NFL Workout Updates: 9/21/18
Today’s workout updates are below. There were some notable names, including veteran cornerback David Amerson, who was released by the Chiefs at final cuts.
Buffalo Bills
- CBs David Amerson; Demetri Goodson; Tony Lippett; Herb Waters; OL Jeremiah Sirles; Matt Tobin; DT Garrison Smith
Detroit Lions
New Orleans Saints
- WR’s Fred Brown; Reggie Davis
The Bills are clearly looking for help in their secondary with the recent retirement of Vontae Davis. Amerson and Lippett are both pretty big names with plenty of starting experience, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see either of them sign. Bausby was an offseason star with the Eagles, but ultimately didn’t survive final cuts.
Extra Points: Jets, Bowles, Seahawks, Thomas, Saints, Crawley, Raiders, Hall
Not too long ago, the Jets were riding high off their Week 1 Monday Night Football win over the Lions as they kicked off the Sam Darnold era and all was well in New York. Now things have gone south quickly, as the team has dropped two straight games to the Dolphins and Browns. And although coach Todd Bowles recently landed a contract extension that locks him up through the 2020 season, his job isn’t necessarily safe writes Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.
While Vacchiano cautions that these first couple games wont determine Bowles’ future, he writes that “the feeling around the Jets is still that the 54-year-old Bowles isn’t really that safe at all.” It’s an interesting development considering Bowles was widely praised last season for leading the team to a surprise 5-11 record. Before last season, Bowles had been thought to be on one of the hottest seats in the entire league. It will be interesting to watch play out, but it looks like Bowles might not be the coach of the future in New York.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Earl Thomas didn’t practice for the Seahawks today, and coach Pete Carroll was extremely vague about why according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Carroll said it wasn’t an injury and was something the team was dealing with, but wouldn’t commit to Thomas playing this Sunday. This immediately revived trade rumors that have surrounded Thomas all year, but it doesn’t seem like he’ll be on the move at this point. The team that was most-linked to Thomas this offseason, the Cowboys, aren’t pursuing him at the moment as EVP Stephen Jones said the team was “not exchanging any calls or any information at this time” according to Jon Machota of Dallas News (Twitter link). It’s a strange situation, and while it doesn’t seem like he’ll be traded, Condotta writes “no one will say” why he isn’t practicing.
- The Saints’ defense, particularly their secondary, has struggled mightily this year. A large part of the problem has been cornerback Ken Crawley, who has now been benched ahead of the team’s Week 3 matchup with the Falcons according to Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com (Twitter link). Fourth-year player P.J. Williams will move into the lineup in his place.
- Raiders cornerback Leon Hall was hospitalized after the team’s Week 2 game against the Broncos according to Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Hall has a sickle cell trait issue that can flare up at altitude. He’s expected to play for this team this Sunday in Miami.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/21/18
Today’s minor moves will be posted and updated here:
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: LB Vince Biegel
- Waived: CB Arthur Maulet
POLL: Which 0-2 Team Is Most Likely To Rebound?
In a relatively short 16 game season, a slow start can be a death blow. Around 90% of teams who start the season 0-2 end up missing the playoffs. Some teams can put it behind them and turn their season around, but not many. The 2007 Giants started off 0-2 and ended up winning the Super Bowl, as did the 2001 Patriots.
There are currently seven teams sitting at 0-2, and none of their prospects look particularly bright. Several of them have solid franchise quarterbacks and recent playoff success, and none of them are giving up. So which, if any, has the best chance of turning around their disappointing campaigns?
Two teams in the NFC West are 0-2. The Seahawks have lost a pair of close games, both of which they had opportunities to win in the first quarter. The Cardinals on the other hand have been blown out twice, and have scored just six total points. The Seahawks have the clear advantage at quarterback, the Cardinals have David Johnson, and neither has much of an offensive line. The Cardinals have plenty of theoretical talent and a strong defense, while Russell Wilson has shown he’s capable of carrying a team in the past. Both teams will be returning home for do-or-die games in Week 3. The Cardinals get the Bears, while the Seahawks host the Cowboys.
The other two winless teams in the NFC are the Lions and Giants. Both teams have new head coaches and Matt Patricia and Pat Shurmur have both gotten off to terrible starts. The Lions’ defense has been a mess while Eli Manning has looked like he has very little left in the tank. Like Wilson, Stafford has carried successful teams in the past while the Giants have plenty of playmakers around Manning in Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram, and Odell Beckham. The Lions will host Patricia’s old team, the Patriots, on Sunday Night Football, while the Giants will face off against another winless team, the Texans.
