Extra Points: Cowboys, Elliott, Panthers, Funchess, Jets, Offensive Line
The Cowboys are riding high off their recent three game winning streak, but they’ll have to get serious soon. While head coach Jason Garret’s future with the team has been discussed endlessly, they have some personnel decisions to make that have flown mostly under the radar. The Cowboys have a bunch of young players, and will need to make some tough decisions soon, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
The Cowboys have a bunch of players who will need to either be extended or let go in the near future, including Dak Prescott, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Ezekiel Elliott. All three will be looking for a ton of guaranteed money, and they might not be able to keep everybody. While owner Jerry Jones has said repeatedly the team plans on extending Prescott, Florio notes that Jones hasn’t “said much if anything about Elliott getting a new deal.” Florio writes that “it’s possible that the Cowboys won’t ever make a major financial commitment to Elliott”, and points to how they handled the DeMarco Murray situation a few years ago as evidence they might not value running backs that highly. It hasn’t been talked about much, but it’s a very interesting perspective and it definitely seems possible Elliott doesn’t get locked up longterm in Dallas.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Panthers receiver Devin Funchess is set to be a free agent after this season, and it’s up in the air about what type of contract he might land. Former NFL agent and current CBS Sports Analyst Joel Corry thinks Funchess will get somewhere between what Marqise Lee and Stefon Diggs got on the open market, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. Corry thinks Funchess is a “1.5” type of receiver, better than a number two receiver, but not quite good enough to be a top option. Funchess’ free agency will be one of the most interesting in a pretty weak free agent class.
- The Jets’ offensive line could end up looking a lot different next year. In order to free up salary cap space, it’s possible the Jets cut all three of Kelvin Beachum, Spencer Long and Brian Winters, according to Matt Stypulkoski of NJ.com. The Jets already have a lot of salary cap space, but Stypulkoski thinks all three aren’t worth their salaries next year, and that the Jets will be looking to totally revamp their offensive line and better set up Sam Darnold for the future.
- In case you missed it, the Jets are discussing an extension with receiver Quincy Enunwa.
Extra Points: Cardinals, Wilks, Keim, Patriots, Brady, Browns, Dorsey, Riley
It’s been a rough year for the Cardinals and first year head coach Steve Wilks. The Cardinals have won just two games this season, and both of those wins came against the 49ers. They’ve been blown out on several occasions, and already had to fire offensive coordinator Mike McCoy in the middle of the season. That wasn’t the only drama, as star cornerback Patrick Peterson was also briefly demanding a trade. All the chaos and dysfunction have led many to speculate that Wilks and GM Steve Keim could both be in danger of losing their jobs.
While Wilks is in very real danger of being a one-and-done as head coach, his “job status is more tenuous than Keim’s” is, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. While he acknowledges Keim could be in some trouble too if the Cardinals continue to rack up losses, Somers thinks Keim will have a longer leash than Wilks because he has a past history of winning. That being said, the Cardinals haven’t been good in a few years now and it’s possible team president Michael Bidwill decides to clean house. Either way, it’s looking unlikely that Wilks is back in the desert for a second season.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Tom Brady has been a bit banged up recently, causing an internet firestorm when he was absent from Patriots practice on Friday. Although Brady is dealing with an illness and a knee injury, he did officially travel with the team to New York and will suit up against the Jets tomorrow, a source told Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). It doesn’t seem like Brady was ever in any real danger of missing the game, but it’ll be interesting to see if the knee injury or illness cause him to look less than 100 percent in a game New England needs to win.
- As the college football season winds down, NFL Draft talk is starting to heat up, and many GM’s and front offices are making their final evaluations on players. Browns GM John Dorsey was at the West Virginia/Oklahoma game Friday night, as well as the Michigan/Ohio State game Saturday morning, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Interestingly, Kay Cabot says Dorsey wasn’t just scouting players at the game he was also scouting coaches, namely Oklahoma’s Lincoln Riley. Riley coached Baker Mayfield in college, and has been a popular name in discussions about head coaching vacancies. Kay Cabot also notes that Jim Harbaugh, Michigan’s coach, could be another possibility for Dorsey.
