Latest On Ezekiel Elliott’s Market
The Ezekiel Elliott market appeared to be heating up earlier this month, but the veteran running back remains unsigned. While there haven’t been any reports regarding Elliott’s asking price, his continued free agent status could be tied to underwhelming offers.
[RELATED: Latest On Patriots’ Interest In RBs Ezekiel Elliott]
According to Mike Giardi of Boston Sports Journal (via Twitter), potential suitors “would prefer to pay the bare minimum” for Elliott’s services. In fact, Giardi hears that one team wants to sign the running back after Week 1 so they can avoid any guarantees. The veteran was tied to a $10.9MM base salary and an untenable $16.72MM cap number in 2023 before he was released by the Cowboys.
Elliott has only had an official visit with the Patriots, but throughout the offseason, teams like the Buccaneers, Eagles, Bengals, and Jets have been tied to the RB. Most recently, we heard that the Cowboys would still consider bringing back their long-time player, although that scenario continues to appear unlikely.
We heard yesterday that despite New England’s $17MM in cap space, the front office has a clear price point that they’re not prepared to surpass. Based on today’s rumblings, it sounds like the Patriots would only be bidding against themselves at this point, assuming they’re willing to bring Elliott in ASAP.
The Patriots hosted Elliott along with several other established backs a few weeks ago, and despite the RB leaving New England without a deal, the organization remains “highly interested” in him. With Damien Harris having left for Buffalo, the Patriots lack established depth behind Rhamondre Stevenson. Based on last night’s preseason game, 2022 fourth-round pick Pierre Strong is currently in the lead for the RB2 spot. The Patriots also gave a look at 2022 sixth-round pick Kevin Harris and former UDFA J.J. Taylor.
Ravens Host CB William Jackson III
John Harbaugh hinted yesterday that the Ravens could be seeking some reinforcement at cornerback, and the team will take a look at a veteran defensive back to potentially fill that void. According to Josina Anderson (on Twitter), William Jackson III is visiting with the Ravens today.
[RELATED: Ravens Eyeing Cornerback Help]
It wasn’t long ago that Jackson inked a three-year, $40.5MM deal with Washington. The cornerback was limited to only 12 games during his first season with the organization thanks to a calf injury, and his 2022 campaign saw him disappoint in four games before getting benched. Jackson asked for a trade and eventually got his wish, with Washington sending the cornerback to Pittsburgh. However, he spent much of his time with the Steelers on injured reserve, and he didn’t get into a game before earning his walking papers.
We heard earlier this offseason that the cornerback was back to full health and was mulling opportunities from multiple teams. Of course, Jackson will now have to settle for a prove-it deal at this point of his career, but there’s still plenty of intrigue. Sure, the 30-year-old would have graded as one of the worst cornerbacks in the league had he played enough snaps last season, per Pro Football Focus. However, the site was much more bullish on his production during his time with the Bengals, including a rookie season where he ranked fourth at the position.
The Ravens’ current issues at cornerback could be temporary considering the team’s injuries. Rock Ya-Sin, Jalyn Armour-Davis, and Arthur Maulet are currently sidelined, and Pepe Williams has also been limited during training camp. Despite the injuries, Harbaugh seemed to hint that the organization was eyeing more than a healthy body, meaning a potential cornerback acquisition would have a legitimate shot at making the roster.
Saints Cut WR Keke Coutee
Keke Coutee‘s brief stint with the Saints has come to an end. After signing with the organization in mid-June, the wide receiver has been released, according to Mike Triplett of NewOrleans.Football (via Twitter). Coutee was cut to make room for linebacker Jaylon Smith.
[RELATED: Saints Sign LB Jaylon Smith]
Coutee was brought in two months ago to provide some experience to a crowded Saints receivers room. Michael Thomas, Chris Olave, and Rashid Shaheed are already written in atop the depth chart, leaving 10 other receivers to compete for two spots. That grouping includes five-year Saint Tre’Quan Smith and rookie sixth-round pick A.T. Perry, along with Lynn Bowden, Bryan Edwards, James Washington, Keith Kirkwood, Kawaan Baker, Jontre Kirklin, and rookie Shaquan Davis.
For the time being, Coutee proved to be the odd man out, even with Shaheed and Smith missing time during training camp. The release will provide the veteran some extra time to catch on with a new squad, and he’ll also have a chance to avoid the flood of free agents who will hit the market at the end of the preseason.
The 2018 fourth-round pick spent three seasons with the Texans to begin his career, hauling in 83 catches in 23 games. His best season came in 2020, when he caught 33 passes for 400 yards and three touchdowns despite playing in only eight games (four starts). He was waived by the Texans at the end of the 2021 preseason and has spent the past two seasons with the Colts.
He got into 10 games during his time in Indy, although he only had two catches during his stint with the team. He also returned 17 punts for the Colts last season.