The Texans have failed to meet expectations as Deshaun Watson returned from the torn ACL that cut his phenomenal 2017 season short. They understandably dropped a road opener to the Patriots, but lost a head-scratcher last week to the Titans in a game where Blaine Gabbert took all the snaps. They’ve got Watson and a slew of other big name players, but if they lose to the Giants on Sunday it will be awfully hard to rebound.
The last two 0-2 teams in the AFC are the Raiders and the Bills. Jon Gruden took a lot of heat for trading Khalil Mack, and hasn’t been able to deliver through two weeks. His team hung tough against the Rams in Week 1, then blew a late lead against the Broncos last week. The Bills have potentially the worst outlook of any of these teams. In the midst of a full blown rebuild, Buffalo was forced to bench Nathan Peterman after just one start. Josh Allen will be under center the rest of the way, and the season will be more focused on his development rather than winning games. The Raiders will travel to Miami in Week 3 to take on the Dolphins, while the Bills will head to Minnesota to face the Vikings.
Which of these teams do you think has the best chance of rebounding and turning the season around? Will we see the next ’07 Giants rise up from this crop of 0-2 teams? Vote in the poll below and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section!
2018 Season Likely To Be Reggie McKenzie’s Last With Raiders
When Jon Gruden took over as coach of the Oakland Raiders, the writing was on the wall for GM Reggie McKenzie. Now there’s more confirmation the two sides will be heading for a split, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports there is virtually no chance McKenzie is back in 2019.
Sources told La Canfora it’s a “near certainty” that there are “new decision-makers in place in Oakland well before the 2019 draft.” The final nail in the coffin appeared to be the decision to trade away Khalil Mack. Comments made by both Gruden and McKenzie following the trade made clear that it was Gruden’s imperative to deal the defensive end.
Gruden has been remaking the team in his vision ever since he became coach, and while nothing has been formally announced, it’s been clear for a while that McKenzie’s power has been reduced. Gruden will likely begin to bring in his own front office people shortly after the season ends.
It will be a critical and potentially era-defining offseason for Gruden in 2019. He’ll be doing it essentially all on his own and will receive all the credit, and the blame, for whatever transpires. What he does with the picks acquired in the Mack trade will determine how the trade, and his decision making, are viewed down the line. McKenzie, a fairly well respected executive, should land on his feet with another organization sooner rather than later after he’s eventually cut loose.
5 Key NFL Stories: 9/9/18 – 9/16/18
Browns cut ties with Gordon. What seemingly almost happened so many times over the past few years finally happened when the Browns announced they would move on from Josh Gordon. Gordon arriving late to the team facility was the final straw, and there were apparently rumors of a relapse within the organization. Cleveland appears likely to trade the uber-talented wideout in the next couple of days.
Kendricks to Seattle. One of the most unexpected developments of the summer was when Mychal Kendricks was arrested and charged with insider trading. The Browns promptly released him, and it was widely assumed that Kendricks wouldn’t be playing again this year. That all changed when the Seahawks suffered a string of injuries in their linebacking corp. They signed Kendricks this week despite the fact that he’s facing a suspension that will likely sideline him for a while.
Mixon to have knee surgery. The big injury news of the week was that Bengals running back Joe Mixon would need to undergo knee surgery. He had been having a breakout season as Cincinnati’s featured back, but will now be sidelined for the next 2-4 weeks. It’s a big blow to the Bengals’ suddenly dynamic offense, as Mixon was a large part of their 2-0 start.
Freeman out multiple weeks. Mixon isn’t the only star running back set to miss significant time due to a knee injury, as Falcons running back Devonta Freeman will also miss 2-4 weeks. Atlanta initially said Freeman’s injury wasn’t serious, but apparently the prognosis worsened in the days following their Week 1 game. Freeman has a history of knee injuries, so it’s a concerning development.
Oakland signs Hankins, re-signs Bryant. The Raiders made a pair of moves, bringing in defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and re-signing receiver Martavis Bryant. Bizarrely, the Raiders traded a third round pick for Bryant, then released him when they found out he was facing a year-long suspension, then re-signed him this week. Like Kendricks, he’s appealing his suspension, but will likely only play for a little while before he’s forced to serve his ban. Hankins had been one of the biggest name free agents left out there, and finally signed with the Raiders due to injuries on their defensive line. He reportedly got $2MM to sign, the highest of any recent veteran signing.
