Minor NFL Transactions: 9/24/18
Here are Monday’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Claimed off waivers from the Browns: DE Ifeadi Odenigbo
- Released: DE Jacquies Smith
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: C Hroniss Grasu
- Waived: DB Robertson Daniel
Indianapolis Colts
- Claimed off waivers from the Saints: DB Arthur Maulet
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: RB Justin Jackson
- Waived: RB Detrez Newsome
49ers Hosting Group Of Veteran QB’s
In the wake of Jimmy Garoppolo‘s ACL tear that will sideline him for the rest of the 2018 season, the 49ers are making moves to bolster their quarterback room, as the team will host a group of veteran signal callers according to head coach Kyle Shanahan (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN).
The quarterbacks coming in for workouts tomorrow include Tom Savage, T.J. Yates, and Kellen Clemens. Wagoner adds that Shanahan said Matt Moore is “another possibility” and that Nick Mullens would likely be activated from the practice squad. Shanahan has already said that the team won’t bring in any competition for C.J. Beathard, so any quarterback signed would be added solely as a backup to Beathard.
Savage started seven games for the Texans last year, but found himself released by the Saints at final cuts after New Orleans traded for Teddy Bridgewater. Yates also most recently spent time with the Texans, starting three games for them last year. He’s bounced around the league as a spot starter, and even won a playoff game for the Texans a few years back. Clemens just recently saw his long tenure as backup to Philip Rivers come to an end when the Chargers decided not to re-sign him after the 2017 season. Clemens hasn’t seen meaningful action in a long time, as Rivers never missed a start during Clemens’ run with the Chargers.
Overall, it’s not exactly an inspiring group. Beathard should have no trouble keeping the starting job the rest of the way assuming he can stay healthy, and it’s possible the team opts to just stick with Mullens as their backup. Mullens was an undrafted free agent in 2017 who has stuck around on San Francisco’s practice squad.
Aqib Talib Out At Least A Month
More bad news for the Rams’ defense as star cornerback Aqib Talib has a high ankle sprain and will miss at least a month of action according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).
It comes on the heels of the news that fellow cornerback Marcus Peters would miss some time due to a calf strain. Both players suffered their lower leg injuries in yesterday’s win over the Chargers. It means the Rams’ secondary will likely be extremely short-handed when they take on the Vikings on Thursday Night Football just three days from now.
The Rams’ defense was already a little banged up, with starting inside linebacker Mark Barron missing the first three games due to an Achilles injury. It’s a significant blow to Los Angeles’ new-look defense, as both Talib and Peters were prized acquisitions this offseason, tasked with replacing departed free agent Trumaine Johnson in the secondary. Talib and Peters had mostly shutdown opposing wideouts the first few games, with very few passes targeted their way. Through three games, Talib notched nine tackles, a pair of passes defended, and a forced fumble.
Talib, 32, is in the 11th year of his career and playing on his fourth team. The five-time Pro Bowler was drafted by Tampa Bay in the first round back in 2008. After a successful run in Denver where he won a Super Bowl, Talib was traded to the Rams for a fifth round pick this offseason. Former Packers starter Sam Shields figures to see the biggest increase in playing time while Talib is on the shelf.
Colts Cut RB Christine Michael
The Colts are releasing veteran running back Christine Michael, a source told Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link). The 27-year-old lasted just three weeks in Indianapolis, the latest stop in his long-winding career.
Michael was always someone thought by evaluators to be high on talent, but could never put it all together. He re-signed on a one-year deal with the Colts this March after spending all of 2017 on injured reserve. Through three weeks, he appeared in just two games, carrying the ball twice for nine yards. Rookie Jordan Wilkins has emerged as a solid runner this year, and the team apparently feels comfortable moving forward with just Wilkins, Marlon Mack, and fellow rookie Nyheim Hines on the depth chart.
Michael was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round back in 2013, but never made a huge impact in Seattle. At the beginning of the 2015 season, he was traded to the Cowboys for just a conditional seventh round pick. Just a couple months later, he was waived by Dallas. After a short stint on the Redskins’ practice squad, he found himself back with the Seahawks. He spent parts of the next two seasons as Seattle’s starting running back, and played well, but was surprisingly waived in November of 2016.