49ers Notes: Rivers, Williams, Darnold
Had the 49ers beaten the Eagles in the NFC championship game, there’s a good chance Philip Rivers would have been under center for the team during the Super Bowl. Kyle Shanahan confirmed as much today, saying the organization planned to sign the retired quarterback had they won that game (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle).
Despite having not seen the field since the 2020 campaign, the 41-year-old quarterback was in the team’s contingency plan towards the end of the postseason. With Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance out of the picture, the 49ers rolled into the NFC championship game with Josh Johnson as the top backup to Brock Purdy. Both Purdy and Johnson were injured in that contest, and that would have forced the team into figuring out a fifth option at the position.
“(Rivers) was prepared to (play),” said Shanahan. “It’s stuff we talked about through the whole year. We would have seen how that was for the Super Bowl. That was the plan for most of the year.”
As Branch notes, Ben Roethlisberger admitted that the 49ers had reached out to him about joining the team, but the quarterback wanted to stay retired. Rivers, however, sounds like he was willing to return to the field for a chance at a Super Bowl ring.
When we last saw the long-time Chargers QB, he was manning the position for the Colts, guiding the team to an 11-5 record while tossing 24 touchdowns vs. 11 interceptions. Since calling it a career following that 2020 campaign, Rivers has served as a high school football coach in Fairhope, Alabama.
More notes out of San Francisco…
- 49ers wideout and return man Ray-Ray McCloud broke his wrist at practice earlier this week, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic (on Twitter). The 26-year-old will undergo surgery and will likely miss the first two months of the season. McCloud joined the 49ers last year, and he finished the season averaging 23 yards per kick return and 10.8 yards per punt return. He also added 14 receptions and a touchdown on offense. As Barrows notes, Ronnie Bell, Willie Snead, and D’Shawn Jamison will be competing to take over the ST snaps with McCloud sidelined.
- Trent Williams is entering his 13th NFL season, including his fourth with the 49ers. While 2023 will mark the lineman’s age-35 campaign, Williams doesn’t have any thoughts of hanging up his cleats. “No I don’t. Because I still feel the same,” Williams told ESPN’s Dan Graziano. “Every year, I come back and I’m literally on the edge of my seat until that first practice, because I just don’t know. I can train as hard as I want and feel good, but I don’t know. I’ve seen a lot of guys fall off, hit that wall, and I just don’t know when it’s coming. So I kind of go in scared in a sense, and as soon as I get out and move around I feel like, ‘All right. This year I’m good. I haven’t started slowing down yet.’ At the end of the day, I’m 35. I understand I don’t have another 10 years. But what’s the point of thinking about when it’s going to stop? It doesn’t help. I think once it’s time, it’s time, and you will know. But for me, just because I’m 35, I don’t think I should be thinking about retiring.”
- Shanahan told reporters that the 49ers had interest in Sam Darnold during the early stages of their 2018 draft evaluation (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner and Jeremy Fowler). The organization ended up trading for Garoppolo during the 2017 campaign, and Darnold went third-overall to the Jets in the following year’s draft. The 49ers were eager to bring the now-veteran QB on board this offseason, and the organization is convinced that Darnold was previously “harmed more by his circumstances than his ability.” Darnold was also eager to join an organization that could maximize his skills. “Being in a really good organization was a priority for me,” Darnold told reporters. “Being with really good coaches and really good personnel as well. Those were kind of the top things.”
- The 49ers announced a number of front office changes, including the promotion of Jeff Diamond to Senior Manager, Salary Cap and Hayden Frey and Crowley Hanlon to area scouts. The organization also officially announced the addition of Frank Gore to the front office, with the former running back earning the title of Football Personnel Advisor.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/10/23
Today’s minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Waived/injured: WR Makai Polk
Chicago Bears
- Waived from IR: TE Chase Allen
Cleveland Browns
- Released: DT Michael Dwumfour
Denver Broncos
- Waived from IR: G Yasir Durant
Detroit Lions
- Waived: G Logan Stenberg
Indianapolis Colts
- Waived from IR: WR Ethan Fernea
Following the addition of Shelby Harris, the Browns decided to let go of another defensive lineman. Michael Dwumfour got into nine games with the Texans and 49ers last season, compiling eight tackles. He joined the Browns earlier this offseason.
Logan Stenberg was a fourth-round pick by the Lions back in 2020. He saw a larger role in each of his three seasons with the organization, culminating in a 2022 season where he got into 16 games with four starts. The lineman also had a role on special teams in three seasons in Detroit, so there’s a chance he finds another gig elsewhere.
Players waived or released from IR often agree to an injury settlement with their team. Their previous placement on IR would have prevented them from seeing the field during the 2023 campaign; now that they’ve been released, they can sign elsewhere and play this season.