- In case you missed it, a top receiver prospect declared his intention to enter the 2019 NFL Draft.
Latest On Broncos Ownership Situation
The drama surrounding ownership of the Broncos continues to escalate. Last month we broke down the latest in the situation, and it’s taken several new turns since then. Owner Pat Bowlen has been unable to manage the team for a while now as he suffers from Alzheimer’s, and last month his brother Bill Bowlen filed a lawsuit against the trust that controls the team, seeking to have the trust dissolved. Now the trust, which has placed CEO Joe Ellis in charge for the past few years, is responding by filing a motion asking that the case be moved to an arbitration process to be ruled on by the NFL, according to Troy Renck of TheDenverChannel.com.
There’s been a battle brewing within the Bowlen family for a while now, but it had been playing out mostly behind the scenes until recently, when it spilled out into the press. A few months back one of Pat’s daughters, Beth Bowlen Wallace, went public with her desire to eventually take control of the team. The trust, which was set up to eventually decide who would take over the team as Pat’s health declined, pushed back on Wallace’s statements, and has said they don’t believe she is ready to run the team. Another one of Pat’s daughters, the 28-year-old Brittany Bowlen, has also confirmed she wants to own the Broncos and she is reportedly the preferred candidate of team and league executives.
The trust, and Ellis, have been accused of dragging their feet intentionally in order to keep themselves in power, a claim they’ve strongly denied. The lawsuit alleges just that, and Bill also claims that his brother was incapacitated at the time the trust was created in 2009 and that it should be deemed invalid.
The trust’s motion includes an affidavit from one of Pat Bowlen’s lawyers at the time, Richard Robinson, who writes that Pat “understood his affairs including Broncos’ succession plan” in 2009, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). Klis writes that Robinson will be the “star” witness in the case, because the “crux of Bill Bowlen’s lawsuit is [Pat] was incapacitated in 2006.”
Renck writes that Bill’s legal team now has 21 days to respond to the motion to move this to NFL arbitration, so we should have more updates soon. Bill will almost certainly oppose the move, as the league office is unlikely to be sympathetic to his arguments in arbitration. Bill and Beth Bowlen Wallace have the same attorneys, and are working together to gain control of the team. It’s a very complex and tangled situation, and it’s anyone’s guess what will end up happening with the team. Ellis has been in control since July of 2014, and there’s no end in sight to the saga.
Cardinals Promote QB Chad Kanoff
The Cardinals made an interesting move today, promoting quarterback Chad Kanoff from the practice squad to the active roster, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
To make room for Kanoff on the roster, the team waived wide receiver Jalen Tolliver. It’s a curious decision considering the Cardinals already have Josh Rosen and Mike Glennon firmly established on the roster. Neither Rosen nor Glennon were listed on the injury report this week, so it’s not a health-related matter. It’s possible another team was planning on signing Kanoff off their practice squad and the Cardinals made the move preemptively to block it.
Kanoff, an undrafted free agent rookie from Princeton, went 15 for 36 for 178 yards and one touchdown this preseason. The Cardinals apparently liked him enough to keep him around as the fourth quarterback, behind Rosen, Glennon, and Sam Bradford. The team released Bradford a couple of weeks ago, giving Kanoff an opening. Kanoff broke many Princeton and Ivy League records during his college career, and was a popular sleeper pick among some in the draft community. It’s possible he could develop into Rosen’s backup of the future.
Tolliver, also an undrafted rookie out of tiny Division II school Arkansas-Monticello, had just been promoted from the practice squad earlier this week. It’s likely he winds up back on the practice squad, taking the opening created by Kanoff.
Extra Points: Jets, Patriots, Lions
After an initial hot start, Sam Darnold has been having a pretty rough rookie year. He has the most interceptions in the league with 14, and a lot of his struggles are explained by inconsistent and injured receivers. Upgrading the receiving corp is a top priority for the Jets this offseason, and GM Mike Maccagnan has said he will be extremely aggressive this offseason. As for their current receivers, the team will likely bring back Robby Anderson and Quincy Enunwa and let Jermaine Kearse walk in free agency, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post.