Kenny Britt To Visit Patriots, Could Re-Sign
New England continues to cycle through options at receiver, and now Kenny Britt might be back on the table according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapsheet reports that Britt will visit the Patriots and work out for the team on Monday. He writes that “if all goes well and his hamstring is healthy, he could sign in New England.” It would be an interesting development for a player who was just cut by the Patriots back in August.
New England just recently cut Bennie Fowler, so Britt could slide into his spot on the roster while the team awaits the return of Julian Edelman from suspension. Britt’s release a couple of weeks before cutdown day was a surprise, as he was expected to take on a larger role in the Patriots’ depleted receiving corp. Britt signed with the Patriots late last season and was often a gameday inactive, catching two passes for 23 yards across three games.
Britt has proven he can be a productive receiver in the league, but has often clashed with coaching staffs. He didn’t get along well with management in Cleveland, and was released by the Browns just nine games into a four-year $32.5MM contract. Just two seasons ago, he put up 1,002 yards and five touchdowns with the Rams, so maybe he’ll be able to pull of a career resurgence in New England, assuming he re-signs.
CB Vontae Davis Retires
A bizarre situation has unfolded in Buffalo as cornerback Vontae Davis has decided to retire. Davis reportedly pulled himself out of the game at halftime of the Bills’ loss to the Chargers and didn’t return to the game. He then released a statement announcing his retirement. You can read his full statement here.
While he said this isn’t how he “pictured retiring from the NFL” he said he had to make the decision because he was no longer physically capable of it. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link)., Davis changed into street clothes and left the stadium at halftime.
It’s a situation pretty much without precedent in the NFL. Davis’ teammate Lorenzo Alexander called it “completely disrespectful” and said he’d never seen anything like it. It’s another rough headline for a Bills situation that has been disastrous thus far. They’ve lost both their games by multiple scores and had to bench their starting quarterback, Nathan Peterman, after just one game.
The Bills signed Davis back in February and reportedly gave him $3.5MM guaranteed. They’ll almost certainly look to recover most of that money and should be successful. If this is really the end for Davis, he’ll finish his ten-year NFL career with 22 interceptions and 106 passes defended. The 2009 first round pick was a two-time Pro Bowler with the Colts.
Latest On Josh Gordon
The day after the Browns’ shocking announcement that they would be releasing former All-Pro receiver Josh Gordon, more news on the troubled wideout is continuing to pour in. After initially stating Gordon would be cut, Cleveland quickly reversed course and made it clear they were going to look to trade Gordon and get something back in return.
The Browns apparently would prefer to trade him out of conference, and Gordon himself has his eye on two NFC teams. Gordon would prefer to be traded to either the 49ers or Cowboys a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN. Both teams have issues in their receiving corps and would make sense as possible destinations.
49ers GM John Lynch confirmed to reporters that the team did call the Browns about Gordon, saying the “team is doing its due diligence” according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports (Twitter link). Gordon grew up in Texas and played his high school and college ball there, so it makes sense why he’d want to go to Dallas. Kyle Shanahan was briefly his offensive coordinator in Cleveland, which might explain his attraction to San Francisco.
Another issue surrounding Gordon is his health. It was reported yesterday that he injured his hamstring during a promotional shoot and not at practice, and that the injury was one of the reasons the Browns were cutting ties with him. “Gordon is traveling tonight to see a specialist tomorrow to learn the severity of his hamstring injury” a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The severity of the injury could be a determining factor in what sort of compensation the Browns get in a trade.
Jets Looking For Pass Rush Help, Made Big Offer For Mack
The Jets missed out on the Khalil Mack sweepstakes, but will continue looking for help rushing the passer. They recently brought in outside linebacker John Simon for a visit, although they didn’t end up signing him. New York has also worked out a string of other lower-profile defensive linemen and outside linebackers in recent weeks.
Their intention to bring in outside help was recently confirmed by Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, who writes that acquiring such a player remains the team’s primary objective. He adds that the Jets were even more serious about trading for Mack than was originally reported, and that they would likely have been willing to meet or beat the Bears’ winning offer, which included two first-round draft picks.
La Canfora says the Raiders essentially ended the bidding on Mack once they received assurances that Chicago was willing to part with two first-rounders, especially since trading him to the Bears allowed them to get Mack out of the AFC.
But the Jets have a ton of cap space and a commitment from ownership, so they will continue to leave no stone unturned in their pursuit of a QB hunter. Former NFL agent Joel Corry wonders if, next offseason, the Jets could be involved in the first edge rusher tag and trade since Jared Allen was tagged by the Chiefs and traded to the Vikings in 2008 (Twitter link). Whatever happens, expect the Jets to be aggressive in building their roster as they transition into the Sam Darnold-era.