2021 September - Pro Football Rumors

Lions Have Spoken With Quinton Dunbar

September 14th, 2021 at 12:35pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Lions just lost cornerback Jeff Okudah to an unfortunate Achilles tear, and it sounds like they may be looking outside the building to help bolster their secondary.

Detroit is “searching for CB help,” and they’ve spoken with free agent Quinton Dunbar, sources told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link). Those sources also said that the Lions had actually talked with Dunbar before the Okudah injury as well, so their renewed interest isn’t out of nowhere. It also sounds like they might face some competition for his services.

That’s because Garafolo notes that Dunbar “has a few options he’s sorting through” at the moment. Dunbar was with the Lions during camp, so he’s got plenty of familiarity with the system, but was cut in mid-August. He entered the league as an UDFA in 2015, and carved out quite the career for himself. He eventually became a starter in Washington, and had four interceptions in only 11 games in 2019.

Last offseason he was traded to Seattle, and after a bizarre legal situation, was eventually cleared to play. However injuries limited him to six games in his first and only season with the Seahawks, although he started all of them. Dunbar turned 29 in July.

Saints’ Erik McCoy To Miss Time

September 14th, 2021 at 10:50am CST by Zachary Links

Saints center Erik McCoy will miss time due to a calf strain (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). While the team awaits word on his timetable, they’ll work out former Chiefs center Austin Reiter, per Pelissero.

The Saints drafted McCoy in Round 2 of the 2019 Draft and immediately installed him as the starting center. They flirted with moving him to right guard at one point in time to make room for Cesar Ruiz, but his leadership in the middle was too valuable to lose.

Including Sunday’s blowout win over the Packers, Ruiz has started in all 33 of his games for the Saints. Now, he’ll be shelved for the first time in his young pro career.

Reiter, a Washington seventh-round pick in 2016, could offer some interim support. He spent the last couple of seasons as Patrick Mahomes‘ snapper, but Kansas City let him hit the open market. Reiter met with multiple teams, including the Bengals, Giants, and Texans, but went unsigned all offseason.

Ravens, Marlon Humphrey Rework Contract

September 14th, 2021 at 10:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have some extra cash to work with, thanks to star cornerback Marlon Humphrey. Now, $2.254MM of his base salary has been reclassified as a signing bonus, carving out roughly $1.8M in cap space (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).

Humphrey, the No. 16 overall pick in the 2017 draft, inked a five-year, $98.75MM extension with the Ravens last fall. Still only 25, he’s fresh off of back-to-back Pro Bowl seasons, plus a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2019. In ’19, he started nearly every game for the Ravens as he notched three interceptions and three fumble recoveries, two of which were returned for touchdowns. Last year, he registered 82 stops, 2.5 sacks, one interception, and a league-leading eight forced fumbles.

Humphrey and the Ravens dropped the season opener to the Raiders, falling 33-27. They’ll try to get back on the right track this Sunday when they take on the Chiefs in Baltimore.

Eagles Rework Fletcher Cox’s Contract

September 14th, 2021 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles have converted $13.925MM of Fletcher Cox‘s base salary into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). With a little help from the veteran defensive tackle, the Birds have created roughly $11.14MM in cap space for 2021.

Cox is tied to Philly through the 2022 season as he plays out his six-year, $103MM deal. Cox has mostly held up his end of the bargain. At the time of signing, he was coming off of his first ever Pro Bowl appearance. Now, he’s up to six straight, including a 2018 All-Pro nod.

Cox remains a key cog on the Eagles’ defensive line, having notched 6.5 sacks from the interior last year. If Cox loses a step, the Eagles might not be inclined to carry his $23.8MM cap hit into 2022. But, for now, they’re able to comfortably keep him on the roster, thanks to the payout adjustment.