This makes sense, as it was reported earlier today the team was in extension talks with Enunwa. Costello points out that there are pretty weak free agent and draft classes coming up for wide receivers, so he thinks the best course of action is for Maccagnan to “[work] the trade market.” The Jets did trade for Brandon Marshall a few years back and it worked great at first, so perhaps they explore something similar here. Whatever they do, they must upgrade Darnold’s weapons.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Speaking of AFC East receivers, the Patriots will also have some interesting decisions to make. Josh Gordon, Chris Hogan, Phillip Dorsett, and Cordarelle Patterson are all set to be free agents after the year. While the Patriots are widely expected to keep Gordon, a restricted free agent, in New England, the rest will be unrestricted. Of the remaining three, Hogan is the most likely to be back next year, according to Doug Kyed of NESN.com. He also writes that it’s “possible none of them” return, which given the annual weapons turnover for the Patriots, wouldn’t be that big of a surprise.
- Lions offensive lineman T.J. Lang has always been one of the best guards in football when he’s healthy, but has had another injury plagued year this season. He was recently placed on injured reserve with a neck injury, and Detroit “won’t bring Lang back at his current salary”, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Lang is scheduled to make $8.25MM in the final year of his deal next season, and isn’t worth the injury risk already into his 30’s.
- In case you missed it, the Giants are still planning on giving Kyle Lauletta a shot later this season even with Eli Manning‘s recent strong play.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/22/18
Thanksgiving practice squad updates will be posted below:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: DE Vontarrius Dora
Extra Points: Jerry Jones, Gallup, Cowboys, Steelers, Howard, Buccaneers
Professional took a long winding path back to Los Angeles, and eventually ended with two teams. After many years of discussion, both the Chargers and Rams ended up relocating. There were a bunch of rumors over the years about other potential options for the NFL to make its way back to Los Angeles but we never really had many details, until now. Jerry Jones was reportedly approached and given the option to bring a team to L.A., according to ProFootballTalk.com.
Jones revealed what went down in a recent interview he did, saying “Several years back, I was approached by several owners that asked if I would consider selling the team, and the team being a more elite team and I take Los Angeles and build Los Angeles.” Jones explained that he never wanted to sell the Cowboys and it obviously never happened, but Jones re-establishing the L.A. market for the NFL would’ve been highly entertaining, if nothing else.
Here’s more from around the league:
- After the tragic passing of his brother, Cowboys receiver Michael Gallup‘s status was understandably in doubt for today’s Thanksgiving game. While he missed practice this week, Gallup will in fact play against the Redskins in today’s game, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). It’s great news for the Cowboys’ suddenly resurgent offense, and our thoughts are with Gallup and his family.
- The Steelers already have a couple of talented tight ends in Jesse James and Vance McDonald, but are apparently doing due diligence on the position. The team worked out former Eagles tight end Billy Brown yesterday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Brown, a 2017 undrafted free agent, has never appeared in a regular season game so perhaps this is just for the updating of emergency lists.
- Promising Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard had his season ended last week by an ankle injury, but he did get some good news. Bucs coach Dirk Koetter announced that Howard’s injury wasn’t as bad as some initially thought and “won’t require surgery and shouldn’t be a long-term issue”, according to Scott Smith of the Buccaneers’ official website (Twitter link). It’s great news, and Howard should be poised to become one of the best tight ends in the league in 2019.
Bengals Place DT Josh Tupou On IR, Sign DT Niles Scott
The injuries for the Bengals’ defense just keep piling up. The team placed defensive tackle Josh Tupou on injured reserve today, ending his season, the team announced via Twitter.
To take his spot on the 53-man roster, the team signed defensive tackle Niles Scott away from the Broncos’ practice squad. Tupou’s injury was a torn pec that he suffered in practice on Wednesday, according to Geoff Hobson of the Bengals.com (Twitter link). It’s the latest in a long string of defensive injuries for the Bengals, as several starters have already missed significant time this season.
A 2017 undrafted free agent from Colorado, Tupou was a deep reserve to start the season. However, he had begun playing heavy snaps in the past couple of weeks due to all the injuries. He played around 50 percent of the snaps the past couple of weeks as a run-stuffer inside, so it’s a pretty significant loss.