He spent the rest of 2016 with the Packers, before signing with the Colts. It’s been a long journey for Michael, and he’ll likely resurface somewhere on a team that needs running back help. For his career he’s rushed for 1,080 yards on 254 carries (4.3 YPC) with seven touchdowns.
Raiders To Audition Kickers
The Raiders will be auditioning a group of kickers this week to replace the injured Mike Nugent, according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (Twitter link).
Raiders coach Jon Gruden made the announcement at his Monday presser and said that the team will “be trying out numerous people.” Gehlken reports “flights for free agents being arranged now” after Nugent hurt his hip against the Dolphins yesterday, throwing his status for this weekend’s game against the Browns into doubt.
Nugent has been excellent this year, converting all six of his field goal attempts including kicks from 46, 48, and 52 yards through the first three games of the season. Nugent has become a true journeyman during his time in the league. The 36-year-old has spent time with eight different organizations, with stops with the Jets, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Bengals, Giants, Cowboys, and Bears before he landed in Oakland on a one-year deal this summer.
Nugent was an elite kicking prospect coming out of Ohio State, and the Jets invested the 47th overall pick in him back in 2005. It’s unclear at this time who the Raiders plan on working out, but Cairo Santos, Nick Folk, Kai Forbath, Daniel Carlson, and Roberto Aguayo are some of the biggest names left available and could potentially get calls.
Investigation Into LeSean McCoy Still Open, Suspension Still Possible
For a while now, it has seemed like Bills running back LeSean McCoy was in the clear. But that’s apparently not entirely true, as new reporting has revealed the case, and McCoy’s involvement, are still unresolved.
McCoy was at the center of a disturbing incident involving his ex-girlfriend over the summer, but was never arrested. A couple of weeks ago it was reported that he was unlikely to face a suspension as long as he wasn’t charged in the case, but the investigation is in fact still open according to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. A source told Florio that “the league has decided to defer to local authorities, who continue to investigate the situation.”
Florio reports that “the league would act only after McCoy is formally charged, or after the official investigation concludes with no action taken against him.” All this means is that there’s been no determination within the league office about possible punishment, and a suspension remains a very real possibility.
According to Florio, detectives investigating the break-in into the home where McCoy’s ex-girlfriend, Delicia Cordon, was staying haven’t been satisfied with McCoy’s level of cooperation. It’s highly possible the league ultimately concludes there isn’t enough evidence to suspend McCoy, but it definitely isn’t a settled matter like many have suggested recently. McCoy missed Buffalo’s shocking upset of the Vikings today as he was sidelined with a rib injury. Through the Bills’ first two games, he had 16 carries for 61 yards, adding five catches for 28 yards.
49ers Unlikely To Bring In Competition For Beathard
The 49ers are dealing with the devastating loss of Jimmy Garoppolo to a torn ACL that will cut his 2018 short. 2017 third round pick C.J. Beathard stepped in to replace Garoppolo against the Chiefs and will now move up to number one on San Francisco’s depth chart.
Despite Beathard’s lack of success as a starter last year, it doesn’t look like the team will be bringing in any outside competition to push Beathard for the starting job. While he notes the 49ers will “obviously” need to bring in an additional signal caller to back Beathard up, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle passes along that 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan said he “didn’t anticipate 49ers bringing in a QB to compete with C.J. Beathard as starter” (Twitter link).
Beathard, a former Iowa Hawkeye, started five games for the 49ers last year and appeared in seven. He completed 54.9% of his passes for 1,430 yards, four touchdowns, and six interceptions. The 49ers won just one of the games he appeared in, and he mostly struggled during his time as the team’s starter. After the 49ers acquired Garoppolo in a trade with the Patriots, Beathard quickly relinquished his starting duties.
