Latest On Ravens’ Rashod Bateman
We heard yesterday that Ravens rookie receiver Rashod Bateman was going to miss some time, and now we have a bit more info. For starters, the thought is that Bateman has a “significant groin pull,” Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets.
Baltimore head coach John Harbaugh then announced Wednesday that his young wideout would miss “a number of weeks,” although he did declare “it’s not going to be months.” When asked if Bateman would be ready for Week 1 Harbaugh said he was “hopeful,” but didn’t sound overly optimistic.
At this point it seems like Bateman missing some regular season time is a distinct possibility. It’s a tough blow for a Ravens offense that has caught a lot of flak for not equipping Lamar Jackson with the best weapons in the passing game. The drafting of Bateman 27th overall back in April was supposed to go a long way toward solving those issues.
Bateman had missed a few practices earlier in camp with a groin issue, so it sounds like this latest injury was an aggravation of that. The Ravens also added Sammy Watkins this offseason, and of course still have Marquise Brown (also dinged up with a hamstring injury) on the depth chart.
We’ll keep you posted when we hear more about Bateman’s status. The Minnesota product had 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2019, his last full college season.
49ers To Sign Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
Veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix auditioned for the 49ers yesterday, and it apparently went well. He’ll be signing a deal with San Francisco, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Clinton-Dix also had a workout with the Colts last week, and tried out for the Panthers back in June. Now with training camps well underway, he finally found a home. 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan “did not sound optimistic” when discussing the health of fellow safety Jaquiski Tartt yesterday, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports tweets, which could help explain this signing.
Tartt is still recovering from a turf toe injury he suffered last season. The 21st overall pick of the 2014 draft, Clinton-Dix spent his first five pro seasons in Green Bay. He made the Pro Bowl, and was a second-team All-Pro, with the Packers in 2016. Traded to Washington midway through the 2018 campaign for a fourth-round pick, he then was with Chicago in 2019 where he started all 16 games.
Even though he had started 16 games for five straight seasons he didn’t have a super hot market last offseason, eventually signing a one-year, $3.75MM deal with Dallas. Despite having a couple million in guarantees the Cowboys cut him right before the start of the season and he spent the rest of the year out of football.
Clinton-Dix is still only 28, so he should be in good shape physically. It’s not a bad depth signing at this stage in the process for the 49ers.
Dolphins Looking To Trade For OT?
With right around a month to go until the start of the season, it appears the Dolphins aren’t quite happy with their offensive line. Miami is “searching for some offensive tackle depth and is willing to make a trade” for one, Michael Lombardi of The Athletic hears (Twitter link).
Austin Jackson is locked in as the starting left tackle, but there’s some uncertainty opposite him. The team drafted Liam Eichenberg in the second-round of this past draft, but it appears he’s set to kick inside and play guard to start his pro career. As of right now the starter at right tackle would be Jesse Davis, a 2015 UDFA who has been a middling starter for them the past few seasons.
Perhaps the bigger worry is that they have very little beyond them should Jackson or Davis go down, so it’s possible they’re only looking for a veteran swing tackle. It’s unclear who exactly would be available now in a trade. If they wanted to make a bigger splash they should’ve done it earlier in the offseason, when guys like Orlando Brown Jr. were available.
Miami opted not to do much to address the position in free agency. Notably, they passed on Oregon tackle Penei Sewell with the sixth pick in the draft, taking Alabama receiver Jaylen Waddle while Sewell went seventh to the Lions.m
Bears Host P.J. Hall
For the first time since his arrest in June, free agent defensive tackle P.J. Hall is drawing some interest. The Bears hosted Hall for a work out, veteran NFL reporter Aaron Wilson tweets.
The charges of misdemeanor assault never seemed to serious or like something that would preclude him from getting another job. Hall finished last season with the Texans and originally received a tender as a restricted free agent, but that tender was rescinded. Originally a second-round pick of the Raiders in 2018, it didn’t take long for hall to find himself in Jon Gruden’s doghouse.
He made 18 starts across his first two pro seasons, but was dealt to the Vikings right before the start of the 2020 season. He failed his physical with Minnesota, reverted back to the Raiders, and was later waived. That’s when he latched on with Houston, and the Sam Houston State product started nine games for the Texans last year.
The 57th pick of the 2018 draft, Hall turned 26 back in April. In 40 career games and 27 starts, he has 82 tackles, 10 for a loss, and 2.5 sacks.
Giants Cut Ryan Anderson
Ryan Anderson won’t be playing for the Giants in 2021 after all. The outside linebacker signed with New York in the second wave of free agency, but was cut on Monday, the team announced.
Anderson signed a one-year deal worth $1.125MM, only slightly above the $990K minimum for a player with his service time, back in March. The 49th overall pick of Washington back in 2017, Anderson never really lived up to his draft status. The Alabama product was mostly a reserve during his four years in Washington, but he did make a big impact in 2019.
That season he appeared in all 16 games with four starts, finishing with 44 tackles, four sacks, and five forced fumbles. In 2020, he played in only nine games and had just nine total tackles. Anderson “was expected to compete for a role on the edge,” previously, Dan Duggan of The Athletic tweets, while noting that he “missed the first two weeks of camp with a back injury.”
When he gets healthy he should be able to latch on elsewhere. Anderson will turn 27 later this week.
Steelers Not Ruling Out Ben Roethlisberger Return In 2022
For a while this offseason, it looked like the Steelers might not bring Ben Roethlisberger back. Then they reached an agreement on a revised contract (with Roethlisberger taking a pay-cut) that would keep him in the fold for 2021, but it seemed the writing was on the wall that this would be his last go-round with Pittsburgh.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II is saying not so fast. Although Roethlisberger isn’t under contract for 2022, “it’s not written in stone that this is his last year,” Rooney told reporters at training camp, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com. He didn’t exactly offer a ringing endorsement of the prospect of multiple more years of Big Ben, however.
