Texans Sign Jeff Driskel To Practice Squad
The Texans will sign quarterback Jeff Driskel to the practice squad, according to Aaron Wilson of Sports Talk 790 (Twitter link). Driskel missed the cut on Tuesday, but he’ll stick around to provide Houston with some much-needed insurance.
[RELATED: Dolphins Owner Stephen Ross ‘Really Wants’ Watson?]
Deshaun Watson‘s status remains murky – to say the least — with days to go before the start of the season. The Texans are reportedly willing to keep Watson on the team this year, effectively paying him to do nothing. Another team could alter those plans by meeting the Texans’ asking price, but that doesn’t seem likely at the moment.
The teams that remain interested in Watson are only willing to give up draft picks if they are conditional, based on Watson’s availability for the year. New GM Nick Caserio is not willing to take that gamble, since Watson could be sidelined by the league office at any time. Meanwhile, the Dolphins — a long-rumored suitor — are downplaying their interest.
In any event, the Texans aren’t banking on Watson and they need the safety net that Driskel provides. He’ll be on call to start the year while Tyrod Taylor and Davis Mills serve as the top QBs.
Vikings’ Irv Smith Jr. Done For Year?
Bad news for the Vikings. Irv Smith‘s knee injury will likely shelve him for the entire season, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Smith is looking at a 4-5 month timetable for recovery. Even in a best case scenario, that would effectively rule the tight end out for the regular season. A postseason return remains possible, in theory, but that’s a long way away. For now, Smith will have to focus on rehab while the Vikings plan to be without him for 2021.
Smith, 23, flashed serious potential last year while posting 30 catches for 365 yards and five touchdowns. The football world (and fantasy world) was awaiting a breakout year for Smith, who would have benefitted from all the attention paid to Justin Jefferson, Adam Thielen, and the rest of Kirk Cousins‘ weapons.
Instead, the Vikings will lean more on Tyler Conklin, who is dealing with a hamstring injury. Brandon Dillon stands as the only other tight end on the roster after rookie Zach Davidson and Shane Zylstra were waived on Tuesday. It stands to reason that one of those two players will be re-signed to the 53-man roster once Smith is placed on injured reserve. Alternatively, the Vikings could scour the waiver wire for an out-of-house alternative.
Bears To Place LB Danny Trevathan On IR
Danny Trevathan is likely to begin his season late. The Bears are expected to stash the veteran linebacker on IR to start the year, according to the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs (on Twitter).
The 10th-year vet missed time with a knee injury during Chicago’s training camp. Landing on IR will sideline Trevathan for at least the first three games. The Bears appear to have prepared for such a scenario, having kept seven inside linebackers on their 53-man roster.
One member of that septet is Alec Ogletree, a former starter who has bounced around the league in recent years. Ogletree’s recent nomadic status aside, Biggs adds he should be expected to take Trevathan’s place alongside Roquan Smith as a starter in Week 1 (Twitter link). The Bears signed the former first-round pick just after training camp began.
Trevathan, 31, has been a Bears starter since the team signed him in 2016. The former Broncos sixth-round pick and two-time Super Bowl starter has battled multiple significant injuries during his Chicago stay, but he started 16 games and made 113 tackles in 2020 to help the Bears return to the playoffs. The Bears have Trevathan signed through 2022, via the three-year deal he inked last March.
Joe Haden Plans To Play Out Contract, Test Free Agency
Joe Haden hoped to sign a second Steelers extension soon, but that may not be in the team’s immediate plans. Haden is now planning to play out his contract year and test free agency in 2022, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
The Steelers and their top corner agreed to a two-year, $22MM extension two years ago today. That deal expires at the end of the 2021 season. Haden’s adjusted strategy will put him on track to hit free agency in March for the first time.
The veteran defender approached the Steelers about another re-up recently, per Schefter, but nothing came to pass. The Steelers frequently extend players just before their contract years begin. Haden’s new plan suggests the team is fine letting the three-time Pro Bowler go through his walk year.
While the Steelers did land Haden as a free agent in 2017, the Browns cut him late that summer. He has yet to be an unrestricted free agent at the time in which teams are most prepared to spend.