There was a ton of optimism surrounding the 49ers heading into 2018, as they were expected to make a major leap in Shanahan’s second season. They lost a close game to the Vikings in Week 1 and beat the Lions last week to improve to 1-1. They now sit at 1-2 and face a tough upcoming schedule, with three out of their next four games against the Chargers, Packers, and Rams. With no big-name signing or trade forthcoming, it looks like it’ll be Beathard the rest of the way.
PFR Originals: 9/16/18-/9/23/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Our Sam Robinson took a look at the Le’Veon Bell situation as part of our Community Tailgate series. He broke down the latest news, Bell’s prospects in 2019 free agency, and solicited reader opinions in the comments section. It was reported earlier today that the Steelers would listen to trade offers for Bell.
- I asked readers in a poll which 0-2 team had the best chances of rebounding this season. I broke down the prospects of the Lions, Raiders, Texans, Giants, Bills, Cardinals, and Seahawks, and asked readers to weigh in. The Texans easily won the poll, earning over 43% of the vote.
Extra Points: Mahomes, Chiefs, Chargers, Bosa, Lions, Snead, NFL Draft
Patrick Mahomes is the talk of the NFL. He’s led the Chiefs to a 3-0 record and has been nearly flawless, tossing 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions. Now, more details are coming out about how Mahomes landed in Kansas City, and Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports has an insightful piece about the Chiefs’ process.
Chiefs GM Brett Veach, at the time the team’s assistant GM, reportedly became infatuated with Mahomes in the months leading up to the draft. As a scout with the Eagles, he had banged the table for Andy Reid to draft Fletcher Cox, DeSean Jackon, and LeSean McCoy, so Reid trusted his judgment. Veach hounded Reid for months about his love for Mahomes and eventually won the coach over. The whole story is well worth a read and is full of interesting nuggets. It sounds like the Chiefs have the right leadership in place to be a force in the league for years to come.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Chargers star pass-rusher Joey Bosa will get the cast taken off his foot later today according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link). While it’s a positive development for Los Angeles, Schefter cautions he still isn’t expected back until “sometime next month.”
- Earlier this week the Lions re-signed veteran cornerback DeShawn Snead, and now the details are in. The contract is for just the veteran’s minimum, but will cost the Lions $2.3MM this season due to the dead money that came from cutting him the first time according to Chris Burke of The Athletic (Twitter link).
- Virginia Tech has dismissed defensive lineman Trevon Hill from the team, an item of note for NFL draftniks. It’s “major draft news” according to Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com (Twitter link), who writes that Hill was “one of the better edge rushing prospects in the nation.”
Injury Notes: Titans, Mariota, Falcons, McKinley, Colts, Doyle, Eagles, Ajayi
Marcus Mariota‘s injury remains a mystery. It hasn’t been disclosed exactly what he’s dealing with although it has reportedly caused him to lose some feeling in his hand. Blaine Gabbert started, and won, for the Titans last week, and it’s possible he’s asked to do so again this week against the Jaguars.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel told reporters that he would make the decision between Gabbert and Mariota within the next “24 hours” and that he would let them know then according to Jim Wyatt of the Titans’ official website (Twitter link). If Mariota can’t go it would be a huge blow for Tennessee against the league’s top defense. One thing that could make their matchup a bit easier is that Jalen Ramsey was added to the injury report Friday with an ankle injury, although it’s unclear if he’s in any danger of missing the game.
Here’s more injury updates from around the league:
- The Falcons just can’t seem to catch a break. It was already known they’d be without Devonta Freeman and several other starters, but it was announced today that they’d also be without talented pass-rusher Takkarist McKinley. McKinley is currently dealing with a groin injury.
- The Colts will be quite shorthanded for their trip to Philadelphia as the team ruled out tight end Jack Doyle, running back Marlon Mack, defensive tackle Denico Autry, and right tackle Anthony Castonzo. Doyle’s injury is a big blow, as he formed an effective tight end duo with Eric Ebron through the first two games.
- The Eagles will also be significantly shorthanded on offense, with their backfield being particularly banged up. Running backs Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles have been ruled out, while Corey Clement is questionable. If Clement isn’t able to go, the running back situation would be dire. Alshon Jeffery is questionable, but reporters have written that he’s very unlikely to play.