Saints Add WR Kenny Stills To Practice Squad

September 13th, 2021 at 9:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Kenny Stills is heading back to New Orleans. The veteran wideout is signing with the Saints practice squad, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter). Stills worked out for the team earlier today, and Garafolo notes that the receiver could be a “possible add to their active roster soon.”

The 2013 fifth-round pick spent the first two seasons of his career in New Orleans, including a 2014 campaign where he finished with 929 yards from scrimmage (a mark that still stands as a career high). Stills was traded to the Dolphins in 2015 and proceeded to spend four seasons in Miami, finishing with more than 640 receiving yards per season.

The 29-year-old spent that past two seasons with the Texans. After collecting 561 receiving yards in 2019, the veteran finished 2020 with only 144 yards in 10 games.

Stills joins a crowded receivers depth chart. Marquez Callaway, Deonte Harris, Ty Montgomery, Lil’Jordan Humphrey, and Chris Hogan are on the active roster, and Michael Thomas will take a spot once he returns from injury. The team also has Kevin White, Easop Winston, and rookie Kawaan Baker on their practice squad.

Texans Work Out WR Donte Moncrief

September 13th, 2021 at 9:26pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans’ offense was rolling on Sunday, but the team is considering additions to their receivers corps. The Texans worked out veteran wideout Donte Moncrief today, reports Aaron Wilson (via Twitter).

Moncrief had one of the best seasons of his career in 2018, hauling in 48 catches for 668 yards and three touchdowns in 16 games (14 starts) for the Jaguars. Since that time, he’s only gotten into 14 games while collecting only 37 yards from scrimmage. This included a 2020 season with the Patriots where the wideout finished with only one catch in six games.

The 28-year-old wideout joined the Texans earlier this offseason but was cut by the team in July. Moncrief would still be hard pressed to make the roster, as the team is rostering six wideouts in Brandin Cooks, Chris Conley, Anthony Miller, Nico Collins, Danny Amendola, and Andre Roberts.

Moncrief wasn’t the only player to audition for the Texans. Per Wilson, the team also worked out safety Grayland Arnold, guard Jake Eldrenkamp, linebacker Sharif Finch, defensive end Josh Mauro, and defensive end Jason Strowbridge.

Injury Updates: Penny, Davenport, Taylor, Brown

September 13th, 2021 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

Rashaad Penny has struggled to stay healthy during his brief NFL career, and the Seahawks running back suffered another injury on Sunday. Penny left the game early with a calf injury, and NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the 25-year-old is expected to be “shut down for a few weeks” while he recovers. An IR stint could be a possibility for the running back.

Fortunately for the Seahawks, they’re rostering a handful of capable running backs behind Chris Carson, including DeeJay Dallas, Travis Homer and Alex Collins. Head coach Pete Carroll pointed to that depth when explaining why the team would be cautious during Penny’s recovery.

“He’s got a calf strain, so it’ll take us a bit to figure out what the return would be on that,” Carroll said (via the team’s website). “He ran really well when he ran the other night, so we’re going to miss him, it looks like this week, we won’t know. We’ll let you know how that goes. But Alex is ready to go, and both Homer and DeeJay, they’re ready to go too, so we’re in good shape. We had four running backs up this week, so we’re in pretty good shape at the position. Unfortunately, if it takes him a couple weeks, then we’ll figure out how to handle that.”

Penny, a 2018 first-round pick, appeared in only 13 games between the 2019 and 2020 seasons.

Some more injury notes from around the NFL:

Saints defensive end Marcus Davenport will be sidelined while he recovers from a pectoral strain, per Rapoport on Twitter. The pass rusher is expected to miss some time but “should be back sooner rather than later.” Following a disappointing 2020 campaign, Davenport was hoping for a bounce-back season in 2021. He was already on his way, as he compiled three tackles, one sack, two tackles for loss, and one QB hit before falling to his injury.
Texans defensive tackle Vincent Taylor suffered an ankle injury yesterday that will require surgery, according to Mark Berman of Fox26 in Houston (via Twitter). Taylor is expected to be sidelined for six weeks. Taylor signed a one-year contract with Houston this offseason, and he started Sunday’s game before suffering the injury. The 27-year-old got into a career-high 15 games for the Browns last season, finishing with 12 tackles.
Patriots offensive tackle Trent Brown exited yesterday’s loss with a calf injury, but the offensive lineman is now just considered day-to-day, according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Brown re-joined the Patriots this offseason after having spent the past two seasons with the Raiders.

