The Bengals’ 2-5-1 record aided them Wednesday, with Takk McKinley now Cincinnati-bound after a waiver claim. Other suitors were ready to pounce if the Bengals did not make a claim.
The 49ers, Browns and Raiders submitted claims for McKinley, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This comes after McKinley curiously tweeted the Falcons declined trade offers for him. The Browns were one of the teams to discuss a McKinley trade with the Falcons, per SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter).
McKinley would have been thrust into the AFC playoff race had he landed in Cleveland or Las Vegas. The Browns eyed Jadeveon Clowney for months, submitting what was believed to be a strong offer for the high-profile edge rusher, but instead reworked Olivier Vernon‘s contract and ran back the Vernon-Myles Garrett tandem. McKinley would have joined ex-Falcons teammate Adrian Clayborn as an auxiliary pass rusher in Cleveland.
Although the Raiders have seen Maxx Crosby play well after arriving as a fourth-round pick, the team has not seen much production from No. 4 overall selection Clelin Ferrell. The Raiders were also in the Clowney mix. Only Crosby (five sacks) has registered more than one sack among Raiders, and the team’s nine QB drops rank 31st.
Injuries have depleted the 49ers’ once-formidable defensive line. They are without Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas for the season, and Dee Ford is not certain to return in 2020. McKinley, who recorded 13 sacks between the 2017-18 seasons, has one in four games this year. The 2017 first-round pick does have seven QB hits in abbreviated time (85 defensive snaps) this season, however.
Would’ve been a good add for the Raiders or Browns. Not sure what the Bengals end game is. To get a slightly worse draft pick?
I get the aspect of them wanting a young guy with possibly some upside left, but one of the few positions they look decent at is edge rusher. Not a terrible addition, but not really a necessary one either.
Carl Lawson is the only player slightly capable of generating a pass rush on the roster. Dunlap is gone. I would not say edge is decent.
I must be higher on Sam Hubbard than others are then. Granted, he’s injured, but I think he’s a pretty solid player.
Would’ve been a fine Raider.
I don’t get the knock on Clelin Ferrell. He constantly draws a double team and last week still had 3 tackles and 4 QB hits. He was a thorn in Herbert’s butt all day.
He is a brown bagger. You know, brings his lunch in a brown paper bag and stays the day to work.
The knock on Ferrell is that he has been consistently mediocre. He reminds me of Quinnen Williams. At times, he flashes the athleticism we expected at the 4 pick, but not often enough. How does a DE have -0- sacks halfway thru the season?
I’m not giving up on him, but he has not been worth the #4 by a long shot.
Ferrell was a culture pick, if you read Mayock’s press clip after drafting him. Not a bad strategy to show how much you value character by using a high pick on a character guy, to build a good culture. However, culture is just a small part of the total equation, and he has been slightly below what you expect from a top pick. You do want more production from someone going that high in the draft.
That said, he hasn’t been as bad as the rap he’s gotten. Ferrell has improved in generating pressures, but you need someone to get home on those pass rush opportunities to really stamp a ticket as a defense. I do think Ferrell will improve more, it’s just been slower in coming than the Raiders would have liked. But hey, Bud Dupree in Pittsburgh took a while to get his legs under him, and now he’s a legitimate threat on the edge. So there’s still a solid hope for Ferrell as a second year player. I’d wait until his fifth year option comes up to make a judgement on his value.
As for McKinley, you’d never pass up an opportunity to add a former first round talent for cheap when it occurs. At worst, you’ll cut him loose. At best, his athletic potential helps you in spot situations. A good bit of first rounders wash out anyway, so it’s like having an extra pick there for no compensation. No lose situation there, might as well. Who knows, maybe Cincy’s scheme will end up fitting him better.
You can find brown baggers later. They could’ve drafted Josh Allen, who’s much better at getting after the QB. They could also use Devin White or Devin Bush. They drafted someone who might have been available at their next pick.
Of the maybe 10 next defensive picks, all would’ve been about as good, and several have been better.
I get the point about being a ‘brownbagger’. The Raiders pursuit is off the charts better than it use to be, and I credit this to drafting real tough FB players, and that’s a big plus.
But part of the reason why no lead is safe, is because we are #31 in sacks.
Because a lot of people who don’t really understand football only look at sacks. Especially for DEs.
Because a lot of people who don’t really understand football only look at sacks especially for DEs.
Do you have no concerns about the Raiders being #30 in sacks? In the last three games, we have two sacks. Absent Crosby, we might have the worst pass rush in history.
Did he have the 5th year option picked up?
No
The Niners need to stop. Save some money and give up on the season.