Matt Ryan Still Open To NFL Gig, Discusses Falcons Divorce
Matt Ryan is currently preparing for his first season as an NFL broadcaster, but the long-time quarterback isn’t ready to officially retire from the league. In a conversation with Josh Kendall of The Athletic, Ryan acknowledged that he’s still leaving open the possibility of returning to the playing field.
[RELATED: Matt Ryan To Become Broadcaster; QB Open To Resuming Playing Career]
“I’m staying in shape,” Ryan said. “I think it is kind of, ‘You know my number. You know where I’m at.’ If anything were to come up, you know, we’ll see. (CBS) is where my focus is at right now. But we’ll see how the season shakes out.”
When Ryan revealed earlier this offseason that he was joining CBS as a studio and game analyst, he noted that the announcement wasn’t “a retirement post.” Ryan also stated after the season that he still viewed himself as being capable of playing at the NFL level. The quarterback was unceremoniously released by the Colts in March following a disappointing one-year stint with the organization. The 38-year-old is still due $12MM from the organization in 2023.
Ryan showed signs of age during the 2022 campaign, with his interception percentage (2.8) and yards-per-catch average (9.9) both establishing career-worst marks. However, the veteran also dealt with plenty of adversity during his only season outside of Atlanta, with the former MVP finding himself bouncing in and out of the starting lineup.
“It was one of those things, you know, I felt like I was going into it in a position where I’d probably seen it all in 14 years and then realize, ‘No you have not, you have not seen it all,’” Ryan said of his experience in Indianapolis. “There’s a lot of other things that are going to come up. It was a difficult year, there’s no doubt about it.”
Ryan enjoyed a 14-year stint with the Falcons, which included Offensive Rookie of the Year honors as well as a Super Bowl appearance. Ryan also opened up to Kendall about his Falcons divorce, acknowledging that it was a “s— show” but he “came out of it stronger and in a really good spot.”
“Things kind of escalated quickly within one week and the entire dynamic changed,” Ryan said of his eventual trade from Atlanta to Indy. “That part was hard, there’s no doubt about it because for 14 years every morning I woke up, I knew exactly what was expected of me. When that changes, that part was difficult, but you get thrust in through a new situation so quickly.”
Ryan clearly doesn’t hold any ill will towards his former organization. As Kendall writes, Ryan recently visited the Falcons’ training facility for the first time since he was traded, and he’s had dinner with Falcons owner Arthur Blank, as well.
“The biggest thing that I took away from that situation is I wasn’t going to let one bad week ruin 14 years of awesome, of really positive, great experiences,” Ryan said. “You also come to realize the business side of it. I understand that there are difficult decisions that need to be made and there’s a right or wrong way to do those kinds of things. Would I have liked some of it to be different? Yeah, but it wasn’t handled badly. It was just a situation that was difficult for all parties involved.”
Saints Sign LB Jaylon Smith
4:00pm: The Saints signed Smith following his workout today, according to Schultz (on Twitter).
3:10pm: A week after working out for the Raiders, Jaylon Smith is auditioning for the Saints. The free agent linebacker worked out for New Orleans today, according to Jordan Schultz (via Twitter).
[RELATED: Raiders Work Out LB Jaylon Smith]
It’s been a quiet offseason for Smith, with his Raiders visit marking his first reported workout. Despite getting into 23 games over the past two years, Smith had to settle for practice squad gigs during the 2021 regular season and 2022 offseason. If he does find a landing spot this month, he’ll probably be inking another non-guaranteed pact.
The former second-round pick was a Pro Bowler during his time with the Cowboys, with the linebacker averaging 139 tackles per season between 2018 and 2020. He underwent wrist surgery during the 2021 offseason, and after refusing to waive his 2022 injury guaranteed (while also getting lapped by Micah Parsons and Keanu Neal on the depth chart), Smith was cut by Dallas.
After catching on with the Giants at the end of the 2021 campaign, he re-joined their practice squad last September. He ended up seeing time in 13 games (11 starts) during the 2022 season, collecting 88 tackles and one sack. Pro Football Focus only ranked him 60th among 81 qualifying linebackers, although they did grade him as one of the best pass-rushing options at his position.
Earlier this week, Saints head coach Dennis Allen hinted that the team could be looking for some depth at off-ball linebacker. Demario Davis had been sidelined with a calf injury, leaving 2022 fifth-round pick D’Marco Jackson as the primary option at the position.
Latest On Ravens’ Interest In Jadeveon Clowney
When Jadeveon Clowney visited the Ravens earlier this week, he ended up leaving Baltimore without signing a deal. However, John Harbaugh is still optimistic that the two sides can eventually agree to a contract. Speaking to reporters today, the Ravens coach said Clowney is still a realistic option, but Harbaugh also cautioned that the organization is talking to other free agent edge defenders.