“We’re aware this could be Ben’s last year,” he said. “We hope it’s a great one. That’s as far as we can go with it right now. Obviously, if this is his last year, then next year we’ll be making decisions on a quarterback, and we’ll address it as the time comes up.”
Perhaps the Steelers aren’t ruling out Roethlisberger coming back simply because they don’t have many other options currently. They gave Mason Rudolph a mini-extension to make him the only passer under contract for 2022, and the former third-round pick has said he hopes to start in 2022. Rudolph hasn’t looked particularly promising in his nine career NFL starts, but he hasn’t been a complete disaster either.
Beyond Rudolph, the team also has Joshua Dobbs and former Washington first-round pick Dwayne Haskins currently on the roster. Pittsburgh, of course, started off 11-0 last year before completely falling apart down the stretch as Roethlisberger and the offense struggled.
Roethlisberger looked like his arm might not have much left at times last season, but to be fair he was coming off major elbow surgery. Big Ben turned 39 in March, and it’ll be very interesting to see how much he’s got left in the tank physically when the Steelers kickoff their season Week 1 against the Bills.
Buccaneers Extend DC Todd Bowles
As they get ready to defend their Super Bowl title, the Buccaneers are taking care of a key member of the organization. Tampa has given defensive coordinator Todd Bowles a three-year contract extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Schefter writes that this new deal replaces the one year Bowles had left on his old one, and “continues to make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive coordinator.” Bowles has deservedly received a ton of praise for the heights he took the Bucs’ previously woeful defense to, as they became one of the best units in the league last year. The 57-year-old got some looks in head coaching searches this cycle, receiving interest from at least the Falcons, Lions, and Eagles.
It was also reported back in February that Bruce Arians would like Bowles to succeed him as Buccaneers head coach whenever he retires. He might not get that opportunity, since Schefter writes this new contract “doesn’t preclude him from taking another head coaching job,” and Bowles will likely be a hot candidate again this winter.
Bowles first broke into the league as a secondary coach with the Jets in 2000. 15 years later he would become New York’s head coach, a high profile role he held for the next four seasons.
His tenure there didn’t end well, but in recent years it’s been more or less accepted that the dysfunction had more to do with the Jets being, well… the Jets, than anything Bowles did wrong. It’s probably only a matter of time before he gets another head coaching opportunity, especially if Tampa’s defense keeps it up in 2021.
Bears To Sign Alec Ogletree
Another longtime veteran has found a new home early in training camp. The Bears are signing free agent linebacker Alec Ogletree, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).
This is the first we’ve heard of Ogletree since the Jets cut him all the way back in October of last year. A first-round pick of the Rams in 2013, Ogletree’s NFL career got off to a very solid start. In his first two seasons with the Rams he had ten forced fumbles and three interceptions. In each of his four healthy seasons with the Rams he had at least 10 passes defended, and he was a second-team All-Pro in 2016.
That earned him a four-year, $42.75MM extension in 2017, but he quickly fell out of favor with the new coaching staff in Los Angeles. He was traded to the Giants for a fourth and sixth-round pick, and spent the next two seasons in New York. He started 26 games in those two years with the Giants, but was released in February of 2020. Ogletree latched on with the Jets, where he was released after just a couple games.
Despite the significant tread on his tires, he’s still only 29. Presumably signed for close to the veteran’s minimum, he’ll now be a depth option behind Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan at inside linebacker for Chicago.
Joe Looney Retires From NFL
The Giants are sending players into retirement left and right. Just a few days after signing with New York, veteran linebacker Todd Davis elected to retire. Now offensive lineman Joe Looney is doing the same.
Looney will retire from the NFL as well, a source told Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s another puzzling turn of events, as Looney only signed with the team on July 31st. He started practicing right away, and was reportedly getting plenty of reps. An interior lineman who can play both guard and center, Looney is still only 30 so he should have plenty left in the tank physically.
His signing with the Giants was a reunion of sorts, as Looney played under current Giants OC Jason Garrett in Dallas. A fourth-round pick of the 49ers in 2012, Looney spent his first three seasons in San Francisco. He was a 16-game starter for the Cowboys in 2018, then hit the bench in 2019, and then started 12 games last season at center.
The initial expectation from Giants beat writers was that he would compete for a starting job, but apparently his heart was elsewhere. Assuming he’s really done, the Wake Forest product will hang up his cleats with 104 career appearances and 42 starts under his belt.
Cardinals To Re-Sign Corey Peters
It looks like Corey Peters is headed back to the desert after all. The veteran defensive tackle is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Cardinals, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Howard Balzer was first to tweet that a deal was likely.
We had heard in early June that the two sides were still discussing a new contract, but nothing materialized at the time. Now a little ways into training camp, it finally happened. A third-round pick of the Falcons back in 2010, Peters has been with the Cardinals since 2015. A knee injury limited him to only nine games last year, but he started all 16 for Arizona the year before.
Although mostly a run-stuffer up the middle, he’s had at least a couple of sacks each of the last three seasons. Now on the tail-end of a solid career, Peters turned 33 back in June. In addition to his work in the defensive front, Peters is also a locker room leader.
“He was tremendous for us on and off the field, one of the great leaders in our locker room,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury had said a couple of months ago. Coming off a torn patella tendon at his relatively advanced age, it’s unclear if he’ll play as big of a role on the field in 2021.