, 23, was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 draft and immediately contributed upon entering the NFL. While Cincinnati limited his playtime given his collegiate injury history (Lawson saw only 41% of the Bengals’ defensive snaps a year ago), he still managed to post 8.5 sacks and 21 quarterback hits, the latter of which tied him for 19th league-wide. This season, Lawson had posted only one sack, but still was ranked as a top-15 edge rusher, per Pro Football Focus.

Despite a bevy of talent up front, the Bengals entered Sunday’s contest ranked just 19th in adjusted sack rate, and they’ll now have to move on without Lawson in tow. Carlos Dunlap and Michael Johnson are Cincinnati’s starters at defensive end, while Sam Hubbard and Jordan Willis will continue to get rotational snaps.

The Bengals don’t currently have a defensive end on their roster, so they could conceivably look to the free agent market for reinforcements, although — unsurprisingly — there aren’t a ton of quality options freely available. A trade could also be possible, although Cincinnati would have to work out a deal before Tuesday’s trade deadline.

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