Scott is a rookie undrafted free agent who has bounced around a bit. From tiny Division III school Frostburg State, Scott originally signed with the 49ers and spent training camp with San Francisco. After a sting on the 49ers’ practice squad, he wound up in Denver, where he’d been until today. It’s always cool to see a D-3 guy get a chance, and he has a realistic chance to earn some playing time on this depleted Bengals squad.
Jets, WR Quincy Enunwa Have Talked Extension
Quincy Enunwa has been injury-plagued the past two seasons, but that hasn’t prevented the Jets from viewing the young wide receiver as part of their longterm plans. The team has “initiated contract extension talks” with Enunwa, sources told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
The 2014 sixth round pick has missed a couple games with a high ankle sprain and hasn’t been near 100 percent when he’s played the past couple of weeks, but he’s been Sam Darnold‘s most trusted weapon when healthy. When he was at full strength at the beginning of the year he got off to a torrid start, catching at least four passes in each of the first four games and going for at least 57 yards in all four.
Enunwa still leads the team in receptions and targets despite his ankle injury and Mehta notes the team values his “leadership qualities”, so it’s not a huge surprise they’re considering locking him up. Enunwa did have to miss the entire 2017 season with a neck injury, but he appears to be fully recovered from that. Enunwa burst onto the scene in 2016 with 58 catches for 857 yards and four touchdowns, but had to settle for his one-year restricted free agent tender offer this offseason due to concerns about his neck.
While Mehta cautions that it’s not a guarantee a deal will get done, sources have told him “both sides would indeed like to find a fair landing spot” in terms of a contract. It’s unclear what type of money he would get, but it’s safe to say it’d be a substantial increase on his current $2.9MM salary. The Jets have a long way to go still in their rebuild, but making sure Darnold still has his safety blanket over the middle is a good step in the right direction.
2019 NFL Draft Notes: Haskins, Jones, Patterson, Herbert
With college football season starting to wind down, scouting and draft talk is starting to ramp up. Opinions are being formed on the top draft-eligible prospects, and many teams are beginning to shape their evaluations of players. Rumors are also starting to swirl about which players will and won’t declare for the draft. One potentially surprising name is Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who is expected to leave school early for the draft after this season, sources told Matt Miller of Bleacher Report.
According to Miller, “barring injury or a massive drop-off in play down the stretch”, Haskins plans on entering the draft. Miller writes that he had previously heard Haskins was likely to return to Ohio State, but the player appears to have had a change of heart recently. Ohio State has been having a bit of a rough season, and there’s some reported dysfunction surrounding the team, so it wouldn’t be surprising if that’s what ended up pushing Haskins towards the draft.
Here are more notes from the 2019 NFL Draft:
- Speaking of quarterbacks, Duke signal caller Daniel Jones is also likely to declare, according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com. Pauline says on his podcast that sources told him the “decision has already been made and he’s gone.” Pauline supports the decision, and doesn’t think he has much more to gain with another season. Jones wasn’t known by many coming into the season, but has quickly risen as a sleeper in this class. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweeted about him last month, calling him “one of the top QBs we’ll all be talking about in April” despite him being “under-the-radar.”
- In addition to Haskins, another Big Ten quarterback could be leaving early. Michigan quarterback Shea Patterson is also likely to leave for the draft after this season, according to Miller. Miller writes that multiple sources expect Patterson to declare, and one told him Patterson thinks he can “benefit by not competing with the 2020 group that includes Jake Fromm and Tua Tagovailoa.” It’s an interesting strategy, and one that has paid off in the past. Quarterbacks that aren’t actually elite prospects often get taken much higher in the draft than they normally would if there isn’t a very strong class available.
- We heard last month that Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert is likely to stay in school for another year, and Miller confirms that report. Herbert is widely seen as the quarterback with the highest ceiling and most potential, but Miller writes staying in school is seen as “the best thing for Herbert, as he’s often cited as not having the mental toughness right now to handle the NFL.” Many have declared Herbert a likely top overall selection in this year’s draft, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be available.