[RELATED: Ravens Meet With Jadeveon Clowney]
“I haven’t heard otherwise,” Harbaugh said of a potential Clowney signing (via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley on Twitter). “It’s ‘So you’re saying we still got a chance.’”
Clowney was in Baltimore for a visit on Tuesday, and we later learned that the front office made an offer to the veteran. Clowney will continue to consider his options, but it sounds like it’s only a matter of time before the pass rusher makes a decision.
The former first-overall pick was cut by the Browns earlier this offseason following a disappointing two-sack campaign. Clowney will be hard pressed to hit the $8MM deal he signed with Cleveland last offseason, but he could point to Justin Houston, Leonard Floyd, and Frank Clark all signing deals between $5MM and $7MM in 2023. The Ravens are currently armed with $9.5MM in cap space.
Elsewhere on defense, Harbaugh acknowledged that the team’s current cornerback depth is “an issue, no doubt” (per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic on Twitter). The head coach also noted that the cornerback position is an issue the Ravens will probably have to address, a hint that the team could be making an addition to their secondary.
Part of the team’s issues at cornerback are related to injuries. Rock Ya-Sin, Jalyn Armour-Davis, and Arthur Maulet are currently sidelined with injuries, while Pepe Williams has been limited during training camp. The team’s depth will only improve with time, but Harbaugh seemed to indicate that the front office would consider additions at the position regardless of health.
Chiefs, Broncos Interested In Josh Jacobs
The Raiders are running out of time to convince Josh Jacobs to report to the team, and rival organizations are already preparing for the possibility that the running back could be a late addition to the free agent pool. According to Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com, the Chiefs and Broncos are “among the teams interested” in Jacobs if he has his franchise tag rescinded.
[RELATED: Josh Jacobs Hasn’t Reported To Raiders Camp]
As Florio notes, there are five options for the Raiders and Jacobs at the moment. The running back could simply accept his $10.1MM franchise tender, or the two sides could agree to an “enhanced deal” that offers more money (similar to Saquon Barkley and the Giants) or a promise to not tag him next offseason. Jacobs could also decide to sit out games, or the front office could try to find a taker via trade.
The fifth scenario would see the Raiders rescind the franchise tag, which would make Jacobs a free agent. As Florio notes, the player is “aware of the possibility and unconcerned about it.” While the running back would be hard pressed to recoup the $10.1MM on the open market, Jacobs would be fine taking the best deal from a contender.
So, in comes the Chiefs and Broncos. Kansas City would fit the bill of a contender, and they could offer Jacobs a role atop their depth chart. That spot is currently held by 2022 seventh-round pick Isiah Pacheco, who had 960 yards from scrimmage as a rookie before adding another 262 yards in the postseason. The Chiefs are also rostering pass-catching RB Jerick McKinnon and former first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire, but Jacobs obviously brings a stronger resume than any of those three backs.
It’s a stretch to describe the Broncos as a surefire contender, at least heading into the regular season. However, Florio notes that the organization would be a fit “at the right price.” Former second-round pick Javonte Williams is prime to lead the depth chart, but the running back is recovering from a torn ACL, LCL, and posterolateral corner. The Broncos also added Samaje Perine as insurance, but Jacobs would obviously provide a more established alternative to Williams.
Of course, the Chiefs, Broncos, and any other suitor would have to wait on the Raiders to blink and rescind the franchise tag. As Florio notes, this scenario wouldn’t allow Jacobs to maximize his overall value, but it would allow the player to stand on “principle” as running backs continue to navigate their declining market value.
Titans Sign OL Justin Murray
The Titans have added some much-needed depth on the offensive line. The team announced that they’ve signed veteran offensive lineman Justin Murray.
The former UDFA made a name for himself in Arizona, where he started 19 of his 27 appearances for this organization between the 2019 and 2020 seasons. The lineman was limited to only three games in 2021 thanks to a back injury, and he was ultimately released by Arizona at the end of the 2022 preseason.
Murray spent the 2022 season in Buffalo, getting into five games. He caught on with the Raiders earlier this offseason but was cut by the team earlier this week. In total, the 30-year-old has spent time with the Broncos, Buccaneers, Saints, Bengals, Raiders, Cardinals, and Bills. He’s started 20 of his 37 appearances in five NFL seasons.
Nicholas Petit-Frere is facing a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s gambling policy, and the Titans released his expected replacement, Jamarco Jones, following multiple fights during training camp. John Ojukwu is also dealing with an injury, leaving the team with Chris Hubbard, Jaelyn Duncan, Zack Johnson, and Andrew Rupcich for OT depth. Murray’s ability to play both guard and tackle could provide him with an upper-hand when it comes to earning a Week 1 roster spot.