Haden’s age will complicate matters. The 12th-year veteran will turn 33 in April. Teams are rarely eager to pay up for corners approaching their mid-30s, but Haden delivering a solid age-32 season this year will help him on the market — if the Steelers let this situation reach that point. Pittsburgh did let a few key cogs leave in free agency this year, slot corner Mike Hilton among them, and have big-ticket deals to finalize with T.J. Watt and Minkah Fitzpatrick. Haden will check in below these younger standouts, priority-wise.
Buccaneers, Mike Evans Rework Contract
The Buccaneers and wide receiver Mike Evans have agreed to a restructured contract (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Greg Auman). The deal will be finalized on Thursday to free up $8.94MM in cap room for the defending champs. Word of the move was first reported by Joey Knight and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times
Evans was initially slated to earn $16.637MM this year. Now, a big chunk of that will be reclassified as a bonus to give the Buccaneers some much-needed space. After recent moves, the Bucs had less than $200K to work with. Now, they can afford to add veterans where necessary.
Evans’ base salary of $12.25MM will shift to a veteran minimum $1.075MM base salary with a $11.18 million in bonus (Twitter link via Auman). The bonus will be prorated over multiple years, lowering his cap number by $8.94MM, if they add three void years. If they add just one more void year, they’ll still shave off $7.45MM.
The star receiver has reworked his contract multiple times already to accommodate the team. He even volunteered to take a pay cut back in February, in order to keep the band together. Through sheer cap magic, the Buccaneers didn’t have to take him up on his offer — they retained tight end Rob Gronkowski, wide receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, inside linebacker Lavonte David, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, edge rusher Shaquil Barrett for another big run.
Evans, who just turned 28, finished last year with 70 catches for 1,006 yards and 13 touchdowns. For his career, Evans has a per-16-games average of 80/1,248/9.
Dolphins, Jakeem Grant Shorten Contract
Jakeem Grant survived the Dolphins’ final round of cuts after agreeing to a reworked deal. The receiver’s new contract isn’t just cheaper — it’s also shorter (via Adam H. Beasley of Pro Football Network). 
Grant was set to be under club control for two more seasons. Now, he’s got just one more year to go, so he’ll be a free agent in the spring of 2022. The revised pact leaves him with a one-year deal that could be worth up to $3MM via incentives.
Grant registered 36 receptions for 373 yards and one touchdown through 14 games last year. Then, a high-ankle sprain in December cut his season short. Before he was placed on IR, Grant stood as the league leader in punt return yards (330) and per-return average (11.4). He also added to his highlight reel with a punt return for a TD against the the Rams in November —a difference-maker in their 28-17 win.
Without the revision, it’s likely that Grant would have missed the cut. Instead, roster hopefuls Kai Locksley, Kirk Merritt, and Malcolm Perry got their pink slips. Grant will slot in as the ‘Fins WR 4/5, alongside Will Fuller, DeVante Parker, rookie first-rounder Jaylen Waddle, and veteran Albert Wilson.
Ravens Restructure Ronnie Stanley’s Deal
The Ravens have restructured Ronnie Stanley‘s contract, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The new deal will see $6.51MM of Stanley’s base salary converted into a signing bonus, freeing up $5.208MM in room for the Ravens.
Stanley signed a $99MM extension just before suffering a severe season-ending ankle injury. While subsequent deals for David Bakhtiari and Trent Williams bumped Stanley’s $19.75MM AAV to fourth among left tackles, he remains one of the NFL’s best at the position. And, at 27, Stanley figures to have several good years ahead.
Stanley was outstanding in 2019, his last healthy year, earning First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. Without him, the Ravens will turn to 2018 third-rounder Orlando Brown Jr., who had a tremendous year of his own. Brown, of course, is now with the Chiefs, leaving Stanley to man the left side with Alejandro Villanueva on the right side.
The sixth-year pro was forced to have a second ankle surgery earlier this year, but he’s been able to practice for the last three weeks. Stanley should be good to go for the Ravens’ Week 1 outing Sept. 13. But, if the Ravens need to patch up the roster elsewhere, Stanley’s restructure will give them the flexibility to do it.