Raiders Sign S Ha Ha Clinton-Dix To Practice Squad

September 13th, 2021 at 5:58pm CST by Ben Levine

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has found his next gig. After getting cut by the 49ers earlier this month, the veteran safety has signed with the Raiders practice squad.

Clinton-Dix found himself without much of a market during the 2020 offseason, but he ultimately got a one-year, $3.75MM deal from the Cowboys. He didn’t even make it to the regular season with his new club, and he remained unsigned for the entire campaign. The veteran had a handful of workouts this offseason before signing with San Francisco, but the 49ers sent him packing at the end of the preseason.

Still only 28, Clinton-Dix has more starting experience than most players on the market. The safety started 16 games as recently as 2019 with the Bears, when he finished with 78 tackles and a pair of interceptions. Clinton-Dix spent most of his career with the Packers, including a 2016 season where he collected 80 tackles and five interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl appearance.

The veteran will now sit on the Raiders practice squad, but he could find himself on the active roster if one of the team’s current options suffer an injury.

49ers Finalizing Deal With CB Dre Kirkpatrick

September 13th, 2021 at 5:21pm CST by Ben Levine

Following cornerback Jason Verrett‘s season-ending injury, the 49ers have brought in some reinforcement at the position. The 49ers are finalizing a deal with free agent cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick, reports NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).

Kirkpatrick has flirted with teams throughout the offseason, previously auditioning for the Saints, Patriots, and Texans. He also worked out for the 49ers recently, and that ended up turning into a contract. The 31-year-old saw time in 14 games (11 starts) for the Cardinals in 2020, finishing with 56 tackles, seven passes defended, and three interceptions. The longtime Bengals starter has totaled 358 tackles, three sacks, 72 passes defensed, and 13 interceptions across nine NFL seasons.

Verrett had a standout season for the 49ers in 2020, and the team brought him back on a one-year deal. Unfortunately, the veteran suffered an ACL tear during yesterday’s victory, ending his season after only one game. The team has already had to shuffle around their cornerbacks corps; the team needed rookie Deommodore Lenoir to fill in for Emmanuel Moseley, and they previously added Josh Norman. Before signing Kirkpatrick, head coach Kyle Shanahan seemed to imply that the team could look for some extra depth at the position.

“With that being the case, I feel we got enough guys in our building,” Shanahan said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “But that’s something you always got to look to see if there’s anyway you can improve. You always do that.”

Buccaneers Sign Pierre Desir To Practice Squad

September 13th, 2021 at 3:58pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

In the wake of a key injury in their secondary, the Buccaneers are signing a notable name. Tampa Bay has added veteran corner Pierre Desir, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.

However, Desir will report to the practice squad initially instead of the active roster. The move comes after starting corner Sean Murphy-Bunting suffered an elbow injury in the Bucs’ opener that will have him sidelined for at least a few weeks. Not too long ago Desir was a highly regarded corner, although his stock has dropped sharply the past couple of years.

Last year he started eight games for the Jets, racking up eight passes defended and three interceptions, but was cut in November. He then spent the rest of the year with Baltimore but barely played. Originally a fourth-round pick of the Browns back in 2014, Desir rose to prominence with the Colts.

He started 23 games for Indianapolis between 2018-19, and was given a three-year contract worth $22.5MM in March of 2019. He got $12MM guaranteed, but made it just one year into that pact.

Desir, who turned 31 last week, will give Tampa some solid depth and a veteran presence in their young secondary.